Oven Baked Pesto Salmon

5 from 9 votes

This easy, baked pesto salmon recipe makes tender, perfectly flavored salmon that's ready in just 30 minutes.

Prep Time5

Cook Time25

Total Time30

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: pesto salmon recipe

Servings:

Prep. Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
Prepare the salmon fillet. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the salmon in the center of the foil, skin-side down. Rub the minced garlic evenly all over the fillet and season the salmon with salt and pepper. Spread the pesto all over the top. Set aside.
Combine the tomatoes. In a bowl, toss the tomatoes with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the tomatoes around the salmon filet.
Bake. Transfer the fish to the oven and bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until the salmon is flaky and its internal temperature registers at 145˚F. Use an Instant Read Thermometer to check for doneness.
Let it rest. Remove the pesto salmon from the oven and let it rest for 4 to 5 minutes.
Cut and serve. Cut the salmon into individual filets and serve it with the tomatoes and a side of lemon wedges.

Salmon options: In this delicious recipe I used a whole salmon fillet, but if you have individual salmon fillets that you'd like to use up, that will also work. For individual sized fillets, you may want to start checking for doneness around the 16-minute mark.
Cooking Time: Salmon cooks fairly quickly, and in general, most fish are done in under 25 minutes. However, the timing will vary depending on the size and thickness of the fillet(s). To make sure that it's cooked through, always use an Instant Read Meat Thermometer.
Tomatoes and Veggies: Feel free to add any other veggies that you like or have on hand. Slices of zucchini, onions, strips of bell peppers, broccoli, and so on are all great options.
Basil Pesto: I recommend using about 3/4-cup pesto, but if you want to use more or less, that is up to you and totally OK to do.