Pesto Salmon (Whole30 - Keto - Low Carb!)
A delicious quick and easy low carb salmon topped with dairy free fresh basil pesto
Ingredients
For Pesto:
- 2-3 medium sized garlic cloves
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- ⅓ cup roasted pine nuts (or roasted walnuts)
- 3 Tablespoons nutritional yeast (a dairy free cheese substitute) or 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground ,pepper to taste
For Salmon:
- 4 6-8 ounce salmon fillets, skin on
- sea salt, to taste
- freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, enough to generously coat the pan
Optional: Serve on cauliflower rice or traditional rice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place rack in center of oven.
For Salmon:
- Lightly sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper. Heat an oven safe pan on cooktop med/high for three minutes. Add enough olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of pan and allow oil to get hot but not smoking.
- Carefully place salmon skin side up on pan…you should hear the “pshhhh” sound. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until salmon is golden and crispy. Gently turn skin side down and sear for one more minute.
- Now transfer pan to preheated oven and cook for 8-10 minutes depending on how thick the salmon is. While salmon bakes, make pesto...
For Pesto:
- Pulse garlic in food processor until minced. Add basil leaves, nutritional yeast (or parmesan) and pine nuts. Puree in processor, slowly adding olive oil till desired consistency. Salt and pepper to taste.
Put it together:
- When salmon is done, remove from oven. To serve: if you prefer to remove skin from salmon, slide a spatula between the skin and meat of the salmon. Lift salmon up and the skin will stay in the pan. Place salmon on a plate and top with pesto.