Best Baked Salmon with Pesto Recipe (Easy)
Updated Jun 05, 2025, Published Apr 14, 2022
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This best baked salmon with pesto recipe is bursting with flavor and healthy fats. You’ll love every bite of this tender, flaky salmon slathered in lemon butter and topped with a fresh, homemade basil pesto. Since it’s ready in just 20 minutes, it’s the perfect easy and flavorful recipe for busy weeknights!
If you love easy salmon dishes, you’ll want to bookmark these recipes for oven baked salmon steaks and salmon piccata with lemon butter caper sauce.
Why You’ll Love This Family Favorite!
This is the very best baked salmon recipe with pesto. So much flavor in every bite! This recipe was inspired by some of my other salmon recipes, like my honey orange sesame salmon, baked salmon with potatoes and dressing, and this indulgent stuffed salmon.
Enjoy it as a quick, healthy dinner recipe on a busy evening, or make it for special occasions on the weekend. It is an all-around delicious (and authentically Italian) way to enjoy salmon!
Made With Amoré,
Ingredients
Like many Italian recipes, you’ll need only a handful of simple ingredients to make this easy dinner from scratch! Here’s the key ingredients you’ll need to make this baked salmon with pesto.
- Salmon Fillets: Choose fresh, wild-caught salmon that’s bright orange in color. This means that it will be as fresh as possible!
- Fresh Lemon: You’ll need freshly squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest for this recipe. It adds such a refreshing brightness to the flavor!
- Homemade Pesto: Make your own pesto with fresh basil for the very best flavor! I recommend using my Authentic Italian Pesto Genovese recipe, or add a twist with this Vegan Arugula Walnut Pesto or this Pistachio Pesto.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Don’t want to use salmon? Substitute with tilapia, cod, mahi-mahi, trout, sea bass, wahoo, or stripped bass. (If you want something fun and different, try my Crispy Baked Cod with Panko and Mediterranean Baked Cod!)
- Spicy Variation: Add chili pepper flakes while cooking to imbue heat into the dish.
- Deluxe Variation: Add fresh burrata cheese on top for a cheesy twist.
How to Make Baked Salmon with Pesto
This baked salmon recipe with pesto is SO easy to make and only takes 6 ingredients. After you prepare the pesto, the rest of the recipe will only take about 20 minutes!
It’s a stress-free dinner for a busy weeknight, but it is also perfect for serving guests. Everyone will fall in love with the bright, fresh flavors after their first bite!
- Preheat the oven and place the salmon on a prepared baking sheet. Combine the butter, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl, then spoon it over the salmon. Bake salmon for 12-15 minutes at 400°F.
- While the salmon is cooking, make the basil pesto. I highly recommend using homemade pesto for the very best flavor and color!
- When the salmon is done, top it with the pesto, pine nuts, and cherry tomatoes. Mangia! (eat)
Recipe FAQs
Atlantic salmon is typically farmed, while Pacific salmon species are primarily wild-caught. Wild-caught Pacific salmon are typically considered to be the healthiest salmon. For this recipe, use your favorite variety!
I prefer to bake salmon at 400°F, as it allows the skin to crisp and the fillets to cook quickly without drying out. I find that it usually is done between 12-15 minutes of baking at this temperature, but always check with a meat thermometer to make sure it’s between 125-145°F before serving.
The USDA recommends an internal temperature of 145°F for baked salmon, but it is safe to eat as low as 125°F, but I like to cook it to 135°F. This takes about 4-6 minutes per half inch of thickness.
Use a meat thermometer to check the fish at the thickest part of the fillet. You can also test for doneness by inserting a fork or knife in the salmon and twisting it a bit; the fish should be opaque and flake easily. Typically, when the fat starts baking out of the salmon and the skin becomes pink/white, it is done.
Homemade pesto is a tasty and fresh sauce traditionally made with fresh basil leaves, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and pine nuts. (You can also make the arugula version.) Check out my recipe with step-by-step photo instructions for traditional Italian pesto that you can pair with salmon, veggies, steak, chicken, pasta, gnocchi, green beans…ANYTHING!
According to the USDA, you can safely store cooked salmon in the fridge for 3-4 days. Baked salmon is best the day it is made; at least, that’s my preference. However, it does make great leftovers! Enjoy leftover pesto salmon on salads or on top of toasted bread. However, for the best taste, I do not recommend freezing the leftovers.
Serving Baked Salmon with Pesto
This easy baked salmon tastes amazing when served with my homemade basil pesto! But it’s even more fun to make it a surf-and-turf meal by serving alongside my perfect pan cooked steak or this small prime rib roast.
Looking for veggie side dishes to serve with this? Everyone will love my Sautéed Green Beans or Crispy Brussels Sprouts. For a salad option, try this Italian Fennel, Citrus, and Pomegranate Salad. You can also check this What to Serve with Salmon post for more side dishes!
My Pro Tips
Expert Tips
- Bring the salmon to room temperature. Letting the fillets rest on the counter for 15-30 minutes will help with even cooking.
- Cut the salmon fillets into individual portions before baking for a lovely presentation. You can also ask a clerk to do this at the grocery store fish counter.
- Bake the salmon skin side up if using a skin on variety. This helps the oils and juices run into the meat rather than off onto the baking sheet, which infuses it with more flavor.
- Don’t cook the pesto sauce on top of the salmon, as it may turn brown and will change the flavor. It is best added on top of the salmon after it is baked! It looks fresher and more beautiful this way.
More Fish Dinner Recipes You’ll Love
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Baked Pesto Salmon Recipe
Ingredients
For the Baked Salmon
- 3 3-ounce salmon fillets
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons salted butter, softened (not melted)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 cup homemade basil pesto
For Garnish
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes, chopped
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Let the salmon sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes.
- Season: Pat the salmon dry and place the salmon on the baking sheet. Season it to taste with salt and pepper.
- Sauce: Mix the softened butter, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl until smooth. Spoon the butter mixture evenly over the salmon.
- Bake: Bake salmon fillets for 12-15 minutes, or until the salmon has an internal temperature of 125-145°F, is pink and opaque, and flakes easily with a fork.
- Make the Pesto: While the salmon is cooking, make the basil pesto.
- Garnish: When salmon is cooked through, spoon a generous spoonful of pesto on top of each salmon fillet, then garnish with pine nuts and cherry tomatoes. Serve immediately. Mangia! (Eat!)
Notes
- Bring the salmon to room temperature. Letting the fillets rest on the counter for 15-30 minutes will help with even cooking.
- Cut the salmon fillets into individual portions before baking for a lovely presentation. You can also ask a clerk to do this at the grocery store fish counter.
- Bake the salmon skin side up if using a skin on variety. This helps the oils and juices run into the meat rather than off onto the baking sheet, which infuses it with more flavor.
- Don’t cook the pesto sauce on top of the salmon, as it may turn brown and will change the flavor. It is best added on top of the salmon after it is baked! It looks fresher and more beautiful this way.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Go to salmon recipe for a quick and easy meal!
Delicious and easy! The lemon butter makes the salmon so tender! I did use the pesto and the tomatoes but didnโt have pine nuts โฆ and of course for dessert we had Italian apple cake ๐
I am so happy you enjoyed it! Always, our famous apple cake recipe ๐