Pesto salmon - easy skin peel

Most everyone says salmon is really good for you and I try to incorporate it often. Sockeye salmon happens to be our favorite and because it tends contain less fat than king salmon with a firmer flesh, I started adding a small dollop of pesto at the end and it added a rich saltiness that worked remarkably well with a this type of a bit leaner fish.

Wild caught salmon fillets, either fresh or frozen, tend to come with skins, which help to retain flavor and shape while cooking. Because I do not care for eating the skin, after a few tries, I settle on this easy method of broiling and charring the skin and peeling it off.

Regarding a pesto sauce, after an attempt at homemade version, I surrendered to the one from Costco. During spring/summer, we have massive amounts of basil growing in our (rooftop) garden almost regularly and I wanted to give homemade pesto sauce a try. After tasting the first time, my husband said, “This is really great, but you don’t need to put so much effort in it. Next time, you can just use the one from Costco?” (!). To be clear, he is extremely supportive and loving, and yet is a believer of “if you can just buy something as great (or better) ready made, why do you need to make it yourself?” So, I stopped making pesto and have been enjoying basil leaves in other ways. You may have your own favorite recipe or brand, and just for a reference, I included a brief note about making pesto in the recipe notes below.

In this example, I used a whole side of sockeye salmon fillet because a wild caught, fresh fillet happened to be available. I usually use frozen fillet portions, which taste just fine. For the side, I decided to broil asparagus on the same rack this time because I wanted to use up a fresh bunch just purchased. In summer, I often pair this dish with a salad like the examples below.

Enjoy!

Peso salmon (easy skin peel) with broiled asparagus

MayumiW

Broiled salmon with pesto sauce added at the end. Starts with flesh side first, turn to burn the skin, peel off the skin, turn again and add a pesto sauce to finish. If you do not have or like pesto, can substitute with a mix of olive oil + lemon + chopped basils + salt/pepper.

No ratings yet

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Mediterranean

Servings 4 people

Calories 383 kcal

Equipment

• Broiler/oven
• Sheet pan and baking rack

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 side fillet sockeye salmon can be an entire fillet side of four individual fillet portions
• 2 tbsp lemon juice from 1/2 of a large lemon + wedges for serving
• 1 tsp each salt, pepper, paprika, turmeric, ginger powder any favorite combination of herbs you use for fish
• 6 clove garlic pressed through a garlic presser or minced
• 2 tbsp pesto sauce Add more if you like more salt and oil
• 16 oz green asparagus about a bunch
• 2 tsp olive oil can be avocado oil
• 2 tsp soy sauce can be 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar reduction If using a regular balsamic vinegar, add 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar or maple syrup
• 2 tsp oregano or your favorite herb with vegetables, like Herbs de Provence
• 1 tsp paprika

Instructions

 

• (Optional) about an hour before start prepping, to remove fine sands trapped in tips of spears, wash asparagus carefully and thoroughly and soak upside down in a lukewarm salt water about an hour and shake them occasionally.
• Snap of the rough ends of each asparagus spear, usually about 2 inches (you’ll feel it when you start bending), pat dry well, and place on a tray in a single layer. Season with soy, balsamic vinegar, oregano, pressed garlic and paprika.
• Pat dry salmon on both sides and season with salt and spices you like, including red pepper flakes or paprika, turmeric, and ginger (powder or grated).
• Turn on the broiler at high, and let it warm up for about 10 minutes
• In the meantime, cover a sheet pan large enough to hold the salmon piece(s) with aluminum foil and place a lightly greased rack.

  Place the salmon flesh side up on the top half of the rack (to leave room for asparagus later) and spread the lemon juice and pressed (or powder) garlic evenly on the surface.
• Broil the flesh side first for 4-5 minutes depending on the thickness of salmon.
• Add seasoned asparagus to the rack.
• Turn the salmon to face the skin side up and broil for about 3 minutes, until about 1/2 of the skin burns.
• Once the skin is charred, it should be easy to peel it off starting from one corner to the other end.
  
• Turn the salmon with flesh side up, spread 2 table spoon of pesto sauce sparingly and evenly on the salmon. It will be about 2 teaspoons of pesto per person. Broil additional 1-2 minutes until pesto starts sizzling a little.
  

Notes

For a home-made basic pesto (this yields about 2 cups), combine 4 cups of fresh basil leaves, 1/4-cup of pine nuts or walnuts, and 4-5 cloves of garlic in a food processor. Pulse about 8 times or so until the basil of finely chopped. Add about 1/3-cup of grated Parmesan cheese (can be Romano). Let the food processor run and slowly drizzle in 1/2-cup of olive oil. Once it’s smooth and creamy add a dash of red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt. Taste and add more salt & pepper as you wish.

Nutrition

Serving: 1170Calories: 383kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 40gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 3gCholesterol: 106mgSodium: 316mgPotassium: 279mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 1066IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 96mgIron: 3mg

Keyword Broiled, Omega 3

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!