Best 8 Pesto Grilled Salmon Recipes

PESTO GRILLED SALMON

Steps:

• Place salmon skin side down on lightly oiled grill rack. Grill, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for 5 minutes., In a small bowl, combine the pesto, onions, lemon juice and garlic. Carefully spoon some of the pesto mixture over salmon. Grill until fish flakes easily with a fork, 15-20 minutes longer, basting occasionally with remaining pesto mixture.

GRILLED SALMON WITH PESTO CRUST

Steps:

• Heat a small skillet over medium heat; cook and stir pine nuts in the hot skillet until fragrant and toasted, about 5 minutes.
• Blend basil, Parmesan cheese, toasted pine nuts, and garlic in a blender until a thick paste forms. Gradually stream olive oil into blender and continue blending until desired consistency of pesto is reached; season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate. Season both sides of salmon with salt and pepper.
• Place salmon, skin-side down, onto grill grates; close grill and cook until salmon is about 2/3 done, 8 to 15 minutes. Remove salmon from grill using a spatula and transfer to a baking sheet, skin-side down. Spread pesto evenly over the salmon. Save extra pesto for another use if there are leftovers.
• Set oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
• Broil salmon until fish flakes easily with a fork and pesto is bubbling, about 5 minutes.

CEDAR PLANK-GRILLED SALMON WITH CILANTRO PESTO

Steps:

• This recipe is for OUTSIDE gas or charcoal plank-grilling.
• For the Cedar Planks: I use UNTREATED 1 by 8 construction grade cedar cut to the length of the amount of salmon you wish to cook. (I cut mine in 10-inch lengths for 2 (8- ounce fillets)
• Soaking the planks: Pre-soak cedar planks for at least 1 hour, preferably longer or overnight. Weigh down planks with heavy cans or stones to completely submerge the wood in water.
• Lightly coat the salmon with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place salmon on cedar plank skin-side down.
• Turn on your gas grill to high heat. Place planks (loaded up with salmon) on the grill and close lid. Your grill will now turn into an oven/smoker. Cooking time required will vary depending on the size of the salmon. Be careful when you are lifting the grill lid because the burning plank will produce a lot of smoke. Try to keep the lid closed as much as possible as not to lower the temperature inside the grill. When salmon is cooked, remove fish from plank and plunge wood into a bucket of cold water. Serve the salmon immediately with the Cilantro Pesto.
• Place first 4 ingredients in blender or small food processor and completely puree. Add lime juice, jalapeno, and salt and pepper, to taste.

PESTO GRILLED SALMON

Steps:

• Put sauce ingredients in food processor and blend until creamy.
• Coat grill rack with oil and place salmon skin down. Grill covered over medium heat for 5 minutes (can broil if you don't have a grill).
• Spoon pesto over salmon reserving 1/4. Grill 15-20 minutes more basting with remaining pesto occasionally until fish flakes with fork.

GRILLED SALMON STEAKS WITH SPICY CHILE PESTO

Steps:

• Place salmon on a flat work surface. Roll the thin ends into the thicker end and tie with cooking twine. Brush with sunflower oil. Transfer salmon rolls into a glass dish. Top with juice and zest of 1 lime. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate until well marinated, about 2 hours.
• Place remaining lime juice and zest, chile peppers, 1 tablespoon olive oil, sunflower seeds, and garlic in a food processor. Puree, pouring the rest of the olive oil in gradually, until pesto is blended and thick.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate. Place salmon rolls on grill. Cook until salmon flakes easily with a fork, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Divide salmon across serving plates; spoon pesto on top.

GRILLED SALMON WITH SORREL PESTO

Steps:

• Preheat a grill. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Reserve 4 sorrel leaves and blanch the rest in the water for 5 seconds. Drain and refresh under cold running water. Drain well and place in a mini food processor or a blender with the parsley, garlic, olive oil and salt. Process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the jar.
• Grill the salmon steaks until just cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cut the reserved sorrel leaves across into thin strips. Divide the salmon steaks among 4 plates, top with a dollop of pesto and sprinkle with the sorrel strips. Serve immediately.

SURF AND SURF: CEDAR PLANK-GRILLED SALMON AND HALIBUT WITH PARSLEY AND DILL PESTO

Steps:

• Soak untreated cedar plank in water for at least 1 hour. Prepare your grill by scraping it, oiling it, and heating it to medium.
• Carefully rinse and dry each fillet. If you feel any bones when you run your fingers along the fillet, you may wish to remove them. Using needlenose pliers or strong tweezers, gently pull out the bones in the same direction they grew to avoid damaging the fish.
• Place the fish on the plank, brush them with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place the plank over the flame or hot coals. It will burn, but this is normal and a part of the recipe. If you see open flames, turn the heat to low and spray the plank with a little bit of water from a spray bottle. You can also move it to a cooler part of the grill.
• Cook until the juices turn opaque and solid on the top of the fish, approximately 10 minutes for each inch of thickness. Do not overcook. The meat thermometer should read 145˚F. when inserted into the thickest part of the fish.
• At this point, most of the plank will be charred around the fish. Remove the fish to a platter, leaving the skin on the plank, and discard the plank. Spoon the pesto over the fish before serving.
• Parsley and Dill Pesto
• In a food processor or blender, blend the garlic. Add the parsley, dill, preserved lemon, cheese, olive oil, salt, and pepper and pulse until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and pulse until the mixture forms a smooth paste.

PESTO STYLE GRILLED SALMON

Steps:

• Cut a double thickness of aluminum foil four inches longer than the salmon fillet. Spray the top layer with the nonstick cooking spray and center the fillet on it. Add the next five ingredients to a food processor and pulsate several times to combine and chop. Add the Hellman's Mayonaise and pulsate just enough to combine thoroughly. Pour into a bowl and stir in the cheese. Spread the pesto mayonaise liberally on the fillet and let rest in the refrigerator at least 45 minutes to an hour. Slide the foil and fillet onto a preheated grill. If you have a double flame grill center the fillet over one and turn it off. This way the fillet will cook with indirect heat. Close the lid and grill on medium high heat until done. The fillet is finished when the coating is nicely browned and the thickest part flakes easily with a fork. Remove from heat and let rest ten minutes before serving. The skin will most likely remain on the foil when portioning for service.