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Pistachio Crusted Salmon

This Pistachio Crusted Salmon is delicious enough to wow your dinner guests, yet easy enough for busy weeknights. It’s a healthy and delicious way to do baked salmon.

pistachio baked salmon
Pistachio crusted salmon is impressive enough for guests, but super easy to make.

Pistachio Crusted Salmon

At a recent gathering, this irresistible pistachio crusted salmon caught everyone’s attention. Everyone, including all the kids and tweens and teens, devoured it immediately.

I dutifully turned pistachio-crusted-salmon-crazy and experimented until this delicious recipe surfaced at home. It’s since become home run at the table every time. 

Don’t let the fancy pistachio crusted title fool you into mistakenly assuming this salmon recipe couldn’t possibly be a weeknight deal. It’s as easy as our ever popular Sheet Pan Lemon Salmon. I’ve got a not-so-secret secret to making this healthy baked salmon more than doable on a random Tuesday night.

6 Simple Ingredients For Pistachio Crusted Salmon

Pistachio crusted salmon only sounds gourmet. It’s certainly impressive enough to wow your friends, but it’s easy enough to earn a place in your regular dinner rotation.

Here are the big six:

  • Fresh whole salmon fillet: you’ll need 2-3 pounds worth, with skin on one side. Having skin on the bottom helps to keep your salmon tender during baking.
  • Stone ground mustard, or whole grain mustard: all mustards are not the same. Stone ground mustard has visible whole mustard seeds in it, providing texture and depth of flavor. We use it all the time in this Honey Mustard Chicken with Curry.
  • Shelled pistachio nuts: if you like popping roasted pistachios straight from the bag into your mouth, just save 2/3 cup for your baked salmon recipe. I remind myself of that every time.
  • Fresh lemon juice. Definitely freshly squeezed, not bottled.
  • Olive oil: only 2 TB oil is needed to help the pistachio crust adhere to the salmon during baking.
  • Honey: honey is my favorite sweetener for savory dishes. Our popular Honey Baked Ham uses plenty of pure raw honey. It does wonders for balancing out this pistachio crusted salmon.

About that Salt & Pepper

  • Kosher salt: I sometimes get asked why I specify kosher salt in the instructions. There is definitely a difference between kosher salt and table salt; kosher salt is made up of bigger crystals and is therefore much less salty volume-wise than the fine crystals of table salt. Additionally, kosher salt does not contain iodine, which imparts a certain flavor to table salt. I cook almost exclusively with kosher salt when it comes to savory recipes.
  • Freshly ground black pepper: There’s also a significant difference in quality of flavor when you use a peppercorn mill or grinder for freshly ground black pepper vs. using typical pepper shaker. Not only can you adjust the coarseness of your pepper when you freshly grind it, but freshly ground black pepper is notably more zesty, spicy, and aromatic. My favorite all-purpose peppercorns are tellicherry peppercorns, with their deep, rich flavor.

How to make pistachio crusted salmon: pro tips

Here are our time-saving tips for making this pistachio crusted salmon easy enough for busy weeknights:

  • Crush pistachio nuts ahead of time. They keep very well in an airtight container for several days, so crush away on the weekend for a seamless weeknight baked salmon.
  • If you don’t want to dirty your food processor or blender (that’s me) you can use a large zip up baggie and a meat tenderizer. Rolling pins don’t work particularly well for breaking up nuts. I use the flat side of this meat tenderizer to quickly “chop” nuts in a bag; not only is it effective, it’s also quite cathartic. Just be sure to have a thick cutting board underneath for the well being of your countertop 🙂
pistachio crusted salmon, baked salmon
Serve pistachio crusted salmon with rice pilaf, crispy salad, or a simple pasta dish.

What to serve with baked salmon

Side dish options for this pistachio baked salmon are endless. Our favorites include the following tried-and-true recipes that don’t require oven use:

  • Easy Rice Pilaf is fluffy, flavorful, and quick. With or without mushrooms (but we totally love it with.)
  • Best Broccoli Apple Salad is the one salad that actually stays crunchy even when you make it ahead of time. Our version is much healthier than most, yet tastes incredible. Even the kids will munch this up.
  • Skillet Pasta Primavera is simply scrumptious. This healthy pasta is teeming with saucy vegetables that taste unbelievably delicious.

You may want this for dinner, too:


Did you make this?

Please give us a rating and comment below. We love hearing from you!

pistachio crusted salmon

Pistachio Crusted Salmon

4.94 from 30 ratings
This Pistachio Crusted Salmon is delicious enough to wow your dinner guests, yet easy enough for busy weeknights. It’s a healthy and delicious way to do baked salmon.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 10
Author: Amy Dong

Ingredients  

Instructions

  • Do ahead: crush pistachios into a texture similar to coarse ground/finely chopped nuts. Use blender, or place nuts in a large plastic Ziploc bag and use flat side of meat tenderizer to quickly pound nuts. Crushed nuts can be kept in airtight container for several days ahead of time. 
  • Arrange rack to middle position in oven. Preheat oven to 375F. Lay foil down on a rimmed baking sheet.
  • Cut salmon fillet into desired amount of even pieces (alternatively, you can leave the salmon whole.) Use paper towels to soak up excess moisture off all sides of salmon. Place salmon skin side down on baking sheet. 
  • In a bowl, combine lemon juice, honey, mustard, salt, and pepper. Use hand whisk to incorporate well. Brush mixture evenly onto top of salmon fillets. 
  • Combine olive oil with crusted pistachios, mixing to coat well. Press mixture and firmly evenly on top of salmon fillets. 
  • Bake 12-15 minutes, depending on thickness of the pieces. If desired, you can remove thinner fillets earlier and keep warm while thicker pieces finish cooking. 
  • Let cooked salmon sit at room temp for 5 minutes – this helps your fish to finish cooking while it cools a bit, as well as retain moisture.

Notes

If you enjoyed this recipe, please do come back and give it a rating ♡

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 389kcal | Carbohydrates: 51.3g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 10.9g | Saturated Fat: 1.7g | Cholesterol: 57.9mg | Sodium: 220.8mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 47.9g
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free, Low Lactose
Method: baking

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Recipe Rating




60 comments

    • Elynore Gorospe
    • 5 stars

    Wow this was so good. We enjoyed this recipe for sure! My husband said this was better than the ones we got from the restaurant! Definitely our favorite now

    • Brenda Rodriguez
    • 5 stars

    I’ve made this 4 times in the last 3 weeks! My family is constantly asking for this! I decreased the amount of mustard only due to family preference and drizzle a little honey on top when serving. Other than that, no changes necessary!

      • Amy Dong

      Awesome, Brenda!

    • Nancy Boles-Rees
    • 5 stars

    Added 1/2 cup feta and fresh chives to the pistachio mix. Yummy!

      • Amy Dong

      Delicious, Nancy!

    • Colleen
    • 5 stars

    I just made this for my friend’s birthday dinner and it was amazing. Everyone wanted the recipe. I’ll definitely make this salmon again!

      • chewoutloud

      That’s amazing, Colleen!

    • Emily
    • 5 stars

    So delicious! Thanks for an excellent recipe!!! My fish fillet was pretty large and thick so it did take 10-15 mins longer to cook. I subbed in regular powdered mustard and used bottled lemon juice because that was all I had on hand but it was still excellent.

    • marc
    • 5 stars

    Great – with or without the pistacho topping!

    • Rachail

    This is what was served at our wedding 20 years ago, with a strawberry coulis drizzle. Everyone raved about it. So glad to have a recipe to duplicate it.

    • Michelle Sager
    • 5 stars

    This recipe is the bomb!!i used honey vinegar because i didn’t have lemon. This has become my go to recipe for salmon. Thanks

      • chewoutloud

      SO happy you made and enjoyed this!

    • Michelle
    • 5 stars

    This is the best salmon i have ever had. Fabulous!!!

      • chewoutloud

      Yay, Michelle!!

    • John
    • 5 stars

    I made this dish for my wife recently, she loved it. I can’t eat salmon so I used the pistachio mix on a chicken breast for myself…..delicious

      • chewoutloud

      Smart idea, John! 🙂

    • Karen

    Just made this for my 5th time. It never fails to be a show stopper. Delicious. Thanks for sharing.

      • chewoutloud

      Awww, that makes me super happy! 🙂

    • beckandbulow
    • 5 stars

    Lovely recipe

    • Jacalyn
    • 5 stars

    I made this yesterday for dinner and it came out very tasty. I will make again 🙂

    • Fran

    Do you use salted or unsalted pistachios?

      • chewoutloud

      Fran, I like to use salted/roasted pistachios 🙂

    • Saudagar Hartanah

    This is look so yummy. I really love salmon, it skin and everything about it.

    • Shannon Gurnee

    This looks like a yummy dish! I love salmon and am always looking for a new way to prepare it.

    • Gail
    • 5 stars

    I LOVE pistachio anything! It must taste amazing on salmon! Such a good idea.

      • chewoutloud

      It really is a tasty combo with fantastic texture 🙂 Thanks, Gail!

    • Jenni LeBaron
    • 5 stars

    This salmon recipe looks and sounds so scrumptious! I love the pistachios for texture! What a tremendous special occasion meal!

      • chewoutloud

      It’s perfect for occasions, but also super easy for weeknights. Thanks, Jenni!

      • Michelle
      • 5 stars

      This is so good!! Did not have any lemon so subbed apple cider vinegar

        • chewoutloud

        So happy you liked this, Michelle! 🙂

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