Pistachio Crusted Salmon

This pistachio crusted salmon might seem like a fancy salmon recipe but you will be surprised how EASY it is to make! The salmon crust is perfectly complimented by the sweet and savory maple Dijon glaze.

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Why This Recipe Works

• Great family friendly recipe with minimal preparation time that you can pop right in the oven.
• The pistachio salmon crust makes for the perfect rich and buttery crunch to this dish.
• Only a few ingredients required.
• You can add veggies into the pan or skillet for a one pan meal, so cleanup is a breeze!

What nuts make the best crust for salmon?

The beautiful part about this recipe is that you can substitute pistachios for other nuts. Some of my other favorite nut crusted salmon dishes are:

• Pecan crusted salmon
• Walnut crusted salmon
• Almond crusted salmon
• Hazelnut crusted salmon

Head on over the Dinner at the Zoo for a delicious Almond Crusted Salmon with Honey Garlic Sauce!

Baked salmon side dishes

Looking for some great salmon side dish ideas? I love to serve baked salmon with something hearty like a rice or potato, as well as something light and healthy like a grilled vegetable or dinner salad.

For some delicious veggie options, check out my Best Roasted Asparagus. You can even throw the asparagus right on the same pan for a one pan meal! I also love serving this baked salmon recipe with my Roasted Beets (with herbs and garlic) which is another easy one pan meal option. Lastly, you MUST head on over to Kylee Cooks for her amazing Sautéed Green Beans recipe. These fresh green beans are delicious served with salmon!

For a delicious rice accompaniment, if you want to get super fancy (ie: deceivingly easy) you can check out my Forbidden Black Rice recipe (with instant pot or stove top instructions). This salmon would also be delicious served with my Instant Pot Mushroom Risotto. Talk about a set it and forget it meal!

How long to bake salmon at 350

Cook time is always the trickiest question because the answer is – it depends! It depends on the type of salmon. Wild salmon tends to be lower in fat content than farmed salmon which is fattier. It also depends on the thickness of the fish. It also depends on your oven. Not only the type of oven (regular oven vs convention oven) but also your oven’s personality, meaning, ever oven is a little different.

That being said, salmon tends to be a very forgiving fish due the fat content, making it rich, buttery and less likely to dry out. However, if you are looking to get the perfect cook on your salmon, using a meat thermometer is best so you can measure the internal temperature. Depending on how thick your fish is, the cook time will vary. The USDA recommends an internal temperature of about 145 degrees Fahrenheit for Salmon. You will want to measure from the thickest part of the filet. However, you will typically want to pull at about 135 or 140 as the carryover cooking will often bring you up to 145. The fish should be opaque and flake when cut with a fork.

How to make this recipe

Salmon Selection: You can prepare this dish with or without skin. It is personal preference. If you like more pistachio crust then you can prepare without skin and coat the pistachios on both sides, top and bottom of the salmon. With skin, you only need to coat the sides and the top. This recipe is for skin on. If you chose skinless, I recommend an extra ¼ cup of pistachios.

Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pistachio Preparation: Pulse pistachios in food processor. You don’t want whole chunks but you don’t want meal (like powder) – about in the middle. You want it to stick to the salmon but still have good crunch. You can also use a meat tenderizer/meat mallet to crush the pistachios. First put them in a ziplock bag and then you can crush them on a cutting board.

Dijon Maple Preparation: Mix course ground Dijon and maple syrup. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you like it a little sweeter you can add more maple syrup. Note: The course ground Dijon mustard tends to be milder in flavor. If you use regular Dijon mustard I would start with less. I used Trader Joe’s Whole Grain Dijon Mustard, if you are fortunate enough to be near a Trader Joe’s. I love Trader Joe’s!

Coating the Salmon: Coat the salmon top, bottom and sides with your Dijon maple mixture. Place pistachios on plate or wide bottom bowl. Gently place salmon on top of pistachio mixture (top down). Push gently so that the pistachio mixture sticks to the salmon. Coat sides of salmon by hand or gently turn to press sides down. Place salmon in a Pyrex baking dish or on an over pan.

Baking: Pre-heat oven on 350 degrees. Bake for 20-25 minutes. My cook time was 20 minutes but ovens can vary so better to err on the side of less and you can always throw it in for longer. Let rest five (5) minutes. Enjoy!

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Pistachio Crusted Salmon

This pistachio crusted salmon might seem like a fancy salmon recipe but you will be surprised how EASY it is to make! The salmon crust is perfectly complimented by the sweet and savory maple Dijon glaze.

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: dinner

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Servings: 2

Calories: 530kcal

Author: Aubrey

Cost: 20

Equipment

• Food processor or meat mallot/meat tenderizer

Ingredients

• 2 8 oz Salmon Filets (Skin-On)
• 1/4 cup Roasted/Salted
  Pistachios Skinless filet add 1/8 cup extra to coat
• 3 tsp Course
  Ground Dijon Mustard
• 2 tsp Maple Syrup
• 1/4 tsp salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Pulse pistachios in food processor. You don’t want whole chunks but you don’t want
  meal (like powder) – about in the middle. You want it to stick to the salmon
  but still have good crunch.
• Mix course ground Dijon and maple syrup. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you like it a
  little sweeter you can add more maple syrup.
• Coat the salmon top, bottom and sides with your Dijon maple mixture.
• Place pistachios on plate or wide bottom bowl.
• Gently place salmon on top of pistachio mixture (top down). Push gently so that the
  pistachio mixture sticks to the salmon. Coat sides of salmon by hand or gently
  turn to press sides down.
• Place salmon in a Pyrex baking dish or on an over pan.
• Pre-heat oven on 350 degrees. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
• Let rest five (5) minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 530kcal

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