Herb Pesto Salmon with Quinoa Salad
This salmon gets a fancy green pesto blanket, because apparently plain baked fish was not trying hard enough. The quinoa kale salad, feta, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and pesto make it bright, hearty, and suspiciously responsible.
EQUIPMENT (PAID LINKS)
- Medium pot with lid
- Rimmed baking sheet
- Aluminum foil
- Oven
Ingredients
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup quinoa
- 6 cups water
- 1 bunch kale stems removed and leaves chopped
- 4 salmon fillets about 5 to 6 ounces each
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¼ cup pesto
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Cook Quinoa: Pour the chicken stock into a medium pot and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the quinoa, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed.
- Prepare Kale: While the quinoa cooks, cut the kale leaves away from the thick stems. Chop the leaves into bite-size pieces.
- Cook Kale: Bring the water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Add the chopped kale and cook for about 2 minutes, just until tender and bright green, then drain well.
- Mix Salad Base: Add the cooked quinoa and drained kale to a mixing bowl. Stir until evenly combined.
- Prepare Salmon: Place the salmon fillets on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Leave space between the pieces so they bake evenly.
- Make Pesto Sauce: Add the lemon juice, pesto, and Dijon mustard to a small bowl. Whisk until smooth.
- Season Salmon: Sprinkle the salmon fillets with the salt and black pepper. Season the tops evenly.
- Coat Salmon: Spoon the pesto sauce over the salmon fillets. Spread it across the tops so each piece is covered.
- Bake Salmon: Bake the salmon at 400°F for 10 to 12 minutes, or until it flakes easily with a fork and reaches 145°F in the center.
- Finish and Serve: Serve each salmon fillet with the quinoa kale salad. Sprinkle the crumbled feta cheese over the salad before serving.