This is going to end up being another one of our favorite meals. I mean, I already know that Pesto Zoodles with Chicken is one of the best food things ever. But pesto zoodles with pan-seared salmon, well I have to admit that it beats out the chicken. Especially when you add extra parmesan and perfectly sear the salmon.
I used my go-to recipe for pesto. It makes more than you need for this meal but using up leftover pesto shouldn’t be a problem. Try adding pesto to scrambled eggs or use it as a spread on sandwiches. Or make my Pesto Zoodles with Chicken or these Pesto Turkey Meatball Kabobs (just giving myself a little shout out)!
Buying zucchini this time of year is a struggle because I know my garden is going to be overflowing with produce in a month or two. We got the entire garden planted this past weekend! Yay! A full weekend of work but so worth the effort. On Saturday we got a pickup truck load of compost-topsoil mix and hand turned it in with the existing dirt in the garden beds. I have six 4′ x 8′ garden beds. Then on Sunday we bought all the plants and planted them.
Oh, and we did celebrate Mother’s Day this weekend too. My family came over on Saturday for dinner and Kris barbecued tri-tip steaks and asparagus. We also had a kale salad and sourdough bread. Dessert was ice cream! On Sunday, we took Kris’ mom and sister to our CrossFit for a special Mother’s Day WOD and then afterwards the rest of Kris’s family came over for brunch. We made sourdough pancakes, eggs, and bacon. The pancakes were topped with fresh berries, whipped cream, and real maple syrup. Soooo good! We had mimosas too, of course. Basically a great weekend of eating, CrossFit, and yard work!
Okay, back to this delicious meal. I have to admit that I had Kris cook the salmon for me, and he did an incredible job. The perfect sear! To get a good sear on salmon, simply start by sprinkling the salmon with salt and pepper. Next, heat olive oil over medium high heat (make sure the pan is hot!) and then place salmon in the hot pan, skin side up, for eight minutes. Leave the salmon undisturbed until a nice sear has formed. You should be able to wiggle a spatula under the fish without much effort and not have any fish sticking to the pan. After eight minutes, flip the salmon over so it’s skin side down. Make sure to admire that fine sear! Then cover the pan and continue cooking the salmon until desired doneness, about six more minutes for a slight bit of pink in the middle.
When you cook the zoodles, just lightly sauté them for a few minutes. You don’t want them to get mushy. I like to leave them more on the slightly crispy side. Once the zoodles are done, remove from heat and stir in the pesto sauce. Finally, to serve the meal, plate the zoodles with the salmon and top with fresh shredded parmesan cheese. Then enjoy the best pesto zoodles with pan-seared salmon!
- Two 6-8 ounce salmon fillets
- 4 small-medium zucchini zoodled/spiralized/sliced into thin strips
- 1/2 cup pesto - store bought or homemade
- 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 2-3 tbsp Olive oil you need enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan to keep the salmon from sticking and olive oil to cook the zoodles.
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
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Heat olive oil in a skillet (preferable a skillet with a lid) over medium - high heat, about 2-3 minutes.
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Sprinkle salmon fillets with salt and pepper.
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Place salmon, skin side up, in the skillet. Let the salmon cook for 8 minutes. Leave it skin side up, undisturbed until a good sear has formed. After 8 minutes, carefully loosen the edges of the salmon with a spatula and flip over. Then cover the pan with the lid and let cook for an additional 6 minutes. If you like your salmon more on the done side, cook it for 8 minutes.
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While salmon is cooking, heat another skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp olive oil. Add zoodles from all four zucchini to the skillet and lightly sauté for 3-5 minutes, until just starting to get soft. As the zoodles start to get soft, remove from heat and stir in pesto.
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Finally, Tt serve, divide the zoodles between two plates, sprinkle with parmesan cheese, and top with salmon.
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Enjoy!
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