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This Sheet Pan Pistachio Herb Crusted Salmon & Asparagus is an incredible restaurant quality meal in about 20 minutes! The crust is crunchy, salty, and very lemony. You’re going to want it on everything.
Update: This recipe was originally published in 2018 and has been republished with all new photos.
Nothing beats a quick sheet man dinner on a busy weeknight. And this one is special. It’s really worth enjoying on a date night too! (I think I remember those happening occasionally pre-kids.)
I’m a pretty picky seafood eater so when I say that this is the best salmon of my life that really means something, friend. It’s the very best.
It’s really all about that crust. You’re going to want to slather it on all the things. The first time I made it I loved it so much that I decided to create my Pistachio Lemon Pesto for just that very purpose!
While the crust is what makes the salmon truly phenomenal, the asparagus is cooked simply with just salt and olive oil. Asparagus is such a perfect veggie to pair with seafood since it cooks so quickly!
For this recipe you’ll need (full list of ingredients and instructions are in the recipe card below):
- Salmon
- Pistachios
- Basil
- Lemon juice
- Asparagus
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
To make this delicious meal, you’ll first combine all Pistachio Herb Crust ingredients in a high powered blender or food processor. It doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth. It will have a consistency almost like a thick paste.
Spread the crust on top of each salmon filet. Bake. Then add the asparagus to the sheet pan with oil and salt. Bake again.
And you’re done! A simple meal that always impresses!
Why salmon is good for us
Salmon has lots of omega-3 fatty acids which do amazing things for the brain, heart, and joints. Studies indicate that foods with lots of vitamin D (like wild salmon) reduce our risk of cancer. Sign me up for that.
Wild salmon vs farmed salmon
You’ve probably heard before that you should select wild salmon instead of farmed salmon whenever possible. There are some great reasons for that!
Farmed salmon is fed a processed feed that’s high in fat in order to yield very big fish. This dramatically changes the nutritional content for the salmon you eat. Farmed salmon may have a little more Omega-3 and a lot more Omega-6 (most people today eat too much Omega-6 already) but it also has more calories, fats, and sodium. The big thing for me is that farmed salmon contains 10 times more toxins than wild salmon. Yikes! So go wild, friends.
I’m taking off my food nerd hat now. There are obviously so many incredible benefits to including wild caught salmon in our diet. I vote that you do just that with this dish.
I promise you’re going to go pretty wild yourself over this particular recipe. Trust me. My son went back for seconds because he was such a fan. If this wins over seven year old boys it can win over anyone.
More seafood recipes like this:
Sheet Pan Lemon Herb Salmon & Veggies
Cajun Shrimp & Cauliflower Rice
Pan Seared Chipotle Lime Salmon
Sheet Pan Greek Shrimp & Broccoli
Sheet Pan Pistachio Herb Crusted Salmon & Asparagus
Ingredients
Salmon
- 4 salmon filets, wild caught
Pistachio Herb Crust
- 1/3 cup shelled pistachios
- 1/2 cup fresh basil
- 2 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Asparagus
- 1 lb fresh asparagus, trimmed
- 1 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Place salmon skin side down on a non-stick baking sheet or on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Add all Pistachio Herb Crust ingredients to a blender and blend until it’s almost smooth. You just want to make sure you don’t have any large chunks of pistachio. (You can also finely chop the basil and pistachios by hand if you prefer. Stir in the other ingredients until it forms a paste-like consistency.)
- Spread your Pistachio Herb Crust over the top of each salmon filet. You’ll want to use every single drop. (It’s really good!)
- Bake for 5 minutes.
- Remove from oven. Add asparagus to baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Salt.
- Place back in oven for an additional 8 – 10 minutes. Bake until salmon is cooked through. Salmon should flake easily with a fork and asparagus should be slightly wilted but still crunchy.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
So yum. I love any oven baked salmon but with a pistachio and basil crust – well that’s just next level!
Thanks so much, Monique! <3
Drooling! Salmon is a favorite in my home, and pistachios are my favorite nut. THIS crust!!! So perfect!
My favorite nut too! Thanks, Emily! <3
Food nerd away – I love it! Wild salmon tastes SO much better too – I am a big fan of West Coast salmon, as I find it has a more pronounced flavor than Atlantic salmon!
There’s definitely a big difference!
Yeah, we switched from farmed salmon to wild a few years ago for the same reasons and never regretted.
I love the idea of adding pistachios over for a crunchy top! Thanks
They’re my favorite nut! Can’t go wrong with them!
I made this tonight and my husband and I both loved it! I sometimes get stuck in a rut because I have a couple of salmon recipes I rely on, and I am SO, SO glad I broke out to try this. This pistachio and basil combination is fantastic – really sets off the salmon perfectly. And it was so fast and easy to pull together, even with my preschooler acting like a crazy person in the kitchen. 🙂 Thanks for a wonderful recipe, definitely will be making it again!
I’m so happy you loved, Monica! Thank you so much for the comment and for sharing on Instagram! <3
One of my favorite salmon recipes! Easy & delicious.
This recipe is SO good & easy! We make it every other week – it’s that good!
I’m thrilled to hear that! That crust is just ridiculously good!!
love this take on salmon, which can be bland. this was not bland! tons of flavor and love the crunch
One of my favorite weeknight recipes!