Recipe

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This baked pesto salmon with tomatoes is perfectly cooked with a flaky texture we love and tastes amazing!

When you need a healthy dinner on the table fast, this one-sheet baked salmon recipe infused with pesto flavor is always a winner.

baked pesto salmon and cherry tomatoes on a plate

Sheet Pan Salmon with Pesto and Tomatoes

To assemble this dinner quick, I bake the salmon on a sheet pan along with cherry tomatoes, all seasoned with delicious pesto. While the salmon and the tomatoes are in the oven, you can cook rice in a pot or make roasted cauliflower rice on the lower rack at the same time.

Ingredients

Salmon fillets and cherry tomatoes are the main ingredients of this dish. For seasoning, use salt, pepper, and pesto sauce (store-bought or my homemade pesto without nuts). I also add red onion for more roasted caramelized flavor. Optionally, you can add rice or cauliflower rice to build a complete meal.

How to Bake Pesto Salmon

As I’ll show you in the video below, to make perfectly flaky pesto salmon in the oven, you'll need to:

Cook the tomatoes and onion.
Toss them in a bowl with pesto sauce and bake them on a sheet pan in a preheated oven for 15 minutes.
Season the salmon.
Meanwhile, pat the salmon dry so the seasonings stick better. Season with salt, pepper, and pesto.
Cook the salmon and veggies.
Move roasted tomatoes and onions to the sides of the baking sheet and place the salmon fillets in the middle. Bake all for 16 to 18 minutes, until salmon flakes separate easily with a fork.
Serve.
Serve the salmon and veggies with rice or one of these side dishes for salmon.

left: raw salmon with peston on top; right: baked salmon and cherry tomatoes on a baking sheet

How Long to Bake Salmon

Depending on the salmon’s thickness, at 400F it will bake for approximately 16 to 18 minutes, until it easily separates with a fork, is fully pink, and the internal temperature reaches 145F when measured with a meat thermometer.

How to Serve Pesto Salmon and Tomatoes

This baked pesto salmon recipe pairs well with everything, from one of these cauliflower rice recipes to a simple side salad or roasted asparagus with lemon for a double serving of veggies.

Easy Pesto Salmon Recipe

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 30

This baked pesto salmon with tomatoes is perfectly cooked with a flaky texture we love and tastes amazing!

5 from 44 votes

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Watch how it’s made:

Ingredients

4 salmon fillets
Salt & pepper, to season
½ cup prepared pesto, or homemade
2 pints cherry tomatoes
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
Sauteed cauliflower rice, optional for serving
Fresh basil leaves, shredded for garnish

Instructions

Prep the oven:

Position your oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease a baking sheet with olive oil.

Bake the veggies:

Place cherry tomatoes and sliced onions in a bowl. Toss with 1 tablespoon of pesto sauce and transfer them onto the sheet pan. Bake for 15 minutes, making sure to give them a good toss around minute 10.

Bake the salmon:

Meanwhile, pat dry salmon fillets with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the remaining pesto sauce over the salmon fillets.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven, move roasted tomatoes and onions to the sides and place the salmon fillets in the middle. Bake salmon and tomatoes for 16 to 20 minutes, until salmon flakes separate easily with a fork.