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Home » Recipes » Seafood

Baked Pesto Salmon

By Laura Fuentes Updated Aug 13, 2024

5 from 44 votes

Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy here.

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

The sheet pan salmon is perfectly cooked in the oven fast and full of pesto flavor and served with delicious juicy roasted tomatoes.

baked salmon with pesto and tomatoes on a plate

Sheet Pan Salmon with Pesto and Tomatoes

Is there anything better than a tasty dinner that comes together with very little fuss? The pesto gives lots of flavor to the salmon and the roasted tomatoes, making this a simple to execute dinner recipe.

While the salmon and the tomatoes are in the oven, you can cook rice in a pot or make roasted cauliflower rice in the lower rack of the oven at the same time!

pesto salmon ingredients laid out on a countertop

Ingredients

Use store-bought pesto or make your own pesto without nuts to make this recipe in a jiffy! You’ll need:

  • Salmon fillets: the star of the show. Use fresh or thaw-out frozen fillets for this recipe.
  • Salt & pepper: to season the salmon.
  • Pesto: store-bought or homemade, this is all you need to add tons of flavor to this recipe!
  • Cherry tomatoes: they roast at the same time and become a flavorful side dish for this recipe.
  • Red onion: roasted, caramelized, delicious in the recipe.
  • Rice or cauliflower rice: optional and both pair great with this pesto salmon.

Make sure to print the recipe with measurements from the recipe card below.

side by side photos baking pesto salmon

How to Bake Pesto Salmon

The best part of this baked pesto salmon recipe is that the main protein and the side cook in the oven at the same time! To make perfectly flaky pesto salmon you’ll need to:

  1. Get things set up
    Position your oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease a baking sheet with olive oil.
  2. Season the tomatoes
    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.
  3. Season 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.
  4. Cook the salmon
    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 18 minutes, until salmon flakes separate easily with a fork.
  5. Serve the salmon
    Serve salmon with white rice or seasoned rice cauliflower rice with fresh basil shreds.

Watch the step-by-step recipe video here, so we can cook this weeknight meal together!

Related: Best Side Dishes for Salmon

salmon fillets on a sheet pan with roasted tomatoes

How Long to Bake Salmon

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

baked salmon with pesto and tomatoes on a white plate

How to Serve Pesto Salmon and Tomatoes

The best part of this pesto salmon and tomatoes is that it pairs great with everything! Consider serving it with one of these cauliflower rice recipes, a simple side salad, or roasted asparagus with lemon for a double serving of veggies.

Easy Pesto Salmon Recipe

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 20 minutes mins
Total Time: 30 minutes mins
This baked pesto salmon with tomatoes is perfectly cooked with a flaky texture we love and tastes amazing!
5 from 44 votes
Print Pin

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

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Serve salmon with white rice or seasoned rice cauliflower rice with fresh basil shreds.

Equipment

sheet pan with lid cover
sheet pan with cover
printed papers of weekly family meal plan
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Sheet Pan Dividers

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 415kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 392mg | Potassium: 1389mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1850IU | Vitamin C: 56mg | Calcium: 103mg | Iron: 3mg

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Comments

    5 from 44 votes (40 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Chenee says

    May 20, 2024 at 11:33 am

    5 stars
    A dish with this much flavor tastes like it took all day to make, but it was really very simple and so good!

    Reply
  2. Kim says

    May 20, 2024 at 11:32 am

    5 stars
    The pesto really made the flavor of the salmon shine! I’ll be making this one again soon.

    Reply
  3. Sara Welch says

    May 20, 2024 at 10:53 am

    5 stars
    Enjoyed this for dinner last night and it was a savory success! Turned out light, tender and delicious; the best way to enjoy salmon, indeed!

    Reply
  4. Holley says

    May 20, 2024 at 10:14 am

    5 stars
    I made this over the weekend a small dinner party. Not only was this so easy to make, but it was super flavorful and everyone loved it!

    Reply

Hi! I'm Laura.
Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, mom of three, and the woman behind the world’s best pancakes—here to help you ditch the mealtime drama with recipes your family will actually eat.

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