Another Double-Duty Meal: Pesto Grilled Salmon
My good friend Katherine, who has two small children, said to me the other day, “Hey, I have a great idea for your blog.” I saw David smirk in the background because he says that exact thing to me often, only his ideas are usually quickly dismissed (rarely do they have anything to do with food, at least in any realistic sense, and most often, he’s just trying to be a wise guy. A big surprise, I’m sure, to any of you who caught his carbonara recipe.) He was waiting to see if I responded similarly to my friend.
But Katherine’s suggestion was genuine. She said she’d love to see more recipes that are quick and easy that can also provide for two meals. I’d gotten into the habit of cooking that way in the fall and winter last year — slowly roasting vegetables that could morph into side dish, soup, or pasta sauce; cooking two chickens at once for main dish, stock, chicken salad, and a curry or quesadilla. But summer demands a different kitchen ethic: both because our schedule was a bit more lax and because turning the oven on for more than 20 minutes at a time is out of the question, dinner was usually a one-shot deal. Quick, perhaps, but rarely any leftovers.
But as the weather cools slightly and the days become busier, I find myself, perhaps inspired by Katherine’s suggestion, trying to plan more carefully and think ahead, getting more mileage out of the effort I put into particular dishes.
This salmon is a good example. It isn’t difficult or labor-intensive, but because I cook a whole slab at once, it makes a fabulous main dish one night, and then will crumble up into a yummy salad later in the week, enough for another supper and at least a couple of lunches. On the first night, I slathered it with fresh basil pesto, grilled it, and topped it with a silky tomato-cream sauce and fresh basil. Grilled corn and baby eggplants rounded out the plate.
Look for the salad recipe later on, and don’t forget to grill a few extra ears of corn too. It’s another great leftover food.
Grilled Pesto Salmon with Tomato Cream Sauce
1 whole slab salmon (about 1 1/2 - 2 lbs), or 4 6-ounce steaks
1/2 cup basil pesto
Kosher salt and cracked pepper
2 T. butter
1/2 small onion, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium tomato, diced
1/4 cup white wine
1 T. heavy cream
Basil leaves, for garnish
Prepare the grill. Rub the salmon on both sides with the pesto (depending on how thick you make your pesto, you may need to add a bit of olive oil); you should have a nice, thin coating of oil and herbs. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill the salmon, skin side up, until it’s just translucent in the center (it took ours about 4-6 minutes per side).
Meanwhile, saute the onion and garlic in butter over medium-low heat until soft. Add the tomatoes, and stir to heat. Sprinkle with salt. Turn the heat up to medium-high, and pour in the wine. Stir, cooking for a few minutes, until the vegetables have absorbed some of the wine; stir in the cream. Turn the heat down to low, and keep covered until the salmon is ready.
To serve, cut the salmon into 4 equal portions (if whole), and reserve 2 for salad later in the week. Top the steaks with the tomato sauce and fresh basil leaves.
–Recipe adapted from Come On In! by the Junior League of Jackson, MS
September 9th, 2006 at 6:35 am
This is beautiful. I’m really hoping I can fit this one in before leaving on a long trip and considering I’ve got to clean out my fridge with what’s there now.
Beautiful!
September 9th, 2006 at 6:40 am
This sounds great! Love salmon! I enjoy making salmon cakes with leftovers and serving over a salad. Leftovers are a great thing…
September 9th, 2006 at 7:21 am
This sounds great. I have a recipe category that I call “second helpings” where I try to post things I make from leftovers but I’m afraid I haven’t been that faithful about doing it.
September 9th, 2006 at 8:49 am
Salmon is so useful! As leftovers, as dinner.
September 10th, 2006 at 6:47 pm
I think Katherine may also be my long-lost sister. What a fantastic dish!
September 12th, 2006 at 7:29 am
Delicious! we had this for dinner last night, and it was great. i did as instructed and cooked enough salmon to have leftovers. now i’m needing that salad recipe….
thanks for a great dinner idea!
September 12th, 2006 at 9:28 am
Fabulous idea. Love it. And the salmon with pesto looks lovely. I like to make salmon cakes out of leftover salmon. Thank you for the inspiration!
September 19th, 2006 at 12:03 pm
Hello,
I just found your site this week and LOVE it! I live in Toronto, Canada and just finished a grueling year of Internship, so I can relate to being short on time and money - but you sure are not short on creativity! I wish I had found your site earlier!
But better late than never! I made the grilled pesto salmon with the tomato cream sauce last night and my boyfriend LOVED it! He said that it was the best fish he has had - which says something about my cooking, now doesn’t it?
Aside from the recipes, I also have been enjoying the menu planning and tips. I love cooking and all things food. I will continue to read and enjoy your blog! Thanks again, Jody
September 20th, 2006 at 10:54 am
Good morning . . . this salmon with pesto sounds great so I will try it soon. A question . . . I assume you mean to start grilling the salmon skin side up then turning it over (since you said 4-6 minutes per side), right?
Thx, Sabra
January 10th, 2008 at 4:07 am
The salmon worked out very well: I can recommend it!
July 18th, 2008 at 8:05 am
Wow! We had a feast!!! The pesto salmon was delicious! I made the tomato cream sauce with fresh roma tomatoes from our garden - was it wonderful!!! We made fried green tomatoes and the tomato cream sauce was just perfect on top of those! I just found this website and will be sure to come back for more!!! Thanks!
July 31st, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Looks great! I just did some salmon on a plank at my blog. First time using a plank and the grill. Come take a look when you get a chance.
Would love your ideas and opinions!
Joe
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