- Avocado Pesto Sandwich by Mayuri’s Jikoni
- Baked Cod with Asparagus Pesto by Food Lust People Love
- Basil Pesto With Almonds & Walnuts by Sneha's Recipe
- Carrot Greens Pesto-Topped Roasted Salmon by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
- Pesto Cavatappi with Meatballs by Amy’s Cooking Adventures
- Salmon with Fusilli and Creamy Basil Pesto by Palatable Pastime
- Spinach Pesto Pasta by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Swiss Chard and White Bean Soup with Basil Pesto by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Vegan Mint Pesto by Sizzling Tastebuds
Pesto
Pesto is a sauce that originated in the Ligurian region of northern Italy. Pesto genovese, from Genoa, traditionally consists of crushed garlic, basil, and pine nuts blended with olive oil and Parmigiano Reggiano. The name derives from the Italian verb pestare which means to pound or to crush, referring to the original way of preparing it - with a mortar and pestle. The ingredients in a traditional pesto are ground with a circular motion of the pestle in the mortar. Now I use a food processor. It's much easier! And...I use whatever greens and nuts I happen to have on-hand. So, for this version, I was inspired by these carrot greens.
Inspired by the color of the wine and my family's recent carrot harvest, I decided to roast some salmon fillets and top it with a fresh pesto made with the top of our homegrown carrots.
Ingredients serves 6 to 8
- 4 cups carrot greens, rinsed and roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh herbs (I used a mixture of basil, parsley, oregano, and thyme)
- 1/2 cup freshly shelled peas plus more for garnish
- 1 Tablespoon crushed garlic
- 1/2 cup ground almonds
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan
- olive oil
- freshly ground pepper
- freshly ground salt
- Also needed: a blender or food processor
Roasted Salmon
- 6 to 8 salmon fillets, skin-on
- 2 to 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- freshly ground salt, to taste
- freshly ground pepper, to taste
- Also needed: sheetpan, parchment paper or silicone mat
Procedure
Carrot Greens Pesto
Place all of the ingredients into the blender. Pulse a few times, drizzle in olive oil, and resume pulsing. Pulse. Oil. Pulse. Oil.
If you want a smoother, sauce-like pesto, add more olive oil and blend longer; if you want a chunkier pesto, use less oil and blend for less time. So simple. So fresh. So fragrant. Set aside until you're ready to make the salmon.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a sheetpan with parchment paper or a silicone mat and set aside. Place the salmon, skin-side up, on the prepared sheet, then spoon 1 Tablespoon of pesto on top of each piece, spreading it to the edges of the fillet. Drizzle olive oil over the top and roast for 12 to 15 minutes.
You want the salmon cooked through, but not overcooked. So, it should flake easily, but still look moist. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes before serving.
Top each pieces with more pesto and garnish with fresh peas. Serve immediately. I served my carrot greens pesto-topped roasted salmon with a caprese salad and smashed potatoes, similar to these.
That's a wrap for our #SundayFunday pesto party. We'll be back next week with recipes that include coffee. Stay tuned.
How clever to use the carrot tops for this pesto. I never would have thought of that.
ReplyDeleteCamilla, my sister in law uses carrot greens to make pesto and in 2019, she actually brought it all the way from UK for me to taste. It is so delicious and a good way to use carrot greens which normally people throw away. Like your idea of adding peas.
ReplyDelete