There are only five ingredients in Delia Smith’s pesto salmon, and it makes supper for 2. Each fillet gets a layer of pesto, then breadcrumbs and grated Pecorino, which turn into a crisp crust. The fillets roast for 10 minutes in a very hot oven, and the salmon stays just cooked and moist.
Delia’s full name for the dish is Roasted Salmon Fillets with a Crusted Pecorino and Pesto Topping. It is in her How to Cook Book Two, and she credits her friend Lin Cooper with the idea.
This salmon with pesto crust began as a grilled dish. Delia moved it to a high oven, because she wanted to use the grill less.
For salmon cooked more gently, with a parsley sauce, see her baked salmon in foil.
Delia Smith’s Roasted Salmon with Pesto and Pecorino
Skinned salmon fillets spread with pesto, topped with breadcrumbs and Pecorino, and roasted until the crust is crisp.
2
servings10
minutes10
minutes450
kcalIngredients
- For the salmon:
2 salmon fillets, 150-175g (5-6oz) each, about 2cm (¾ inch) thick, skinned
1 rounded tablespoon finely grated Pecorino cheese
2 tablespoons fresh pesto sauce
a squeeze of lemon juice
2 tablespoons soft breadcrumbs
salt and freshly milled black pepper
Directions
- Oven: Heat the oven to 230°C, fan 210°C, gas mark 8.
- Tray: Cover a 25.5 x 35cm baking tray with foil and oil it lightly.
- Fish: Trim the fillets if they need it. Run your hand over each one to check for stray bones.
- Season: Put the fillets on the tray. Give each one a good squeeze of lemon juice, then some salt and pepper.
- Pesto: Stir the pesto well and measure 2 tablespoons into a small bowl. Mix in a third of the breadcrumbs to make a paste, then spread it over both fillets.
- Crust: Mix half the cheese with the rest of the breadcrumbs and scatter this over the pesto. Finish with the remaining cheese.
- Roast: Put the tray on the middle shelf and cook for 10 minutes, until the top is golden brown and crisp.
- Serve: Serve the salmon with steamed new potatoes.
Notes
- Take the salmon out as soon as the top is crisp. Delia wants it just cooked, so it is still moist inside.
- My own tip is to ask the fishmonger to skin the fillets for you.
FAQs
Why does Delia use chilled pesto and not a jar?
Because it works much better in this recipe, she says. Her one word of warning is that pesto from the supermarket chiller beats the bottled kind.
The paste also needs some body. That is why some of the crumbs are stirred into the pesto before it goes on the fish, my own reading.
Why does Delia roast the salmon in such a hot oven?
Because a blast of heat cooks fish fast and keeps its juices in. In the same book she calls oven-roasting a breakthrough, with the oven at its highest setting, about gas mark 8.
She likes it for two more reasons. It saves standing over a grill or a frying pan, and it uses less fat than frying.
Can I cook pesto salmon under the grill?
You can, because that is how the recipe began. Her friend’s first version was grilled, before Delia moved it to the oven.
Her grilling advice in the same book is to line the grill pan with buttered foil. She also heats the grill at its highest setting for a good 10 minutes first, then you watch the crust closely, my own tip.
Can I use Parmesan instead of Pecorino?
You can, my own view, because Delia uses Parmesan on fish too. Her Roasted Fish with a Parmesan Crust is in the same How to Cook book.
Pecorino is a sheep’s milk cheese with a sharper taste, so the crust has a little more bite with it.
How do I make pesto salmon for 4 people?
Double everything, my own sum. That is 4 fillets, 4 tablespoons each of pesto and breadcrumbs, and 2 rounded tablespoons of Pecorino.
Her baking tray is big enough for 4 fillets, so the oven heat and the 10 minutes stay the same.
What is Delia’s couscous crust for salmon?
It is another of her crusts, from the Summer Collection. Her Salmon with a Saffron Couscous Crust is made with couscous, dry white wine, saffron and a beaten egg.
She serves it for 4 with a tomato and olive vinaigrette. The crust wraps the fish, so all the fragrant juices stay inside.
What does Delia serve with pesto salmon?
Steamed new potatoes, and nothing else. That suits a dish that cooks in 10 minutes, because the potatoes can steam while the oven heats.
A green vegetable or a salad is my own addition, for a fuller plate.
