Pistachio-Crusted Salmon

“Pistachio-crusted salmon.” Sounds fancy, doesn’t it?

It’s not. But it is dee-licious. Very easy to make, too.

All you need is fresh fish, melted butter and chopped nuts. You can use pistachios as I have below, or whatever you have on hand (mixed nuts, pecans, almonds). Whichever you choose, get the shelled, salted and roasted variety for easy preparation and deeper flavor. Then simply chop up the nuts or grind ’em your food processor. Roughly chopped, not too finely ground, is what you’re going for.

Then place the fish on a parchment-lined baking sheet or in a baking dish (skin side down). You can use salmon as I have below, but feel free to mix it up (cod, trout or tilapia would all be great, too). Drizzle the fish with melted butter, season with a little S&P, and then top with the chopped nuts.

Now bake! 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or 12-14 for thicker steaks. Put on some good music, drink a glass of crisp white wine and make a salad or side dish while you’re waiting.

A light tomato-cucumber salad, simple white rice and nice crusty bread would go really well with the rich fish, butter and nuts. Are you hungry already? I’m starving!

And that’s actually the secret to becoming a really amazing chef … you take soooo long that people are starving and/or drunk by the time the food is ready, and then they don’t care how anything tastes!

I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Kind of. Cheers! :)

Pistachio-Crusted Salmon

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 filets of salmon

3-4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 cup roasted, salted, shelled pistachios (or other nuts), roughly chopped

Salt and pepper, for seasoning

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the fish in a baking dish or on a parchment-lined baking sheet, skin side down. (If your fish does not have skin, that’s fine, too.) Season with a little salt and pepper (remember the nuts are already salted, so don’t need to add a lot more.)

Drizzle the melted butter over the fish. Then evenly sprinkle the pistachios over the fish; use your fingers to gently press the pistachios into each fillet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or 12-14 for thicker steaks. Remove dish or pan from oven. Use a metal spatula to transfer the fish to individual plates. If there is any butter or pistachios left in the baking dish, spoon it evenly over each fillet, and serve :)