Easy Healthy Pesto Grilled Salmon Over Fresh Tomatoes

Sometimes, you want a clean and healthy meal. Something that is filling, but leaves you feeling good and not overly satiated. This is a simple and easy recipe for those looking to clean their palate and have a fresh start or end to their day. What I love about this recipe is how well the flavors go well together. Salmon, pesto, and tomatoes have always been a great combination. I also love how this recipe is really easy. Combining different flavor elements to a dish can really make it stand out without making it complicated. Also, mixing homemade and store bought is totally fine and an even easier way to make delicious meals. Sub the homemade for jarred if you are on a time crunch!

For my salmon, I got frozen this time. I prefer fresh from the counter (which is usually already thawed for me), but this time my store was out. If you can get fresh, great, if not, the frozen filets worked just the same. I thawed mine out a day before in the fridge. This is the safest way to thaw frozen meat, but the fastest is to put it in cold water and submerge. Never thaw frozen meat in hot water. The outside will actually begin to cook while the inside is frozen and this can lead to bacteria starting to grow on the outside.

Pesto is one of the easiest things you can make. You can use a food processor, blender, or pestle and mortar. The easiest way in my opinion is the blender or food processor, but you get a great workout with the pestle and mortar. I honestly never measure my pesto ingredients because I go off flavor, but I did provide a rough guideline of measurements for the sauce in the recipe. Take your basil, garlic, olive oil, salt, parmesan cheese, pine nuts, and lemon juice and blend together.

I seasoned my salmon with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Then, I laid the salmon on a hot grill skin side up. You know when it is time to flip when the salmon is not sticking to the grill. Next, I grilled my salmon about 4 minutes each side. In the meantime, you can lightly sauté your tomatoes in a skillet with salt, pepper, and a little oil. When cooking, I did them for about 3-5 minutes over medium to high heat. I wanted the skins to be slightly charred but not cooked enough where they burst.

I platted my tomatoes and then laid my salmon on top. After I placed my salmon, I took a spoonful of pesto and gently covered the top. If you would like to garnish, add a bit of lemon and parmesan cheese! Although I did not add a carb or starch with this dish, it would go wonderfully with rice or potatoes for a more hearty meal!