Salmon with Basil Sauce

8 Reviews
ADD YOUR REVIEW
Howard L. Puckett
Yield
Makes 4 servings
By Julia Dowling Rutland
April 2006
RECIPE BY Coastal Living

A short soak in olive oil infuses this quick salmon recipe with delicious flavor and helps aid the cooking process. Top the fish with a quick, fresh basil sauce for a quick weeknight meal or an easy main dish when entertaining.

Ingredients

  • 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup fresh basil
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

How to Make It

Step 1

Drizzle salmon with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside 10 minutes to absorb flavor.

Step 2

Meanwhile, combine basil, 1/2 cup olive oil, and remaining ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped, and set aside.

Step 3

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté salmon 4 to 5 minutes on each side, or until desired degree of doneness. Place on serving plates. In the warm skillet, heat reserved basil sauce, and pour over salmon.

Step 4

Perfect Pairing: California lifestyle expert Susie Coelho recommends Meridian Pinot Noir for the Salmon with Basil Sauce. A hint of lemon means the recipe would work equally well with Meridian's Chardonnay. Another option is Meridian Sauvignon Blanc. Its bright, sunny quality matches the acidity of the tomatoes.

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Ratings & Reviews

limeygal's Review

clemie65
October 15, 2012
Made this last night for guests and it was a hit. I think I "whirled" the basil too long and it was a bit thin but the flavor was marvellous. I used lime juice instead of lemon and it was very good. Also added the tomatoes which made for a really pretty presentation as well as a fillip of flavor. Our guests loved it. Definitely make it again.

taffyhhh's Review

ubfit2
July 17, 2011
I did as the other reviewers recommended and added chopped tomatoes. I also made a small batch without them since my son detests them. I think the tomatoes make the dish. This is by far one of the easiest dinners to make.

ubfit2's Review

stephinsf
January 01, 2011
I love this fresh, easy dish! NOTE: the magazine version tells you to add cherry tomatoes (halved or quartered) to the sauce right before pouring over the fish. It makes the dish, so it is regrettable that this info is not included here. They also suggest serving with pasta and asparagus, which I do. Makes a terrace meal.

Donna63's Review

TracyVision
September 21, 2010
So easy,quick, and wonderful!!! I did add tomatoes to sauce as well as a little more garlic and leamon juice , let mixture sit about 30 mins before heated. Used over salmon and baked chicken!!! Will make over and over agian !!! may make as a dish for our upcoming wedding it was so good

TracyVision's Review

Donna63
August 18, 2009
My husband was trying so hard to say something nice about this dish, but when I looked at him and said "Yuck!" he had to admit that yes, that was his opinion too. The sauce was simply greasy. Not basily-y. Not garlic-y. Not lemon-y. Just greasy. Also, oil is not a natural pairing with an oily fish like salmon. The recipe doesn't mention tomatoes, but they're in the picture and mentioned in the wine pairing and I did throw some tomatoes on the plate. That burst of acidity was the only bright spot in this otherwise awful sauce. Not only will I never make this again, I'll never pair an oil-based sauce with salmon. I'm going to stick to my standard homemade mango salsa from now on!

clemie65's Review

JoyCNH
February 12, 2009
This is definitely a keeper. Excellent flavor & quite easy to prepare. However, I was confused by the reference to tomatoes in Miss Coehlo's wine comments, not mentioned in recipe ingredients. I used quartered cherry tomatoes heated w/sauce poured over salmon. Asparagus & couscous as sides. Yummm!!

stephinsf's Review

taffyhhh
February 06, 2009
I made this for 7 people and it everyone raved about it. I doubled it and there was plenty of food (not a lot of leftovers) and everyone cleared their plates. I will definitely make the basil sauce and freeze it for other fish, chicken etc.

JoyCNH's Review

limeygal
January 16, 2009
I made the sauce and put it in a foil pouch with the fish and put it on the grill!