Baked basil pesto butter salmon with only a handful of ingredients is a quick and easy dinner recipe. Low carb and keto-friendly!
It will be perfect for busy weeknights when you don’t have energy and time to cook. Baked salmon with an amazing basil pesto butter comes together so quickly you won’t even believe!

Baked salmon
This baked salmon with pesto butter is one of the most amazing and delicious ways to eat this healthy fish.
This baked salmon recipe delivers juicy, flaky salmon with an incredible pesto topping. If you like Costco salmon with pesto butter, you are going to love this restaurant-quality dinner!
Serve it with Mashed potatoes, low carb mashed cauliflower, steamed broccoli, roasted asparagus or Brussels sprout salad.
Baked pesto butter salmon ingredients
- Salmon fillets: You can use wild-caught Norwegian or Atlantic salmon fillets with skin on or off.
- Butter: I prefer to use unsalted butter to control the amount of salt that goes into my food. Bring the butter to room temperature before combining with other ingredients.
- Basil pesto: I recommend to use homemade basil pesto for the best results. However, any store–bought pesto will work as well.
- Garlic cloves: Make sure to mince the garlic to avoid raw chunks of garlic in the cooked dish. Don’t substitute garlic with garlic powder! Garlic powder won’t work here.
- Lemon juice: Adjust the amount of lemon juice to your liking.
- Salt and pepper
How to make baked pesto butter salmon
This is seriously an incredibly easy recipe with only 3 main steps.
- Combine the softened butter, basil pesto and garlic.
- Season the salmon fillets on both sides.
- Top each fillet with pesto butter and bake at 400 F (200) for 10-15 minutes or until cooked through. Don’t overbake! It will be dry. The internal temperature should reach 145 F (65 C) in the thickest part when it is done. Use an instant-read thermometer to check.
I often make basil pesto butter and use it on everything. When using this butter, simply slice it into patties and top each fillet. No need to soften it.
how long to bake salmon
Salmon only needs about 8-10 minutes in the preheated oven to 400°F (200°C). Place salmon skin side down in an oven-proof skillet and bake. Make sure not to overbake the fish.
What to serve with pesto butter salmon
- I prefer to serve it with garlic mashed potatoes or scalloped potatoes.
- Cacio e pepe or any kind of pasta is another great option.
- Love rice? Serve it with Instant pot brown rice. It goes really well with fish.
- Quinoa salad with feta cheese is a great healthy option.
- For a low carb dinner, serve it with steamed broccoli, Fattoush salad or Mashed Cauliflower.
How to store cooked salmon
This baked pesto salmon will last up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator if stored properly.
Pesto butter salmon video
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More baked salmon recipes
Baked salmon and asparagus in foil
Baked salmon with butter lemon cream sauce
Spicy honey garlic salmon in foil
If you make this pesto butter salmon be sure to leave a comment or give this recipe a rating! I will be happy to hear from you!
PrintPesto Butter Salmon
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4
Description
Baked basil pesto butter salmon with only a handful of ingredients is a quick and easy dinner recipe. Low carb and keto-friendly!
Ingredients
- Salmon fillets (skinless)- 4 x 170 g| 6 oz
- Unsalted butter (softened)-½ cup
- Basil pesto- 4 tablespoons
- Garlic cloves (minced)-2
- Lemon juice of ½ lemon
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 F (200 C).
- Combine basil pesto, softened butter and minced garlic in a medium bowl using a fork.
- Place the salmon fillets into an oven-safe skillet. Season the both sides of salmon fillets with salt and pepper. Squeeze lemon juice on top.
- Using a spoon or a small ice cream scooper, scoop out the pesto butter and place it on each fillet.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until cooked through (depending on the thickness of your fillets and your preference of doneness).
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Category: Salmon recipes
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Calories: 541kcal
- Sodium: 430mg
- Fat: 40g
- Saturated Fat: 16g
- Carbohydrates: 1g
- Protein: 42g
- Cholesterol: 172mg
Keywords: pesto butter, salmon recipes, pesto salmon
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The recipe is so fancy, but comes together so quickly. Love love love it!Pesto topping is out of this world . Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
Thank you, Kate! I really appreciate you taking the time to write your feedback! I hope you will try more recipes on the blog))).
I want to make this but I have one family member who won’t eat fish. Do you think I could substitute a boneless chicken breast for one of the fillets? Would cook time be the same? Thank you for the recipe.
Hey Karen! Yes, you can substitute with chicken fillets. Cut the chicken breast horizontally to make 2 fillets. Baking time: 12-15 minutes (depends on the thickness and size of your fillets). Hope this will help.