Pecan Crusted Salmon

Name: Pecan Crusted Salmon Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 4 skin on salmon filets 6-8 oz. each; 1/4 cup mayonnaise; 1 lemon - zest only; 1 tbsp fresh minced Parsley; 1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese; 2/3 cup crushed pecans; salt; black pepper

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Pecan Crusted Salmon is an easy gluten free dinner recipe that needs to make its way to your menu right away! This tasty, juicy baked salmon is coated in a thin layer of flavored mayo and encrusted in a mixture of crushed pecans and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

If you love baked salmon, you’ll love my Blackened Salmon and Orange Salmon.

A fork is removing bite sized piece of salmon from the white plate.

Table of Contents

This easy pecan crusted salmon recipe takes just a little over 30 minutes to make, and always a hit around dinner table! The salmon itself is juicy and tender and the Parmesan pecan crust truly make your mouth water. If you’re craving a unique and flavorful salmon recipe for dinner, this is the one to try.

I love serving pecan crusted salmon when I feel like impressing my guests without extra effort. It’s the type of entrée that always garners attention and a slew of compliments! With that being said, people never believe me when I tell them just how simple it is to make.

What you will need is about 30 minutes, a few simple ingredients, and a blender to make the pecans finely chopped. Everything else is just a little effort for a few easy steps and an oven! It’s an entrée that you can make all year long for family and friends.

Ingredient Notes

labeled ingredients to make pecan crusted salmon on the wooden board.

Salmon – When choosing which salmon to buy from the seafood counter, pick filets that are about 6-8oz each and still have the skin on. For best results, always try to use fresh salmon, not frozen. King salmon, sockeye/red salmon, and Atlantic salmon will all work well with this easy recipe. Remember, the finished product will always be as good as the ingredients.

Mayonnaise – While I use regular mayonnaise, you can opt for a low-fat mayonnaise if you’d prefer. However, stay away from miracle whip or other non-mayonnaise substitutions.

Lemon – You’ll only need the zest of one fresh lemon for the mayonnaise mixture. If you don’t have a zester handy, that’s okay! A grater will work as well. Just be sure to use the side of the grater with the smallest slicing holes and don’t press hard. (With remaining lemon juice, make yourself a lemon drop martini to compliment the dinner.)

Parsley – For best results, use fresh, not dried parsley. The mayonnaise mixture is what brings fresh, bright flavor to the salmon, so enhance that flavor by using fresh herbs.

Parmesan Cheese – Fresh grated Parmesan cheese helps to create a rich flavor in the crust without making it overwhelmingly cheesy. However, if you really love parmesan, consider adding a little more to the mix.

Pecans – Use halved or chopped pecans without any additional flavors in them.

Types of Salmon to Choose From

Remember, quality matters when picking your seafood! Always try to get a better quality for the best texture and flavor. Better quality fish is also sustainably farmed or caught, which is better for our environment. Ask your fish monger where they get their fish, as most of them will have that information right on the labels.

When fresh option is not available, try to find flash-frozen salmon. Flash-frozen is often frozen right on the boat, soon after being caught. This will be the best frozen option. These are some of the most common types you will see at the grocery store:

King Salmon – While this may be the most expensive and exquisite type of salmon you can purchase, it’s worth it! It’s rich in flavor and high in fats. It’s not too common to find at your local grocery store, but it’s worth the price point if you can get your hands on it.

Sockeye/Red Salmon – It’s got a bright red color and full flavor that make it stand out from other cuts. Sockeye salmon is much more available and more inexpensive than other fillets.

Atlantic Salmon – Did you know that all Atlantic salmon is now farm raised? Wild Atlantic salmon is endangered and no longer commercially harvested, so pretty much all of it is now farm raised. This type of salmon is the most affordable, has a mild flavor, and has a relatively good amount of fat.

How to Make Pecan Crusted Salmon

Salmond filets are covered with a fresh mayonnaise mixture on a prepared baking sheet.

Start by preheating your oven and line your baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking and to make clean up easy.

While your oven is preheating, pulse the pecans in a blender until they are coarse, but not so much that they resemble dust. Mix chopped pecans with grated Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.

Next, combine all of the mayonnaise ingredients in another bowl. Pat salmon filets with paper towel, sprinkle them with a little salt, and rub the salmon filets with the mayonnaise mixture on all three sides. Don’t coat the skin though.

A salmon filet is dipped into pecans and parmesan.

Next, dip the filets into the pecan and Parmesan mixture, creating the delicious and even coating on 3 sides.

Pecan crusted salmon is uncooked on a baking sheet.

Bake the salmon on a prepared baking sheet, skin side down, for approximately 18-25 minutes.

Your baking time will always depend on the size of the salmon filets. Small, thin filets may take as little as 15 minutes to bake, while thicker filets may take up to 25 minutes to cook all the way through.

baked crusted salmon on the baking sheet

How To Tell If Salmon Is Fully Cooked

Remember that cooking times will vary depending on the thickness of the fillets, so don’t rely on just time 100%. Also, some people prefer their fish closer to medium while others like theirs well done.

Internal temperature is always the best indicator. Use a Digital Instant Read Thermometer to check the temperature in the center of the thickest part. Salmon is considered done at 145° and it you want it medium to medium-well range, cook it to 125° – 135°. Obviously, the higher the temp the more done the fish will be.

Here are more ways to tell if salmon is done:

Press on the center. When the meat is cooked through, it will be firm to the touch with the slightest bit of give. If it still feels squishy, give it a few more minutes and check again.

See if it flakes. You’ll notice white lines running throughout the fillet, which is the fat. If the fish separates easily along these lines, it’s ready to eat!

Check the opacity. Raw fish is fairly translucent but becomes more opaque when cooked. The inside should still have a slight “shine” to the flesh, while the outside should look completely opaque.

Pecan crusted salmon filets are ready to eat on a white plate.

Recipe FAQs

Why should I keep the skin on the salmon?

There are a couple of good reasons to keep the skin on the salmon while you cook it. Even though you know that the skin will not be crispy and you’ll just discard it at the end, there are still benefits!

First of all, salmon skin acts as a protective barrier between the delicate flesh and the baking sheet. Secondly, you want to hold on to the fatty layer between the skin and the flesh since this is where most of the healthy fats are. The fatty layer between the flesh and the skin stores a lot of flavor, fish oil, and of course, many of salmon’s health benefits.

What are the health benefits of eating salmon?

Salmon is considered a healthy protein, and is encouraged by almost all diets! That’s because salmon is rich in healthy Omega-3 fatty acids, protein, potassium, B Vitamins, and D Vitamin. It’s also very low in calories while still being rich in flavor, which means you won’t have to sacrifice a delicious dinner while being calorie conscious,

How much salmon per person?

When estimating how much salmon to serve per person, a good rule of thumb is 1/2 lb. per person. That is the dinner portion and of course, you can choose to serve more party or lighter side dishes with it.

Three baked salmon filets are on a white plate.

Sides to Serve with Pecan Crusted Salmon

So, you now have this truly delicious salmon dinner. What should you serve with it?

I always recommend serving it with both potato and vegetable based side dishes. Mashed Potatoes and Oven Roasted Potatoes are always a big hit, as are Roasted Green Beans and Mushrooms and Italian Roasted Asparagus.

For a lighter dinner, you can always serve it with a salad of cauliflower based side dishes like roasted cauliflower or mashed cauliflower.

More Healthy and Delicious Salmon Recipes

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