This Panko and Pistachio Crusted Salmon is a home run for dinner! Wild Alaskan salmon topped with crispy panko and crushed pistachio… it’s such a tasty combo!
This salmon recipe is to. die. for.
The photo? You’ll have to cut me a teeny break on that one.
Things have been a bit on the wild side over here and I’m struggling to keep up. All chaos aside, I couldn’t let you live another day of your life without this recipe, even if it means posting a shoddy photo in the recipe card.
I’ll pop back in when things get less chaotic and update this bad boy with some snazzy new photos, deal?
Pistachio Crusted Salmon
Tender, flaky salmon with a crispy, flavorful crust… Your plate needs this.
Your FACE needs this!
Actually I need this, so if you have a few spare minutes, come on over for dinner!
This tender and flavorful pistachio crusted salmon recipe features my favorite technique for cooking fish.
The salmon filets are quickly pan fried to sear the crust, then baked in the oven for even cooking, yielding tender, flaky results that are sure to rock your plate!
We’ve made this one several times now and love it so!
This delicious dish tastes great straight up and sauceless, but if you’re a creature of habit, feel free to pair it with a squirt of fresh lemon juice or some zesty chipotle aoli!
side dishes for salmon
Looking for some scrumptious side dishes to pair with this pistachio panko salmon? Great! We love it with these Teriyaki roasted veggies. You can even make extra Teriyaki sauce to drizzle over the salmon. SO GOOD!
It’s also fabulous with my Chopped Cauliflower Broccoli Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing <— long name but a seriously tasty recipe. On the simpler side, a zesty Healthy Tomato Cucumber Avocado Salad is always a great bet!
Looking for a sassy sauce for your salmon? Try my Harissa Yogurt Sauce, Easy Tzatziki Sauce, or Chipotle Honey Mustard.
Pistachio Crusted Salmon
Ingredients
- 6-8 ounces wild Alaskan salmon (2 filets or one jumbo)
- ¼ cup shelled pistachio nuts (salted or unsalted; up to you!)
- ¼ cup chipotle panko bread crumbs (regular panko works great too)
- 2-3 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- ⅛ tsp garlic powder
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp black pepper, or to taste
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven or toaster oven to 450 degrees F and line a baking sheet with foil.
- Finely chop your pistachios until they’re practically minced [the smaller the better!] using a chef’s knife or even a food processor if you so choose. Another method? Pour the nuts into a plastic bag and crush with a heavy bottle of wine or equivalent. [Hey… it works!] Toss together with panko and set aside.
- Next move on to the salmon.
- Heat a cast iron pan or skillet with a hearty drizzle of oil to high/medium-high heat and hold off on adding the salmon until you’re sure it’s hot.
- While you wait, season both sides of your salmon with garlic powder, salt and freshly ground black pepper or cayenne pepper.
- The wild salmon I buy always has the skin on one side; simply remove it with a knife or sear that side [unseasoned] first, it will peel right off after a minute or two! After removing the skin, season that side as well.
- Allow each side a minute or so on the hot skillet to sear [look for an opaque crust with a rare center], then ensure there’s still a bit of oil in the pan and coat one side of your salmon with the panko/pistachio mixture. Add as much or as little as you’d like!
- Flip the salmon filet, breading side down, and allow the topping to crisp for just under a minute or so.
- With a spatula, move the salmon to a foil lined baking sheet [pistachio side up] and bake for approximately 5-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of your filet.
- The result is a crisp, flavorful crust on the outside with a tender flaky inside.
Notes
Nutrition
If you get a chance to try this pistachio crusted salmon, let me know!
You can leave me a comment here (LOVE checking those daily!) or tag @PEASandCRAYONS on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creations. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
More Scrumptious Salmon Recipes
- Sweet Chili Sriracha Salmon
- Cranberry Pecan Crusted Salmon
- Grilled Salmon Sandwiches
- Seared Salmon Tacos with Honey-Lime Slaw and Sriracha Ranch
I love this recipe and do it in the oven as I never seem to be very good at the searing part–I rub it with a bit of dijon and apply the pistachio panko seasonings and bake at 425 –a favorite Thank you
I would never have thought of topping salmon with pistachios but it worked! My new fav, and easy too, thanks so much!
So glad you’re loving it Dana!
This looks and sounds SO amazing! I love the addition of the pistachios to the panko for the crust. I can’t wait to try this recipe.
Thanks Audrey!
Thanks Gretchen!!! Glad you enjoyed it! The mozz balls are super delicious with the soup too so I hope you get a chance to try them out sometime! Good call on doubling the recipe… I think I need to make a double batch tonight for dinner – I’m craving this now! =) Have a great day! xo
I have been admiring your food photos and recipes for a few years, but somehow this soup recipe was one of the first recipes of yours I’ve actually made. I just have to say that it blew me away, even without the mozzarella balls (which look delicious and which I definitely need to make sometime!). I doubled it so as not to have half-cans of tomatoes left over, and I’m so glad I did because my husband and I basically inhaled it. Mmmm. Thanks for the great recipe!!
I made the salmon last night. Oh goodness, five stars, way too good! Great directions! It was gorgeous and delicious!
Ahhh yay! So glad you loved it!
Jenn, this recipe looks utterly fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing!! I hope you’re enjoying your happy world of baby chaos :))
This looks fantastic! I can not wait to try this with the pistachio flakes (BTW will be salted + crushed with wine bottle) lots of love C
I’m not a huge salmon lover but my mom is. I showed it to her and she saved the recipe. I think it’s a winner 😛
I don’t usually love Salmon, but I think I could get into it with some pistachios on top! Yum!!
YUM!
Yesss. I make something very close to this and it’s always a favorite for my guests. This looks amazing!
This looks delish! I need to find some gluten-free panko bread crumbs so I can try it!
Mmmm…panko salmon sounds amazing. We did a similar recipe with tuna recently, so I can imagine this one fairly easily. Love the addition of the pistachios!!
WoW! you are amazing! or superwomen. I dont know how you keep up with blogging when you just recently had a baby. I know you need some rest, I also know you probably cant keep your eyes off that cutie. But just fight the urge and take a nap. Anyways I love your recipes and make them often. Thanks for doing such a great job!
I *almost* bought salmon this week but I already had two other fishies. Next week. This sounds so good with the chipotle!!!
The photo still has me drooling. Salmon is my favorite fish. I love having it for dinner!
Looks soo yummy! I love pistachios and the color is awesome!
This looks delicious! I always need knew ways to make salmon since I usually just cook it with some kind of glaze. I love the taste of pistachios since they’re a “sweeter” nut, so this has got to be amazing!
I love, love salmon – in fact I think I read somewhere that someone really should only have “x” amount of salmon per week/month. I know for sure I’m going over that limit 😉 I love your take on adding pistachios to panko – how creative! 🙂 Thanks for sharing this great recipe, and adding another recipe to use my fave fish with.
That looks so delicious, and now…..I need to choose one of the sides, oh my. ALL OF THEM!
That looks amazing!!!!
first I HAVE NO IDEA HOW YOURE STILL BLOGGING. you are supermom.
next? ID MARRY SALMON IF I COULD.
love love love.