Tender and Flaky Salmon Filets with Pistachio Topping
This Pistachio Crusted Salmon is rich, buttery, and makes the most elegant dinner! Finely ground pistachios are toasted with panko breadcrumbs, shallot, and garlic, then seasoned with parsley and lemon zest for a bright, vibrant, crunchy topping that can’t be beat! Plus, the whole thing can be assembled earlier in the day, then baked off just before dinner. 🙌🏻
I love to serve this dish with roasted or grilled asparagus and crispy garlic rosemary potatoes. It feels restaurant-worthy, but it’s truly simple to make at home. If you make this recipe, plan on getting a lot of compliments.
Love pistachios and salmon together? Be sure to give my Salmon with pistachio pesto a try next! Or check out all of my easy seafood recipes, including this foolproof method for roasting salmon in an oven.
Ingredient Notes
- Salmon fillets: you can use skin-on or skin-off salmon fillets. This is Atlantic salmon, though you can check out my salmon guide for more information on the different species.
- Kosher salt: for seasoning all ingredients.
- Pistachios: I recommend buying shelled pistachios to make your life easier! You can also use ground pecans, walnuts, or even macadamia nuts instead. My pecan-crusted salmon and macadamia-crusted salmon are both winners!
- Aromatics: including a finely chopped shallot and garlic. You’ll also need olive oil to sauté the aromatics.
- Panko breadcrumbs: these get mixed with the chopped pistachios to create the crispy, crunchy topping.
- Parsley: fresh chopped parsley adds an additional bright, lemon flavor.
- Lemon zest: cut into wedges for serving. We love salmon with fresh lemon juice!
I’m also making a quick creamy sauce, which will help the pistachio panko topping adhere to the salmon fillet. You can use either mayonnaise, sour cream, or Greek yogurt, then stir in a little honey and Dijon mustard. Easy and delicious!
For more of my favorite salmon recipes, try this baked salmon Florentine with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, tender crab-stuffed salmon fillets, or this simple oven-baked salmon with herb compound butter next.
How To Make Pistachio Crusted Salmon
- Prep the salmon. Preheat an oven to 300F. Pat salmon fillets dry with a paper towel, then place on a parchment lined baking sheet and season with Kosher salt.
- Make the pistachio topping. Sweat the shallot and garlic in a skillet over medium heat with a little neutral oil. Transfer to a mixing bowl, then add toasted chopped pistachios and panko breadcrumbs. Stir in lemon zest and fresh parsley, then mix well.
- Make the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together mayo (sour cream or Greek yogurt is fine too!), honey, and Dijon mustard. Use a silicone pastry brush to brush the sauce on top the seasoned salmon fillets.
- Coat with pistachios. Press each salmon fillet into the pistachio mixture so that it adheres to the top. Repeat with remaining salmon. Place on a baking sheet (skin side down, if using skin-on) lined with parchment.
- Bake the fish. Cook in a preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the salmon reaches 120F. Allow the salmon to sit for 5 minutes, then serve with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt and lemon wedges!
I recommend the Thermapen MK4 to check for doneness on all meats!
Pro tip: grind the pistachios in a food processor to get them very finely ground!
Tips For Selecting Salmon
Which type of salmon is best?
There are a variety of salmon available at many fish markets, ranging from Atlantic salmon to wild Alaskan King salmon (rich, buttery, expensive), Norwegian salmon, coho salmon, and more. I prefer the thicker salmon varieties, as they have a richer taste and, when cooked properly, flake easily and melt in your mouth. You can decide for yourself whether you prefer wild vs. farmed salmon.
Whichever type of salmon you choose, make sure that the fillet looks moist, not dried out, has no obvious discoloration, or any strong odors. Look for a bright orange-red flesh.
Seriously, my family adores salmon. Check out more of my easy salmon recipes — there are dozens to cook through!
Make Ahead, Leftovers, and Storage
- Make ahead: You can prep the salmon and coat it with the panko mixture earlier in the day (or about 6-8 hours in advance), then wrap tightly with plastic wrap and store in a refrigerator until ready to cook.
- Leftovers and storage: Store any leftover cooked salmon in an airtight container in a fridge, Use within 3 days, as seafood has a shorter shelf life than other meats or poultry.
- I do not recommend freezing the cooked salmon, as the texture changes a bit as it freezes and then thaws. If you do want to freeze it, however, we recommend placing it in vacuum sealed bags to maintrain freshness. Use within 3 months.
Other Fish To Try Next Time
The cook time will vary, but you could certainly try this pistachio crust on other fish, such as: halibut, cod, or other firm white fish. If you want something similar to salmon, you can use arctic char or trout, but they are much thinner and won’t have the same ratio of fish to crunchy topping.
Serving Suggestions
We love pistachio crusted salmon with crispy roasted potatoes, but garlic mashed potatoes, rice, or even our Israeli couscous salad would be great.
As for veggies, it depends on the season! If you make this in spring, try it with roasted or grilled asparagus in foil. If it’s winter, you could serve this with roasted broccoli, Brussels sprouts, or a grain salad.
You just can’t beat that pistachio crust! If you make this Pistachio Crusted Salmon recipe, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below!
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Rich, Buttery Pistachio Crusted Salmon Recipe
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 (6 oz) salmon fillets skin on or off
- ¾ tsp Kosher salt divided
- ½ cup pistachios shelled, very finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp neutral oil such as grapeseed, avocado, or canola oil
- 1 medium shallot finely chopped, about 1-2 Tbsp
- 1 medium garlic clove finely chopped
- ⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 Tbsp chopped parsley plus more for serving, optional
- 1 tsp fresh lemon zest the lemon cut into wedges for serving
- 1 Tbsp mayo, sour cream, creme fraiche, or Greek yogurt
- 2 tsp honey
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- Flaky sea salt for serving
Instructions
- Prepare the salmon. Preheat an oven to 300F. Pat salmon fillets dry with a paper towel, then season with ½ tsp Kosher salt.
- Sweat the shallot. Heat 1 Tbsp neutral oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. When hot, add chopped shallot and cook until softened, about 2-3 minutes. Season with remaining ½ tsp Kosher salt. Add chopped garlic clove, then cook 1 minute more.
- Toast remaining ingredients. To the skillet, add ½ cup chopped pistachios and ⅓ cup of panko breadcrumbs. Reduce the heat to medium-low, then continue cooking until the pistachios are toasted and the breadcrumbs are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a shallow bowl, then stir in 2 Tbsp chopped parsley and 1 tsp lemon zest.
- Make the quick sauce. Place 1 Tbsp mayo (sour cream, creme fraiche, or Greek yogurt is fine) in a small bowl, then whisk in 2 tsp honey and 1 tsp Dijon.
- Coat with pistachios. Brush a little sauce on top of each salmon fillet, then press into the pistachio breadcrumb mixture, so that it adheres to the top of the fish. Repeat with remaining salmon fillets.
- Bake the fish. Place salmon fillets on a parchment lined baking sheet, then transfer to the preheated oven. Cook for 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the salmon reaches 120F. The temperature will continue to rise as the fish rests. Allow to sit for 5 minutes, then serve with a pinch of flaky sea salt and lemon wedges.
Notes
- Internal temperature of salmon should register 120F to indicate medium.
- Make ahead: You can prep the salmon and coat it with the panko mixture earlier in the day (or about 6-8 hours in advance), then wrap tightly with plastic wrap and store in a refrigerator until ready to cook.
- Leftovers and storage: Store any leftover cooked salmon in an airtight container in a fridge, Use within 3 days, as seafood has a shorter shelf life than meats or poultry.
- We do not recommend freezing the cooked salmon, as the texture changes a bit as it freezes and then thaws. If you do want to freeze it, however, we recommend placing it in vacuum sealed bags to maintrain freshness. Use within 3 months.
This recipe is incredible! And not difficult at all!! My boyfriend is a meat/fish/poultry/everything eater and I have been a dedicated vegetarian/vegan for 18 years. I made the salmon version for him and made the SAME AMAZING RECIPE for tofu!! It turned out wonderfully!!! He said this was the best salmon to date! He also said the previous week that Ari’s Miso salmon that I made was also amazing!! And I did that for tofu too!! I used vegan avocado mayo instead of traditional mayo and it was spot on. Even made a little extra of the Dijon mayo to dip the salmon and tofu in! Served this over a quinoa lentil salad that I made along with roasted veggies!! 10 stars for the pistachio crusted salmon and tofu!! Thanks Ari!
Leah, THANK YOU!! I’m so thrilled to hear this! And thanks for the tip about being to sub in tofu, I’m sure a lot of folks will find that helpful. Both recipes really are stellar. Can’t wait to make again! xo, Ari
I made this salmon today, and it was so delicious! The flavor of the pistachios with the Panko breadcrumbs, the sweetness of the honey and the brightness of the lemon! It was so good! It’s a keeper. Thank you.
Thank you, Dawn! We really love this one too! xo, Ari
This salmon recipe was so delish! Perfect for a weeknight meal or to impress your friends and family! Thanks Ari!
Agree, it’s my favorite salmon recipe for entertaining! Thanks, Lauren! xo, Ari
Amazing!! I made this last night with the roasted potato recipe, and some roasted asparagus. It turned out beautifully! I now understand why you have the word buttery in the recipe name as it is so buttery yet there is no butter in the recipe at all. Will be making again very soon!
This is my go-to salmon recipe for entertaining because it’s THAT good! So glad you loved it too! And yes, that buttery texture is impossible to beat hah! xo, Ari
Another winning recipe thanks to Ari! Delicious! I made it for myself tonight as the family is out but I can’t wait to serve it to everyone soon. The combination of pistachios and panko is yummy. Thanks Ari!
Thanks, Laura! I think I’ve made this more than any other salmon recipe — it’s so buttery and delicious! xo, Ari
I made this last evening, using homemade creme fraiche & a locally made smokey sweet Dijon mustard it was absolutely delicious, so easy to so & was enjoyed by my guest & I.
I roasted the salmon alongside baby potato halves rubbed with olive oil & coarse salt & then served with steamed asparagus & more of the creme fraiche-mustard sauce on the side.
This is a great base recipe that could easily work with firm white fish like halibut, chicken or turkey breast filets or thick pork chops.
Thanks for yet another fabulous recipe 👏🏻
Thank you so much, Camille! I agree, this same topping would be *fantastic* on halibut. Yum! And what perfect side dishes! xo, Ari