Salmon Stuffed with Spinach Pesto

Eat more fish.  And spinach.  It's good for you.  And tasty if you do it my way.  What else can I say?

Today's I Screw Up So You Don't Have To: I added olive oil to my pesto and it was more "sauce" than "paste" and didn't want to stay stuffed inside my salmon fillets.  My recipe is altered to give a thicker result, though my pictures show the runny attempt.

To cut "pockets" in the salmon fillets, try to buy salmon from a counter rather than in freezer packages so that you can try to find the thickest fillets possible.  Use a small, very sharp knife and cut into the thickest part of the fillet.  Work the knife in a fan motion (moving the tip while keeping the "butt" of the knife as stationary as possible at the front of the fillet) to cut as far into the fillet as you can without creating a gaping hole up front.  If you don't want to bother or can only find thin fillets, just slather the pesto on top of the fish to bake.

Salmon stuffed with Spinach Pesto
Makes 6 servings

6 6-oz salmon fillets, as thick as you can possibly get
10 oz. fresh baby spinach
1 clove garlic
3 tbsp Parmesan
3 tbsp unsalted roasted sunflower kernels (hulled sunflower seeds, sometimes called sunflower "nuts")
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Cut pockets into the salmon fillets and set aside. 

In a food processor, chop garlic, sunflower kernels and cheese until fine.  Add spinach and process until very smooth.  Season with pepper.  Stuff 1/6 of the pesto into each of the salmon fillets.  Season fillets with extra black pepper, if desired.  Freeze fillets in vacuseal bags.

To cook, thaw thoroughly.  Bake 15-20 minutes at 350F, until fish flakes easily.

Nutritional info

1 recipe pesto for 6 6-oz fillets Pin It