3-Ingredient Pesto Butter Salmon

This Pesto Butter Salmon requires only 3 ingredients and 15 minutes for a flavorful and incredibly easy salmon dinner.

With a simple mixture of pesto and butter to marinate your salmon, and an easy yet effective cooking technique, this baked salmon with compound butter will be your new go-to when you need a fish fix in a flash!

As a mom juggling family time, work, and a passion for bold flavor, I absolutely love a quick and easy, delicious salmon recipe that never fails to impress.

Whether you keep it ultra-simple and pick up some pesto from the store or make a simple homemade pesto (like this Arugula Basil Pesto!), the fresh herbs and garlic are sure to bring tons of flavor!

Plus, if you happen to have leftover pesto butter after making it for this recipe, that’s an added bonus! You can use it to whip up this Pesto Butter Garlic Bread!

Pesto Butter Salmon Ingredient Highlights

---

Use your favorite storebought or homemade pesto here! You can use fresh or frozen salmon, but make sure it’s thawed before starting this recipe.

I use unsalted butter here because pesto generally contains a good amount of salt already, but that’s up to you!

Pesto Butter Salmon Tips and Tricks

---

How to Bake Salmon with Pesto

To get a crispy exterior on your salmon, it’s best to pat it dry! Place your fish filets in between two paper towels and press down to pat dry. Drying the fish will help avoid a mushy texture by removing excess moisture.

Then, we are going to make a simple compound butter out of pesto and butter! For every 4 tablespoons of butter, you’ll add 1 tablespoon of pesto. This 4:1 ratio will yield enough pesto butter for 2 portions of salmon (about 4-ounce portions).The key to making your pesto butter is making sure your butter is softened. Not melted, and not too solid. The best way to know your butter is perfectly softened is to poke it. If your finger leaves an imprint, you’re good to go! For help, check out How to Soften Butter Quickly.

Use a spatula to spread a thick coat of pesto butter on top of the salmon in an even layer. Your butter will melt in the oven, but for now, we want it thick and soft so it’s easy to spread onto the salmon.

Grab a small, 7 x 11-inch baking dish, and place your salmon inside, skin side up. The butter will ensure the salmon doesn’t stick, so don’t worry about lining your dish.

Bake the salmon, skin side up, at 475°F for just 5 minutes. Then, remove the salmon from the oven and use tongs or a fork to peel the skin off. It should come off very easily.

If you’re having trouble peeling the skin off, stick it back in the oven for 2 more minutes, then try again!

Once you’ve removed your salmon skin, flip the salmon and stick it back in the oven for an additional 3-5 minutes, until cooked through. I love to serve it over pasta.

How to Store and Reheat Salmon with Pesto Butter

This Pesto Butter Salmon will last up to 4 days in a sealed, airtight container in the refrigerator. Otherwise, you can opt to freeze your pesto butter salmon for up to 6 months.

To reheat your pesto butter salmon, preheat your oven to 400°F and add the salmon to a baking dish. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 15-20 minutes until internal temperature reaches 125°F.

From frozen, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and follow instructions above to reheat.

If you have leftover pesto butter, this will last for about a week in the refrigerator in an airtight container or can be frozen for up to 3 months.