This pecan crusted salmon is simple enough for a weeknight meal but feels as if you ordered takeout from a fancy restaurant and are taking all the credit for it.

There’s two types of people: people who love salmon and people who despise salmon. Let’s face it, even us salmon lovers have had some less than pleasant experiences we’d rather forget about (and here I am bringing up those memories).

The reason many people don’t love it comes down to a couple of things – how it’s prepared and how fresh the fish is.

What truly makes this salmon stand out from other baked salmon is the topping. Sometimes all that’s missing from a “meh” dish is another element of texture to really make it pop. And in this case, that’s exactly what the pecan crust does.

Ingredients

salmon fillets
raw pecans
fresh parsley
lemon juice
dijon mustard
raw honey
salt & pepper

How to Make Pecan Crusted Salmon

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper and pat the salmon dry before putting it skin side down on the pan.

Make the glaze. In a small bowl, add the lemon juice, dijon, honey, salt, and pepper and mix until well combined.

Make the crust. In the bowl of a food processor, add the raw pecans and parsley leaves. Pulse until it’s broken down into a finely chopped mixture. Alternatively, you can do this with a knife.

Add the topping. Brush the glaze onto the top of each piece of salmon until thoroughly coated. Now gently press the pecan parsley mixture into the glaze so that it sticks.

Cook the fish until it can easily be flaked with a fork.

Make It Your Way: Ingredient Substitutions

Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.

How can you make this pecan-crusted salmon using what you already have? Here are some ideas…

No salmon? ➝ trout, bass, cod, or tilapia are all great choices
No pecans? ➝ use pistachios, almonds, or walnuts instead or go wild and use dukkah seasoning instead
No fresh parsley? ➝ sub another fresh herb such as rosemary, chives, or thyme (1-2 tablespoons total, finely chopped)
No dijon? ➝ use wholegrain mustard instead
No raw honey? ➝ sub maple syrup
Nut-free? ➝ use panko bread crumbs or pumpkin seeds

Helpful Cooking Tips

Fresh is best

The reason for fishy tasting fish is lack of freshness. So, either use fresh fish or make sure that your frozen fish doesn’t have any ice crystals or frost (this could indicate that it was thawed and then refrozen).

Using frozen fish

If you’re using frozen fish, it’s important to let the fish thaw completely before you make this recipe. This will ensure it cooks properly and evenly.

Don’t skip the parchment paper

You can also use a silicone baking mat, but you want to cook the salmon on something, this way you don’t have to later deal with salmon skin stuck to your baking sheet or wasting salmon that’s stuck to the pan (if yours doesn’t have skin).

Cooking length

The cooking time will vary depending on how done you like your fish and the thickness of your fillets. Check after the 8-minute mark to prevent overcooking the salmon.

More Recipes You’ll Love

Please let me know if you make this pecan-crusted salmon in the comments!