From Lolly's Kitchen / The One Plate Series
Salmon with creamy pesto sauce is my answer to the familiar question: what on earth shall I do with these salmon fillets tonight?
Don't get me wrong, I love salmon. But there's only so many times I can serve it with a bit of steamed broccoli and pretend I'm terribly excited about dinner. So I gave it some company: paprika sweet potato mash, a tangle of buttery leeks, plenty of creamy pesto sauce and a scattering of pistachios.
The minute I spread that bright orange mash across the plate, I knew I wasn't leaving this one unfilmed. Add the green leeks, the salmon and a spoonful of sauce, and suddenly an ordinary dinner is having a moment.
Skip straight to the recipe ↓
First, let's give the mash its moment
Sweet potato mash needs a little persuasion, don't you think? Left to its own devices, it can be rather too sweet for my liking. A pinch of paprika brings it back into savoury territory, with that lovely smoky warmth that makes the whole thing taste a bit more grown-up.
I don't bother making mine perfectly smooth. A few spoon marks and a bit of texture are all part of the appeal. Besides, those little ridges turn out to be excellent places for sauce to hide.
And then there are the leeks. If you're not cooking with them very often, consider this a nudge. When they're softened and buttery, rather than cooked to oblivion, they're sweet, delicate and so much more interesting than another handful of green beans.
Salmon with creamy pesto sauce. Be generous.
Now, about the sauce. I am not one of those people who believes in a tiny artistic drizzle and a lot of bare plate. If I'm making a creamy pesto sauce, I want enough to coat the salmon and find its way down into the mash. You with me?
The pesto brings the herby, garlicky side of things, while the cream softens everything into something you want to keep going back to. The salmon stays the star, though: gently roasted, beautifully flaky and still tasting of salmon rather than whatever you've poured over it.
Don't skip the pistachios either. It's a small thing, but that crunch against all the softer textures makes such a difference. A squeeze of lemon at the end wakes it all up. I'd say it stops the dish feeling too rich, but honestly, I quite enjoy the richness.
The whole point of One Plate
I've been enjoying making these One Plate dinners because they make you think differently about an ordinary evening meal. Instead of three separate things sitting politely beside one another, everything belongs together. Every forkful gets a bit of salmon, a little mash, some leeks and, hopefully, a generous helping of sauce.
It's the kind of plate you could happily put in front of someone coming round for dinner, but I'd make it on a Wednesday too. No special occasion required. In fact, that's rather the point.
If you've got salmon in the fridge and you're bored of your usual routine, try this. And when you get to the sauce, don't be shy. I certainly wasn't.
You'll find the full recipe just below. Make it, enjoy it, and tell me if you're someone who measures out the sauce or someone who goes back for another spoonful. I think we both know which camp I'm in.
Love, Lolly x
Still in a pesto mood? You might also like my preserved lemon pasta with roasted walnut pesto. Or have a browse through more from Lolly's Kitchen.
Ingredients
For the Salmon
- 2 skinless salmon fillets approximately 150g each
- 1 tsp olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Paprika Sweet Potato Mash
- 400 g sweet potatoes peeled and chopped
- 15 g butter
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp milk as needed
- Sea salt and black pepper
For the Buttery Leeks
- 1 large leek finely sliced and thoroughly washed
- 10 g butter
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 pinch sea salt
For the Creamy Pesto Pistachio Sauce
- 100 ml double cream
- 2 tbsp basil pesto
- 20 g shelled pistachios finely chopped
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1–2 tbsp water if needed to loosen
To Finish
- 10 g pistachios roughly chopped
- 1 small handful fresh parsley or basil
- Lemon wedges
Instructions
- Prepare the sweet potatoes. Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the chopped sweet potatoes and simmer for 15–18 minutes, until completely tender.
- Roast the salmon. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Place the salmon fillets on a lined baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for approximately 12–15 minutes, depending on thickness, until cooked through and the flesh flakes easily.
- Soften the leeks. Melt the butter with the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the sliced leeks and a pinch of salt. Cook gently for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and silky without browning.
- Make the paprika mash. Drain the sweet potatoes thoroughly. Add the butter, smoked paprika and a little milk, then mash until creamy but still retaining a little texture. Season to taste and keep warm.
- Make the creamy pesto sauce. Pour the double cream into a small saucepan over a low heat. Stir in the basil pesto and finely chopped pistachios. Warm gently for 2–3 minutes, without boiling vigorously. Add the lemon juice and a splash of water if the sauce needs loosening.
- Plate everything up. Spread a generous spoonful of paprika sweet potato mash across each plate. Arrange the softened leeks on top, followed by the roasted salmon fillet.
- Add the finishing touches. Spoon the warm creamy pesto pistachio sauce generously over the salmon. Scatter over the remaining chopped pistachios and fresh herbs, and serve immediately with a wedge of lemon.
Notes
Don't rush the leeks. Cooking them gently brings out their natural sweetness and gives them a lovely soft texture.
For extra crunch, toast the pistachios lightly in a dry frying pan before scattering them over the finished dish.
Serve immediately with a generous squeeze of fresh lemon to balance the richness of the sauce.
