The Mediterranean diet has become a popular diet in the past few years, but did you know it’s a regular diet and way of life for countries that border the Mediterranean like Italy, Spain, Greece? If you’ve ever been to Italy you’ll notice that they don’t serve you a giant plate of food. It is more about eating in small amounts. A small plate of pasta and another dish with protein. Instead of a large bowl of pasta with the protein added.
Consisting of fresh ingredients, lean meats, herb and vegetables this way of eating has served them well for centuries and the people live long lives.
Nuts in pesto
I used roasted almonds (instead of pine nuts which is traditional) in this pesto as they are a healthy fat, vitamins, fiber and protein. If you want to not use any nuts at all you can leave them out or substitute sesame or sunflower seeds. I also added lemon as a delicious complement to basil which give a subtle brightness to the pesto and lemon is always good with salmon. The rest of the recipe is what you would typically find in the Genovese part of Italy. Olive oil is a big ingredient in the Mediterranean and is the best oil you can eat. It is heart healthy and is one of what they call ‘the good fats’.
Garlic in pesto
The pesto is the perfect garlic flavor balance, not too overpowering. If you like your pesto more garlicy, add another clove. Pesto is not just for tossing with pasta or serving over chicken or fish. I love to add to pizza and I suggest you try my Vegetable Pesto Flatbread Pizza (picture below) which is so good!
This is a great make ahead dish. You can make the pesto days in advance, cover with plastic wrap (put the wrap directly on top of the pesto to prevent it turning brown) put on a lid and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
What do you serve with salmon?
I like to keep it simple and sauté zucchini seasoned with salt, pepper and dried basil. Pictured above. A few minutes before they’re done, I add cherry tomatoes just until they soften for a sweet bite.
Different types of pesto
Basil is what we all know, but did you know that there are other types of pesto? Pistachio Pesto is a favorite of mine that is nutty and delicious tossed with pasta or over salmon. Sicilian Tomato Pesto Sauce is another favorite that also has many uses. If you’ve tried this Mediterranean Lemon Pesto Salmon or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know it turned out in the comments below. I love to hear from my readers!
*If you can’t find roasted almonds, spread raw almonds onto a baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes at 350°F/180°C. **For an accurate measurement, tightly pack the leaves into a 1 cup measuring cup.
