We’re making a summery salmon with a beautiful, big-flavored basil sauce that is so good, you’re going to want to just drink it. Perfectly-spiced, fresh, and a dinner for everyone!
Salmon with Basil Sauce and Tomato Salad
Featured comment
Made this tonight, it was a hit! My 2 year old has been on dinner strike, won’t even take a bite of foods he likes. I didn’t expect him to eat this but he ate all his salmon, dipped it in the sauce and asked for two more servings. It’s a win!
Sarah
Hello and happy summer to you, me, and this amazing salmon with basil sauce!
That bright green basil sauce is the green sauce of summer 2023 for me – pour it over spice-loaded, caramelized salmon and throw a little tomato salad on the side and you have a very happy dinner.
We’ve been eating this ON REPEAT in our house lately!
In This Post: Everything You Need For Salmon with Basil Sauce
- Take Me To The Recipe
- Watch How to Make This Salmon with Basil Sauce
- How To Make (With Pictures)
- Lindsay’s Notes
- FAQs
- Reviews
Watch How To Make This Salmon with Basil Sauce
How To Make This Salmon with Basil Sauce (with Pictures)
Step 1: Make the Basil Sauce
Just blitz, blend, do your thing. I use this mini chopper (affiliate link) for nearly all my sauces these days!
Looks like this when you’re done:
Step 2: Rub The Salmon with Spices
It’s a little bit satisfying, I’m not going to lie.
Step 3: Bake The Salmon
Ten minutes before it’s time to eat, we pop this guy in the oven. I usually either use a meat thermometer, to check the temp (135-140 is a great benchmark) or I just sacrifice one end of one piece to check for doneness.
Step 4: Assemble and Serve
Everybody builds their own plate! We layer in rice and a simple tomato salad.
Only requirement: make sure everyone gets lots of basil sauce.
Lindsay’s Notes
I have a real emotional attachment to this basil sauce (or some version of it) because it originated at a family cabin in Wisconsin. There was a huge basil plant on the dock, and we harvested it liberally, and for weeks we ate ev-er-y-thing smothered in basil sauce.
Last week, when I breathed in my first bunch of fresh summer basil, it took me right back. Lightbulb. Craving. Basil sauce time.
One of my all-time favorite things in life is when I find a recipe that makes everyone in my family happy. And this meal has something for all of us: lots of protein to make Bjork happy, lots of big flavor to make ME happy, and enough elements that no matter what the mood is in the kid department, they can find something they will like.
Against all odds, my preschooler regularly asks for seconds and thirds on salmon whenever we make this, and my toddler literally cleans out the sauce blender with a spatula. And I’m not saying that’s going to happen for everyone. But I’m saying it does sometimes happen for us, and I am always shocked, and I always play it cool, but it’s making me super-extra love this recipe right now.
In short: whole family endorsement here.
May your summer be full of many batches of basil sauce!
All my favorite salmon recipes are right here, if you want more ideas to love salmon!
Related: If you love salmon, please don’t sleep on these two salmon recipes: Coconut Curry Salmon and BBQ Salmon with Mango Salsa! Oooeee! Both recipes that we make on repeat in our house.
Note: The photos on this recipe show a tomato cucumber salad, but at this very moment, I’m preferring a tomato corn salad! You’ll see corn in the recipe card, but not in the photos. Either will work, but for what I love best, follow the recipe card!
Print
Salmon with Basil Sauce and Tomato Salad
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 2–4 servings (I find this amount works just right for me, my husband, and our 4 year old)) 1x
Description
Summery salmon with a beautiful, big-flavored basil sauce and a simple little tomato salad.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Spice-Rubbed Salmon:
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb. salmon filet, cut into 2–3 pieces
Basil Sauce:
- 1/2 cup packed fresh basil
- 1 small bunch of fresh chives
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano, optional
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 cup mayo (more as needed to keep it creamy)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1–2 tablespoons lemon juice
- small pinch of salt, to taste
Tomato Salad:
- 1 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 2 ear sweet corn, cut off the cob
- 1–2 cups fresh spinach or spring greens
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons minced chives or parsley
- salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
- 2 cups cooked rice or grains for serving (I use precooked to make it easy)
Instructions
- Prep: Prep the tomato salad.
- Make the basil sauce: Blend the basil sauce ingredients until almost completely smooth, with just a few flecks remaining.
- Prep the salmon: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Mix the spices in a small bowl and stir in the olive oil. Coat the salmon with the spice paste.
- Bake the salmon: Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 9-12 minutes, or until 135 degrees in the thickest part. (It’s all personal preference, but this is the doneness that we like best – it’s a medium-well done salmon.)
- Assemble the meal: Plate the salmon over the rice, serve with salad, and spoon the sauce over the top. Season with salt and pepp. Mwah!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: salmon recipe, basil sauce, salmon with sauce
Frequently Asked Questions For Summer Salmon With Basil Sauce
What herb(s) can I use instead of basil?
Personally, I love the basil here and I think it’s kind of the star! But if you wanted to try something else, I would try swapping in some fresh dill or fresh cilantro to make something that more closely resembles an herbed ranch dressing!
How long does the basil sauce last?
I’ve kept it as long as 5 days in the fridge.
What other protein would work well here?
This would be great with chicken or shrimp!
Chicken: Coat chicken breasts or thighs with the spice rub and pan-fry them for 4-5 minutes per side until cooked through. (I’ve done this, and it’s great. I omitted the sugar and increased the salt to 1 teaspoon for 1 pound.)
Shrimp: Coat them in the spice rub and sauté for 4-5 minutes total until cooked through. (I haven’t done this, but it should work great.)
Can you make this vegetarian / meatless?
Yes, I think you could also do something similar with tofu – here’s a recipe that has a similar build using tofu as the protein! I think this would also be great with roasted sweet potato or cauliflower in place of the salmon.
How do you make this gluten-free and/or dairy-free?
This recipe is naturally gluten-free and dairy-free! Just be sure whatever “grain” you’re using to build the bowls is gluten-free, like rice or quinoa.
Can you cook the salmon with a different method, like grilling?
First of all, YUM. Secondly, yes, but you’ll just want to adjust two things: 1) the spices on top, and 2) the timing. As written, the oven easily creates a crusted golden exterior with the spice rub on the salmon, but on a grill, if you flip the salmon face-down, the spice rub will stick and burn to the grates. I would just follow a grilled salmon guide like this if that’s what you want to do!
Can I make the salmon in an air fryer?
Yes! Honestly I’d just use this Air Fryer Salmon in place of the salmon in these bowls and you’re good to go!
More Of My Favorite Salmon Recipes
Filed Under: All Recipes Dinner Fish and Seafood Gluten-Free Healthy Main Dishes Quick and Easy Recipes Rice Salmon Summer
June 26, 2023
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
Did you make a recipe? Tag @pinchofyum on Instagram so we can find you!
Made exactly as written except I added cucumber in addition to the corn in the salad. The flavors work so well together, so yummy! I’m loving all your recipes, the combo of the protein, veggie, sauce….*chefs kiss*
Always a winner! Made a version of this tonight for family and everyone loved it. Grilled the salmon for an easy meal with some Instant Pot rice
Made this for dinner the other night and it was so delicious. Thanks for another great recipe.
I made this with your air fryer salmon recipe and it turned out absolutely delicious! Seriously amazing. My husband even loved it and he’s usually not a huge salmon fan. Such a perfect combo with the salmon, tomato corn salad and the green sauce. So good!
So glad to hear it, Laura!
10/10
THIS is the recipe that finally got my picky 9 year old eating salmon! The rub is so flavorful, and the fish is delicious by itself. The sauce is fantastic, though, and adds so much more depth to the meal! My kids eat the sauce by the spoonful and use the leftovers as a sandwich spread. The tomato corn salad is the perfect accompaniment, as well. The sauce and the salad could both be made ahead to make this recipe even quicker. Such a lovely, easy dinner!
Hooray!
Saved by the basil! I’m not usually a salmon fan, but with a surplus of basil, I went for it. So glad I did! this meal is summer in a bowl, and will definitely be added to the summer rotation! Thanks for another stellar recipe!
I think there are a few errors in this recipe. The FAQ says this is naturally vegan but there is Parmesan in the sauce. Secondly, the linked guide for grilling the salmon doesn’t actually have any instructions on how to grill salmon. Still excited to try this but will muddle through those two pieces on my own. 😊
Oops sorry typo, obviously not vegan! I was referring to the part that said it is naturally gluten and dairy free
Made this tonight. It was sooo good. The salmon, the sauce, and the salad. Everything works together like magic. My husband is super impressed. He said this is incredibly delicious and innovative. Thank you for sharing Lindsay. This is incredible.
We’ve made it with salmon and chicken; both were fantastic. Great summery meal.
The second time we served it with toasted sourdough instead of rice; it was amazing when smeared with the basil sauce!
The best. Thing. Ever. YUM! I’ve done several variations on the tomato salad and they’re all great, because really, it’s that salmon + basil sauce that are the stars. I put that basil sauce on err’thing. Thank you for this!
Made this for dinner tonight and the sauce is SO GOOD! That said, none of us were a fan of it with the rub, which made it too sweet. Both are good independently, but didn’t love them together. I’ll definitely make the sauce again but I think I’ll go for a more simple s&p+lemon seasoning for the salmon to really let the fish and sauce speak for themselves.
Delicious! Thank you for the great recipe. I swapped nonfat Greek yogurt for the mayo for a little added protein. So good!
I turned this into a pasta salad and it was delicious. Will be saving this basil sauce recipe for more adds on in the future.
This was a great meal and the leftovers were even better! There are only two of us, so I had a lot of leftover salmon. The next night I made fresh salmon patties and we had them with the leftover basil sauce and tomato cucumber salad (I made the salad you have pictured) with a creamy garlic Parmesan orzo on the side. That basil sauce is just YUM! Thanks for another fantastic meal!
Sounds like such an awesome meal!
I ventured from our typical salmon recipe to try this and I’m so glad I did, this was delicious. I made sautéed zucchini instead of the tomato salad because my 10 year old isn’t a tomato fan and we were scraping up every last bit of everything in the basil sauce. SO good!
Hey! So random but I LOVE the blue bowl you have in the first photo and I was wondering if you remember where you purchased it?
I served the basil sauce and salad with the yummy air fryer chicken and OH MY GOSH! it was delicious. My husband LOVED it. This will be on a regular rotation with the salmon recipe for sure.
I love everything about this recipe! And it’s so pretty.
This is one of our favorite meals of all time. We eat it with pearled/Israeli couscous instead of rice and it is just delicious!
My husband’s favorite salmon. Honestly I skip the whole dry rub and just roast or grill the salmon and top with the basil sauce (it’s that good). Tip: double the sauce and use it for the Trader Joe’s turkey sandwiches (recipe is also here on POY) the next day for lunch!
I love this recipe! I make the basil sauce constantly in the summer! Do you think the basil sauce could be frozen and used later?
It’s not great for freezing! I personally don’t love freezing mayo-based sauces!
Do you think the sauce would hold up if frozen? I have a whole basil plant that needs to be used, so hoping to make a few batches of this sauce if possible!
We wouldn’t recommend it as mayo doesn’t freeze/thaw well!
Wow wow wow, this was fantastic. I kept the spice rub as-is and grilled it—it made a nice “blackened” sear on the salmon. The sauce was incredible.
Made this tonight, but had to make some substitutions which still turned out great! I didn’t have mayo or Greek yogurt, but I did have avocados, so I subbed the same amount and subbed feta for parmesan because that is what I had on hand. Still turned out great! Thanks for the inspiration.