Kale Oregano Pesto Salmon is a delicious and easy way to dress up your salmon. What sets this recipe apart from the rest is the kale oregano pesto which is fun and flavorful play on traditional pesto. It packs a green punch of kale, oregano instead of basil, sunflower seeds instead of pine nuts and nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan making it nut free, dairy free and paleo! Kale Oregano Pesto Salmon can be made in less than 30 minutes from start to finish and it is naturally gluten free.

Oregano

Oregano has a warm, balsamic and aromatic flavor that pares well with asparagus, broccoli, green beans, peas, tomatoes, zucchini, fish and chicken. The oil found in oregano is a very strong antibiotic that has actually been proven to be more effective against some infections in concentrated dosages than commonly used prescription drugs. Oregano also contains potent antioxidants what will help restore free radical damage in the cells.  It is also concentrated source of vitamin K which helps with adequate blood clotting as well as keeping your blood vessels from calcifying and helping your bones retain calcium. Finally, Oregano is very good source of manganese, iron, dietary fiber, and calcium.

You can use your leftover Kale Oregano Pesto to flavor a side of vibrant greens or as a dip. If you are making the Kale Oregano Pesto only to be used as a raw dip, I would recommend only using 1-2 garlic cloves. When the pesto is baked, it has the perfect amount of garlic flavor, but raw it can be a little overpowering if you are not a garlic lover like me!

Kale Oregano Pesto Salmon

(dairy free, gluten free, paleo, nut free)

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Serving size: 2-4

Ingredients:

Kale Oregano Pesto

• 3 garlic cloves
• ½ cup olive oil
• 4 cups of kale, stems removed and roughly chopped or torn
• ¼ cup fresh oregano stems removed
• ¼ cup sunflower seeds
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast

• 2 large filets of wild salmon
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Place the garlic in a food processor and pulse until minced. Add the olive oil, kale and oregano and pulse until finely chopped. Finally add the sunflower seeds and nutritional yeast and pulse until mixed.
3. Check salmon for bones, rinse under cold water then pat dry. Season both sides of the salmon with salt and pepper.
4. Place each salmon filet on a square of parchment paper and spread 1cm thick layer of pesto on top. Fold the parchment paper around the salmon creating a pouch. Seal the top by folding it over and twist the ends to create a seal.
5. Bake for 20min, or until the salmon is cooked through and flaky. Use the leftover pesto to flavor a side of broccoli, asparagus, kale or any vibrant cooked green.

 I love all the different variations on the traditional pesto. Do you have a fun pesto recipe? Share it in the comments section!