My house grew so warm while I developed this recipe that I photographed it shirtless.
Happy Tuesday, kids! I’ll grant you, I decided to wear a thicker short-sleeved sweater today because ~fall~ and definitely paid the price later once I began moving about. Hence, the shirtless photoshoot. I promise that is nowhere as interesting as it sounds since ya’ll have seen pics of me in a sports bra and basically know that there is nothing going on up there.
I ain’t no Sydney Sweeney, folks.
Despite the crazy early October heat wave, I am dialed into autumn and this cozy One Pot Rosemary Pesto Salmon and Wild Rice. The other day I cooked up a chicken and rice skillet and its simplicity and down-home flavor inspired me to translate my formula to an FMG-friendly fish dish. Appropriate for National Salmon Day tomorrow!
Don’t fear the long cook time: this is merely due to wild rice’s more extensive process. While waiting for the grains to soften I took out recycle, finished my laundry, swept the kitchen, and washed the dishes I’d accumulated from prep photos. You can also stand there paralyzed and watch the water boil if you’re so inclined. Either way, you’ve plenty of time to amuse yourself.
The result? A gorgeous, delightfully fragrant meal prep to help you forget about summer’s last lingering licks.
Every Rose(mary) Has Its Thorn
Well, actually, its stem, which we strip off to make our homemade rosemary pesto.
Most associate pesto with basil or sundried tomatoes, but you can create a pesto pretty much out of any herb so long as you keep some of the base ingredients consistent. Here, I combine parsley with rosemary for the earthy undertones, along with nuts, parmesan, garlic, lemon juice, and lots of olive oil to emulsify.
Combine all but the oil in your food processor and pulse to break down the bigger fibers. While you do this, slowly stream in the oil. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to reincorporate the components. When you’ve got a cohesive, bright green sauce, taste and adjust salt and pepper and pulse a bit more as needed to ensure everything is well distributed.
You do not need all the pesto for this recipe, so stow the rest in an airtight container for up to a week.
Tip: I used pecans in my pesto since that’s what I had, but I often have walnuts in my homemade recipes. You can use almonds or pine nuts as well!
Slice up your salmon into filets, pat very dry with paper towels, and rub all over with some of the pesto. Heat some olive oil in a large skillet and place the filets skin-side down (or whichever side would have skin if you’re using skinless) and sear for 4-5 minutes. Flip, drop in a tablespoon of butter, and cook 3-4 minutes longer while swirling the sizzly butter until golden in spots. Move the fish to a plate and set aside.
Melt a little more butter in your skillet. Drop in carrots and onion and cook until softened, then season with minced fresh garlic and Italian seasoning. Measure in your wild rice blend and toast for a couple minutes to absorb the flavorings.
Tip: Use wild rice blend and not forbidden rice.
Pour in a good heap of broth, drop a few rosemary sprigs atop, and bring to a low simmer. Cover the pan, with the lid slightly cracked on one side, and let the liquid bubble gently for 35-40 minutes. I start checking the rice every 5 minutes after 25 minutes to ensure that shit isn’t burning. If the liquid level is lowering too fast, drop the heat a notch, and add 1/2 cup of broth at a time to reconstitute.
Wild rice will not soften quite like white or even brown rice. The heartier grains are chewy when they’re fully cooked, but should not be crunchy or hard. This took 35 minutes on my stovetop. It’s okay if some liquid remains in the pot when the rice feels done. It will absorb the rest as it cools.
When aforementioned mouthfeel is accomplished, nestle your salmon and pour all the juices all over the goodies. Heat until the fish is warmed through.
Divide the fish and rice onto plates and serve it up!
Leftovers? This dish keeps beautifully for a whole workweek of meal prep (5 days). You can also freeze portions for up to 3 months. I recommend thawing overnight, then microwaving for 90 seconds to 2 minutes or so with 1/4 cup of broth to add some moisture to the rice.
Serving suggestions? Steamed broccoli (my standby), or a harvest salad like my Harvest Honeycrisp Kale Caesar Salad or Honeycrisp Apple and Blue Cheese Autumn Salad. A batch of Salted Rosemary Dinner Rolls doesn’t hurt either.
Cheers, friends!
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Bang your skillet:
One Skillet Apple Cider Glazed Salmon and Butternut Squash Pilaf
One Skillet Lemon Rosemary Salmon and Creamy Dijon Orzo
One Skillet Cranberry Braised Salmon
one pot rosemary pesto salmon and wild rice
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb salmon filets
- 1/3 cup rosemary pesto (recipe below)
- 3 tbsp salted butter
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup carrots, sliced on a bias (about 2-3 large carrots)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 1/2 cups wild rice blend
- 4-5 cups vegetable broth
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
rosemary pesto
- 2 1/2 cups parsley, torn
- 1/3 cup fresh rosemary, removed from stems
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1/2 cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Rosemary pesto: Combine all ingredients except the olive oil into the bowl of a large food processor. Slowly stream the olive oil through the chute as you pulse the pesto, stopping the mixer as needed to scrape down the sides of the bowl. The pesto is done when it is well emulsified and bright green in color. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed to your taste.
- Pat the salmon filets very dry with paper towels. Rub with the rosemary pesto.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the salmon skin-side down (or, if skinless, whichever side is flatter) and sear for 4-5 minutes. Flip the salmon and drop in 1 tablespoon of butter, swirling it around the fish. Cook 4-5 minutes longer. Move the salmon to a plate and cover.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, the onion, and carrot. Stir for 4-5 minutes until softened. Toss in the garlic and Italian seasoning and stir for another minute until fragrant. Spread the wild rice into the pan and toast for 1-2 minutes, tossing it around with a spoon.
- Pour in 4 cups of your broth, top with the sprigs of rosemary, and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook with the lid cracked (to let steam escape) for 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Check the liquid level every 5 minutes after 25 minutes to ensure the rice is not drying out, adding 1/2 cup of broth as needed. Wild rice takes substantially longer to cook than regular rice. It is done when the rice is chewy but not hard. On my stovetop, this took 35 minutes.
- Nestle the salmon filets into the wild rice and cook an additional 5 minutes until heated through. Divide onto plates and ENJOY!
