Lemon Pesto Fish Fillets Recipe (2024)

Dinner doesn’t get easier than these lemon pesto fish fillets!

Lemon Pesto Fish Fillets Recipe (1)

Sometimes I want to make fish but I don’t want all of the fuss that sometimes comes with some of my seafood creations. I don’t know what it is about fish that triggers something in my head that says I have to make a sauce or lots of sides, but it really doesn’t need to be that way.I created this recipe on one of those nights that I was hungry and wanted to eat fast. It was mid-week and the cod at the market looked really good, so I bought it. When I was deciding what to do with it, I stood in front of my open fridge and peered inside. This is a bad habit of mine — I just stand there hoping for ingredients that don’t exist to appear…

But, on this particular day, I saw a container filled with a beautifully green fresh pesto that I forgot I had. Two days earlier, I was at the farmers’ market and there was a vendor selling all different kinds of the most amazingly delicious fresh pestos. I bought it thinking I was really going to use it as a dip, but when I saw it, it was like a lightbulb went on over my head and this simple recipe jumped into my brain.

The pesto I used was a vegan kale, arugula, and basil pesto, but you can use any kind of pesto you like.

The bright flavor of the pesto and the lemon juice and grated lemon peels make this dish taste like spring.

So, don’t wait until you feel like cooking to make these lemon pesto fish fillets! They can be made any night you have 15 minutes to spare!

And, for the next time you want an easy fish recipe, try my simple Perfect Baked Fish recipe.

Lemon Pesto Fish Fillets Recipe (2)

Here are some nutrition facts for this recipe:

Fish is great to eat if you feel like you need more energy. It’s also helps with diarrhea and hemorrhoids. I used cod for this recipe, but almost any fish would be delicious with this preparation and creamy mustard sauce. Red Snapper, like many fish varieties, is good for the cardiovascular system; it helps protect against heart attacks and strokes and can help regulate blood pressure. It’s also very low in calories… so have a nice big piece! (Please, avoid farm-raised fish and those varieties with a high amount of mercury.)

Kale is everywhere these days. I kind of got a little tired of just eating it in salads, so I now use it inside of different dishes, like here in this pesto (if you make your own pesto, just toss some kale leaves in with the basil). It is extremely nutritious, and because it is so popular you can find it already washed and prepared in lots of markets, and it’s in so many prepared dishes now, like pestos, salsas, and sauces. I bought my pesto for this dish already made and packed in a container; it seems to be the in-thing at farmers’ markets this season! Kale is a great source of fiber and calcium. It’s also rich in many minerals, including magnesium, iron and potassium. One serving contains 200% of the daily requirements of Vitamin C and 180% of Vitamin A.

Basil has anti-viral and anti-bacterial capabilities. It also is good for settling your stomach, and it’s good at lessening the symptoms of the common cold and its accompanying cough. Basil is a spiritual herb — the scent actually calms you; you can boil some in a pot and let the aroma fill the air, you can just leave some around the house, you can toss a bunch in your bath water (yes, really), or you can use an essential oil with basil to get some great calming effects.

Arugula has a good amount of calcium and it also contains vitamins A, C and K. It is rich in potassium and it’s extra beneficial in the summer because it actually cools the body down. This delicious peppery green is also believed to be a libido booster. One of the first things I learned when I started really taking care of my health through proper nutrition, was to substitute dark greens for lighter greens whenever possible. One of the easiest, tastiest, and healthiest switches you can make is to swap out some of your lighter salad greens for peppery, dark arugula.

Lemon peels contain calcium, potassium and vitamin C. Lemons are good for your stomach, they help detoxify your body, they balance your pH and they act as an antibacterial. If you have a sore throat or a cough, go for lemons to make things better. Lemons are great for quenching your thirst, and, in China, many years ago, hypertension was treated by drinking tea made from lemon peels.

Lemon Pesto Fish Fillets Recipe (3)

Lemon Pesto Fish Fillets

Author:Stacey @There's A Cook In My Kitchen

Recipe type:fish

Cuisine:American, Mediterranean

Prep time:

Cook time:

Total time:

Serves:2-3

All you need is 15 minutes to make this easy fish recipe; it will be your go-to on a busy week-night... and it tastes so fresh and bright!

Ingredients

  • 1 lb fish fillets, cut into 4 pieces (I used cod, but use whatever looks fresh at the market)
  • 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • sea salt and black pepper
  • 2 lemons: 1 juiced and zested; the other sliced
  • about ¾ cup pesto (any variety you like -- I used a vegan kale, basil, arugula pesto)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  2. Grease a baking sheet with the oil.
  3. Season the fish with salt and pepper.
  4. Lay the lemon slices on the bottom of the baking sheet.
  5. Arrange the fish on top of the lemon slices.
  6. Spread the pesto over the fish fillets.
  7. Squeeze the lemon over the pesto.
  8. Roast the fish in the oven until the centers flake easily with a fork (mine took 15 minutes, but yours may be different)
  9. Remove the fish from the oven and sprinkle the lemon zest over.
  10. Enjoy!

Lemon Pesto Fish Fillets Recipe (4)

Lemon Pesto Fish Fillets Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What fish goes well with pesto? ›

What Fish Goes Well With Pesto? Any seafood can be paired with pesto, but the robust flavour of our sauces means the biggest rewards come when paired with delicate white fish such as whiting or pollack that are not overly flavoursome on their own. You can pair pesto with literally any fish you like.

Does putting lemon on fish cook it? ›

The acid from the limes and lemons changes the structure of the proteins in the fish, essentially "cooking" the fish without using heat. I love ceviche rolled up in a freshly cooked, still warm corn tortilla with lettuce and salsa.

How to use lemon with fish? ›

Lemon juice should be squeezed onto fish after cooking. Freshly squeezed lemon juice gives foods a bright high note and a pop of flavor. Heat will dull that flavor, since much of the juice will evaporate as soon as it hits a hot pan.

Should pesto be served warm or cold? ›

There is no need to heat pesto, although too many people do.

What do Italians eat pesto with? ›

Italian Tradition

Pesto is the perfect sauce to enjoy with a dish of trofie (the traditional Ligurian short pasta), lasagna, potato gnocchi or as a topping for a bowl of minestrone.

Why do chefs put lemon on fish? ›

Lemon juice is used to enhance the flavor of dishes prepared with fish, which is more prone to oxidation than other flesh food.

What is it called when you cook fish in lemon? ›

At its core, ceviche is basically fresh seafood steeped in an acidic marinade, most commonly lime or lemon juice. The acid in the citrus forms an extremely low pH condition to denature the fish protein networks, much the same as heating would. This results in the seafood becoming opaque and more firm in texture.

What happens if you marinate fish in lemon? ›

As fish is more delicate than chicken or beef, avoid leaving strong citrus-based marinades on fish for more than 10 to 15 minutes or you will end up with ceviche. The acid in ingredients such as lemons or limes will “cook” the fish if given the time. Season the fish with salt and pepper just before adding the marinade.

Should you season fish before or after cooking? ›

When seasoned too soon before cooking, the salt will start to break down the proteins in the salmon and draw moisture out of the fish. Follow this tip: No matter the method of cooking, season the fish just before it hits the pan, goes in the oven, or onto the grill.

Why is lemon always served with fish? ›

This is why lemon and fish can go so well together. The salt and the acid balance each other while doing a little flavor dance on the palate. When we squeeze citrus onto our fish platters, you are setting up a reaction that neutralizes the fishiness, thus greatly improving the taste of the fish.

What does pesto pair well with? ›

Delicious on pasta, of course, with Parmesan cheese, a salad, and garlic bread. I like to roast some veggies, can be anything (diced carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, cauliflower, etc), and then toss the veggies with pasta and pesto. So good! My local coffee shop uses pesto as a spread on their avocado toast.

What is pesto traditionally served with? ›

Pesto is traditionally served with trofie or trenette pasta or potato gnocchi, but you can serve it with whatever type of pasta you prefer, long or short. Just remember that the pasta should be rather thick enough to stand up to the aromatic nature of the pesto.

References

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