Pan Seared Salmon and Scallops with Macadamia-Cilantro Pesto

9 Reviews

Prep: 25 min
Cook: 15 min
Ready In: 40 min

“Try to get wild Alaskan king salmon if it's in season. But any salmon will do, just make sure it's fresh. However, if there are no good quality scallops available, just omit them.” - by Ryan Nomura

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Metric US

Original recipe yields 8 servings

Directions

Prepare macadamia-cilantro pesto by placing macadamia nuts, cilantro, green onion, ginger, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, and macadamia nut oil into the bowl of a blender. Puree until smooth, adding more oil if needed; season to taste with kosher salt.
Heat two very large skillets over medium-high heat with two tablespoons of oil each until smoking. Season the salmon and scallops to taste with kosher salt. Sear salmon fillets, meat-side down, until golden and crispy, about 5 minutes. Flip over, and cook on the skin-side 5 minutes to desired doneness. Place seared salmon onto serving plates, then sear the scallops until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
To serve, spoon some of the macadamia-cilantro pesto over the salmon, and garnish with two seared scallop pieces.

Nutrition

Amount Per Serving (8 total)

Calories
530 cal
27%

Fat
39.4 g
61%

Carbs
5.4 g
2%

Based on a 2,000 calorie diet

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Reviews (9)

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gibsey23

Sep. 19, 2008

"I had very high hopes for this recipe because it sounded SO good and I followed it to a "T". I think this recipe should just be listed with the pesto on it's own. I think I would've liked the pesto be..." See moretter on another type of protein. Perhaps a seared beef on some orrechiette pasta. Really, you could use the Pesto on anything. I would make a couple changes to it though. Unfortunately, I couldn't find macadamia oil and I wish I had because I think it really is essential to this recipe. There was something about the raw taste of the garlic that I didn't enjoy (and I LOVE garlic)...next time maybe I would use garlic powder or roasted garlic. But overall, Thanks for the recipe...it really was an amazing combination of flavors...so many flavors!"

Blondeprincess

Jul. 18, 2011

"I was hesitant about making a pesto that was not the traditional basil/parmesan pesto - but WOW this pesto was incredibly refreshing and delightful. I wanted the salmon to have more flavour, so I adde..." See mored a pinch of black pepper, thyme, garlic powder, and oregano before searing it. I used grapeseed oil instead of olive oil to sear the salmon and scallops b/c it has a higher smoke rate. I really enjoyed this recipe!!! I found that using a microplane grater w/ the ginger was extremely beneficial."