Basil and pine nut pesto, originally from Liguria, tends to hog the quick pasta sauce limelight, but Sicily’s trapanese pesto is a seriously underrated contender. With fresh tomatoes, toasted almonds and mint alongside the basil and cheese, it’s a perfect partner for rich salmon.
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Ingredients
- 4 salmon fillets
- 400g spaghetti
- 40g blanched almonds
- 100g cherry tomatoes
- ½ garlic clove
- 2 anchovy fillets, drained
- 40g pecorino, finely grated
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ bunch mint, leaves picked
- ¼ bunch basil, leaves picked
- Juice ½ lemon
Method
- Heat the oven to 180°C fan/gas 6 and bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Put the salmon fillets on a baking tray, season well with salt and pepper, then cook for 15 minutes. After 5 minutes, add the spaghetti to the water and cook for 8-10 minutes until al dente.
- Meanwhile, lightly toast the almonds in a hot dry pan until pale golden and shiny. Transfer to a blender with the tomatoes, garlic, anchovies, grated pecorino, oil and herbs (reserving a few leaves to garnish), then whizz into a coarse paste. Taste and season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.
- Drain the pasta, then return to the pan and add the pesto. Toss to coat, then divide between bowls and top with the salmon.
Nutrition
- 871kcals Calories
- 42g (8.5g saturated) Fat
- 49g Protein
- 70g (3.3g sugars) Carbs
- 5.1g Fibre
- 0.9g Salt
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