This Walnut Crusted Salmon recipe tops the list as one of the easiest and fastest dinner dishes of all time! As I’ve said before, one of my favorite things about seafood is how fast it cooks, and the walnut crust in this recipe literally only adds minutes to the prep time. Plus, it was a big hit with my kids – double score!
Sponsor Shoutout: Alaska Gold
I was lucky enough to get to use some sustainable wild-caught king salmon straight from Alaska in this recipe! Thanks to our sponsor, Alaska Gold, I got a shipment of salmon fillets that were blast-frozen within minutes of harvest. The salmon was SO good and fresh tasting.
Salmon is an area where you have to be really careful because sometimes the stuff from the grocery store can be injected with artificial dye (to enhance the pink color) or be farm-raised in a questionable environment. And the health of the fish impacts the nutritional value to you, which is just one of the many reasons why it matters! So I know you’ll be glad to hear that Alaska Gold is giving you 10% off your first-time order of their salmon and seafood variety packs with the “100DaysRealSalmon” code, which is good through December 11th (perfect for the holidays).
Oh, and this is the last recipe in my baking series. Check out the other recipes if you haven’t already: Bacon and Brussels Sprouts Pizza, Fluffy Applesauce Waffles, and No-Bake Peanut Butter Oat Bars (okay, that last one is kind of a cheat!).
Easy Walnut Crusted Salmon
Ingredients
- 1 pound salmon, wild-caught, defrosted
- 1/4 cup whole-wheat breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, or regular mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the salmon fillets (I used Alaska Gold Brand) on an oiled baking sheet (skin side down) and set aside.
- In a food processor, combine the whole-wheat breadcrumbs, walnuts, mustard, and honey. Process until well combined, scraping the sides as necessary.
- Use a spatula to spread the walnut crust in a layer on top of the salmon. Bake until a little golden brown on top and cooked all the way through, about 12 - 15 minutes (depending on the thickness of your fish). Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Weeknight Beef Bourguignon
I do not care for salmon – any modifications needed if I were to use a different fish?
Hello. There is no reason to that you could not use another type of fish. Cooking time could vary.
My son is allergic to all tree nuts…but I would love to make something like this to feed him and my husband. Is there something else I could substitute instead of the walnuts? Maybe just use more bread crumbs?
Hello. If your son can have them, seeds such as sesame or pumpkin might work well.
Im so pumped that I have all ingredients on hand to make this recipe!! Hallelujah!
Love that the walnuts add a little pop of Omega-3s (in addition to the fish) :-) I love seafood, too, for weeknight meals because not only does it cook quickly, but it also defrosts quickly (and I frequently forget to pull stuff out of the freezer to defrost!)
Is salmon skin edible? I had heard that the brown layer that it between the skin and the pink flesh can be bitter tasting.
Hello Maureen. Personal preference. This might help: http://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/common-mistakes/article/salmon-common-mistakes.
I finally made this last night and it was delicious! My son, who groaned when I told him what we were having for dinner, loved it! I was very pleased. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Why worry about dyes? They are not near as bad as eating radiation. Every piece of Pacific/Alaskan Salmon I have tested with my Dosimeter contained radiation. And farm-raised is just as unhealthy.
I love walnuts so I thought I’d try this. Turns out salmon and walnuts make an amazing combination! The walnuts totally took the fishy taste out of the salmon. As I was making the recipe I thought it seemed way too simple and wouldn’t taste like much, but I was wrong – it was great. This will become a staple salmon recipe here.
I used frozen salmon for this recipe, and it took WAY longer to bake through than 15 minutes. I didn’t see anywhere listed in the recipe to thaw or defrost it first – am I missing something? I’m concerned because at 15 min, my salmon was definitely undercooked, and one time, my mom got sick from eating undercooked salmon.
Hi there – Sorry for the confusion, yes it was defrosted and I added a note about that on the recipe!
The best salmon I have ever made. My husband loved it. He always groans with I say were having salmon for dinner. I loved it too. I am making it tonight for the second time in a week