Salmon and Chilean Sea Bass with Eggplant Pesto Recipe

The hubby just loves salmon but it’s not a fish that I really care for so when I make it for him I usually make another kind for myself. On this particular night I made Chilean sea bass for me – THAT is a fish I love. It is mild, sweet and complemented by just about anything. Anderson Seafoods had sent me some beautiful Scottish Salmon and Chilean sea bass with the seafood medley at no charge for me to use. I wasn’t sure how I was going to cook these gorgeous fillets until the hubby brought in his big eggplant harvest – one small Japanese eggplant. This was not enough to feed two people but I could make a delicious accompaniment for the fish. The eggplant pesto recipe was luxurious, flavorful and it has many uses beyond a topping for fish.

I thought a kind of eggplant pesto would be really tasty with both types of fish. I paired it with a roasted lemon zucchini. The tart citrus flavor was a welcome balance with the richness of the eggplant mixture.

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Table of Contents

Salmon and Chilean Sea Bass with Eggplant Pesto

Serves 2

1 6 oz fillet Chilean Sea Bass
1 6 oz fillet Salmon
or two comparable fillets
1 small Japanese eggplant
2 large cloves garlic
1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
2 TBS finely chopped basil, divided
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1 TBS canola oil

Preheat the oven to 350°
Trim the eggplant and poke some holes in it with a knife or fork. Place it in a small baking dish with the two cloves of garlic and drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with some salt. Bake in the preheated oven for about half an hour until both the eggplant and garlic are soft. Remove from the oven.

Add the eggplant, garlic cloves, 1 TBS of the basil and 2 TBS of toasted pine nuts to a food processor with the metal blade and process until almost smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the 1 TBS of olive oil. Process just to mix in the oil. Do the same with the lemon juice. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Set aside.

Chilean Sea Bass with Eggplant Pesto, Salmon with Eggplant Pesto, eggplant pesto recipe, AD

Dry the fish and season the fillets with salt and pepper.

Mix the other 1 TBS of basil with the panko bread crumbs and a sprinkling of salt.

Dip one side of of each fillet in the bread crumb mixture. Press it on so that there is a good layer. Heat a fry pan over med-high heat. When the pan is hot add the canola oil. When the oil is hot add the fish bread crumbs down. Let the fish cook for about 2 minutes until the crumbs are brown and crisp. Carefully remove the fillets and place them in a heat proof pan or dish crumb side up and bake in the hot oven for 15 minutes. The baking time with be dependent on the thickness of your fillets. Mine were about an inch and a half thick.

To serve you just place the fish and top with half of the eggplant mixture. Sprinkle some pine nuts over top for a little extra crunch.

The side dish was a very simple roasted zucchini – I just sliced it and baked it at 350°. Before it went in the oven I drizzled it with a little olive oil and some fresh squeezed lemon juice and a sprinkling of salt. It baked for half an hour. I served it over brown rice.

How Was It?

This was delicious. We both really enjoyed it. The crunch from the panko was really delightful and the creamy eggplant pesto recipe resulted in a topping that was rich and complementary to both types of fish. The lemon on the zucchini was just perfect with the fish. I hope another eggplant grows so I can make this again.

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