Pesto Salmon Sandwiches

Pesto Salmon Sandwiches are a delicious, easy salmon recipe with pesto slathered ciabatta roll, juicy tomatoes, crisp lettuce and more!

Made with baked pesto salmon, salmon patties, or smoked salmon it’s a perfect weeknight dinner recipe.

Recipes with pesto

Always on the lookout for new recipes with pesto I started making pesto salmon years ago. It’s a great basic recipe because you can serve pesto salmon with potatoes, make pesto salmon pasta, or a lighter pesto salmon salad.  

But, I think that Pesto Salmon Sandwiches are the best way to eat pesto salmon.

A juicy salmon filet with a pesto crust. Served on a garlic rubbed ciabatta roll with melted cheese, crunchy lettuce, fresh basil, thinly sliced red onions, and juicy tomato. And a generous amount of pesto sauce.

Sea asparagus pesto

Specifically this recipe uses a delicious alternative form of pesto made from nutrient-dense kelp and sea asparagus.

Sent to me from Foraged and Found this jarred pesto tastes just as delicious (if not more delicious!) than traditional jarred pesto sauce.

Foraged and Found is a women-owned business passionate about sharing the bounty of the Alaska wilderness. Crafting products like sea asparagus pesto, salsa, pickles and more from ingredients foraged from the waters of the Ketchikan wilderness.

Ketchikan is where my mother was born and foraging from the coastal waters is how my ancestors have lived off the land since time immemorial. And I feel like eating sea asparagus pesto is nutritious, delicious way to connect with my ancestors.

What are sea asparagus or sea beans?

Sea asparagus is a name for Salicornia, the wild edible succulent known as “sea beans” in most parts of the United States. And as various other names throughout the world, like marsh samphire in the United Kingdom. Or glasswort, picklegrass and others depending on location.

Loaded with calcium, iron, Vitamin B and C and Vitamin A sea beans are crunchy and salty with an asparagus-like flavor.

Serve them raw, steamed, boiled, sauteed or turned into sea asparagus pesto.

Ingredients

• Salmon – choose smaller fillets, if possible, to be baked with a pesto crust. Or substitute grilled salmon, smoked salmon, chilled leftover salmon or even salmon cakes.
• Pesto – traditional pesto or an alternative pesto recipe like Foraged and Found sea asparagus pesto
• Lettuce – bibb, butter or substitute any crisp, leafy greens you have on hand.
• Red onion – or substitute Pickled Red Onions
• Ciabatta rolls
• Garlic clove
• Mayonnaise
• Lemon
• Salt and pepper

Step by step instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees fahrenheit and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or other oven safe liner.
2. Slather salmon fillet with pesto sauce.

3. Bake pesto salmon in preheated oven until cooked through, about 7-10 minutes.
4. When salmon is evenly cooked through remove from oven and let rest.
5. Meanwhile slice ciabatta rolls in half and rub the cut sides lightly with crushed garlic clove to add a hint of flavor. Then toast rolls in still-warm oven.
6. Layer toasted ciabatta with mayo, pesto, salmon, cheese, red onion, tomato and lettuce. Skewer to hold if necessary.
7. Serve with chips and a pickle. Or fries, or a salad.

8. Enjoy!

Salmon sandwich ideas

Turn into a salmon burger recipe by substituting salmon cakes for the pesto salmon. Serve on traditional hamburger or brioche bun.

Or make a smoked salmon sandwich substituting cold or hot smoked salmon.

If you’d like to make a salmon sandwich without mayo simply substitute cream cheese which goes with salmon and pesto. Or spread on dill sauce, garlic aioli or avocado as the sauce.

Still wondering what else to serve with salmon?

Add a fried egg and serve on a bagel, croissant or English muffin to make a salmon egg sandwich for breakfast or brunch.

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