Baked Chimichurri Salmon

This restaurant-quality Chimichurri with Salmon Recipe will be your new dinner obsession. It's the perfect way to use up leftover Argentinian Chimichurri, and the best excuse to make a fresh batch. No fancy ingredients or long prep time involved. Just a rockstar dinner on the table in under 30 minutes.

It's no secret we're big fans of easy, tasty salmon here at Weekday Pescatarian. From Butter Herb Baked Sockeye to Indian-Spiced Salmon to One-Pot Mediterranean Salmon and Rice, it's one of our favorite go-to seafoods.

But we're also big fans of big-flavored sauces. There's just no better way to dress up your weeknight dinner than with a generous drizzle of fresh cilantro and pistachio chimichurri.

A jar of this sauce should live on the condiment shelf in your fridge, anyway. It has endless uses, including serving with Grilled Shrimp Skewers or Broiled Cod.

Ingredients for Recipe:

Before we get to the step by step instructions, a few notes about the ingredients:

Fish: use either wild-caught salmon, or Atlantic salmon. If using frozen fish, be sure to thaw the salmon and dry well before adding the chimichurri mix. Substitute steelhead trout or Arctic char.

Herbs: fresh, flat leaf parsley is the traditional herb in chimichurri. I'm addingequal parts cilantro, which brings a citrusy note to the sauce. And Argentinian chimichurri wouldn't be complete without a pinch of dried oregano.

Pistachios: our favorite nut (close your ears, almonds!) adds toasty richness to the sauce, making it irresistible.

Chilis: use just as much chili as you like to hit your preferred spice level. Substitute a pinch of red pepper flakes.

Citrus and vinegar: orange zest and juice add the perfect balance to our sauce. Red wine vinegar is my go-to vinegar for chimichurri. If you don't have orange, consider adding a touch of honey to bring sweetness to the mix.

Full ingredient list and measurements included in printable recipe card below.

How to Make Chimichurri with Salmon

1. Prepare chimichurri

Use leftover Chimichurri Sauce, or make fresh. To make chimichurri, combine diced flat leaf parsley, cilantro, red onion, chili and garlic along with red wine vinegar, citrus zest and juice in a bowl. Add olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside.

2. Prep and bake salmon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil. Lay dry salmon fillets on the pan and season lightly with salt and pepper. Spoon about 2 teaspoons of chimichurri to the top of each fish fillet.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fillets and your preferred doneness.

3. Serve and enjoy

Serve salmon with lemon wedges.

What to serve with baked salmon

A simple tomato salad with Crispy Potatoes give you plenty of excuses to drizzle extra chimichurri on the sides, as well as the salmon. Mediterranean Rice, Yellow Rice and Tossed Salad are all great options, as well. Check out my handy guide to the Best Sides for Salmon.

How long does chimichurri last?

Keep cilantro chimichurri in a jar or other airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Leftover chimichurri can be frozen in 1-2 tablespoon cubes for future use.

How to store leftover Chimichurri Salmon?

Store salmon in an airtight container for 2-3 days. To reheat leftovers, warm gently in the oven or in a skillet until just heated through.

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