Notes

Recipe and photo by Emma Frisch

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 5 minutes
• Yield: 1 cup

Ingredients

Pesto:

• Olive oil – 1/4 cup
• Ramps (sometimes called wild leeks or spring onions) – 3 cups, coarsely chopped
• Sunflower seeds – 1/4 cup
• Parmesan cheese – 1/2 cup, grated (for vata)
• Lemon – 1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Sea salt – 1/8 teaspoon
• Pepper – 8 turns of the pepper mill
• Ghee – 1 tablespoon

Salmon:

• Wild Alaskan Salmon – 4 fillets
• Lemon – 4-8 slices (optional for garnish)

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small saute pan, melt the ghee over medium-low. Add the ramps and saute them for about 2 minutes. They will immediately wilt and reduce to about 1/3 of their original volume (or 1 cup). Transfer the ramps to a food processor or blender and set it aside while you toast the sunflower seeds.
3. In the same pan, toast the sunflower seeds for about 2 minutes over medium heat, or until they begin to brown and the kitchen fills with a nutty aroma.
4. Add the sunflower seeds, Parmesan, lemon juice, salt and pepper to the food processor. Pulse a few time to mince and mix the ingredients. Slowly add the 1/4 cup of olive oil, pulsing continuously, until the pesto is well blended and has a thick and creamy consistency.
5. Arrange salmon fillets skin side down on a baking sheet.
6. Spread about 3 Tbs. pesto onto each salmon fillet.
7. Bake salmon for about 15 minutes or until the thickest part of the fish is cooked through.
8. Serve garnished with lemon slices.

How to Freeze Pesto

Freezing pesto is easy and means you always have a quick dinner or added seasoning on hand. There are two ways I like to freeze pesto:

1. The first is to fill a plastic tupperware with pesto, leaving about half an inch of “head space,” the space between the top of the container and the surface of the contents – in this case pesto. Close it with a lid and pop it in the freezer. This way makes it difficult to take out portions, since you have to defrost the entire container to soften the pesto and remove what you need. You can then pop it back into the freezer.
2. The second is to fill an ice tray with pesto so that you have pesto cubes. Store the ice tray in two freezer bags to prevent the pesto from getting freezer burn. You can pop out portion-sized cubes of pesto when you need it!

For more recipes by Emma Frisch, visit her food blog at www.emmafrisch.com

This recipe is from the 3-Season Diet Challenge – a 12-month guide to eating with the seasons as nature intended. This FREE program takes you through a year of eating seasonally with month-to-month support and guidance. You can start the challenge anytime throughout the year. >>> Learn more and sign up here!

What did you think of this recipe? Have any tips or tricks to share?