- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 pound salmon fillet
- Heat a small skillet over medium heat; cook and stir pine nuts in the hot skillet until fragrant and toasted, about 5 minutes.
- Blend basil, Parmesan cheese, toasted pine nuts, and garlic in a blender until a thick paste forms. Gradually stream olive oil into blender and continue blending until desired consistency of pesto is reached; season with salt and pepper.
- Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate. Season both sides of salmon with salt and pepper.
- Place salmon, skin-side down, onto grill grates; close grill and cook until salmon is about 2/3 done, 8 to 15 minutes. Remove salmon from grill using a spatula and transfer to a baking sheet, skin-side down. Spread pesto evenly over the salmon. Save extra pesto for another use if there are leftovers.
- Set oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
- Broil salmon until fish flakes easily with a fork and pesto is bubbling, about 5 minutes.