Pan-Seared Fish With Citrus Pesto
Updated Feb. 5, 2024
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- ½cup toasted pistachios or slivered almonds
- 2teaspoons drained and rinsed capers
- Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 2cups mint or basil leaves (or a combination)
- 1tablespoon lemon, tangerine or grapefruit zest plus 3 tablespoons juice
- ⅓cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
- 4(6-ounce) fish fillets, such as arctic char, striped bass or salmon, skin on or off
- Salt
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for greasing
For the Pesto
For the Fish
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
656 calories; 52 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 26 grams monounsaturated fat; 11 grams polyunsaturated fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 39 grams protein; 605 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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- Step 1
To make the pesto, add the pistachios, capers and 1 teaspoon salt to a food processor and process until coarsely chopped. Add the herbs, citrus juice and a pinch of salt and pulse until the herbs are finely chopped and the nuts are about the size of sesame seeds. Add the olive oil and pulse just until combined. Stir in 1 teaspoon of citrus zest. Taste, then continue to add more zest and salt until the pesto is citrusy and punchy. Thin with 2 to 3 more tablespoons of olive oil until it’s the consistency of a loose paste. Taste, and adjust seasonings as needed. (To use the pesto on pasta, see Tip.)
- Step 2
To make the fish, season it all over with salt and oil. Working in batches if necessary, add the fish (skin-side down, if your fillets are skin-on) to a large (12-inch) nonstick skillet, then heat over medium. Cook until the flesh is opaque ¾ of the way up the sides, 6 to 12 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. If the fish is buckling, press it down with a spatula so it makes contact with the skillet. Flip and cook until cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to plates, skin-side up if serving skin-on fish, and eat with a spoonful of pesto.
Tip
- To make pesto pasta, skip the additional 2 to 3 tablespoons oil and toss the thick pesto with cooked pasta and a little pasta cooking water. Leftovers keep for up to 3 days.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Nick
What fish might typically be used in Sicily, for this? I somehow doubt salmon, char... so, just curious. Swordfish?
David F.
Made the pesto with pistachios and lemon and orange zest from our trees. Fresh and delicious. I might add anchovy next time for even more umami. Pan frying is a very simple way to cook a skin-on fish filet with surprisingly tasty results. We also tried the pesto on penne and it was yummy.
deborah
Absolutely delicious. I used mint but didn’t have quite enough so filled in with a little parsley and dill.
Diana
Bravo! No garlic! More no-garlic recipes please. Sometimes ginger or fennel can be used in lieu but please know there are many of us allium-intolerant cooks & food lovers in your readership
George de Stefano
Very nice recipe that is true to Sicilian tradition. No garlic overkill, for one thing, Some NYT recipes based on Sicilian cooking call for 6 to 8 cloves. Matri santa!
Rosie
Made exactly as listed using lemon juice, grapefruit zest and only basil. Served it on Alaskan Halibut. Outstanding!
RH
As a garlic lover (who usually doubles the listed amount in every recipe), I was disconcerted to see none included here. Despite my temptation to add garlic and anchovy, I made the recipe as written. Wow, this pesto is delicious! Intensely flavorful, bright, and balanced. I dolloped some onto fresh rockfish and tossed the leftover pesto (it makes a lot extra) with linguine. It doesn’t need any additions.
Tammerie
Too much salt IMO.
Katie
I made with almond, lemon and about 1/3 mint and 2/3 basil. The fish was Mahi Mahi. It was good, but too heavy on the salt. I will use at most half of the salt next time.
jay
@Nick. The paragraph description mentions anchovies as being paired normally with this Sicilian pesto.
Mimi H
The perfect summer lunch dish! For the pesto, I used pistachios and a Meyer lemon from my tree. Most went on the homemade fettuccini, with a small amount saved and thinned down to drizzle on the fish. Sautéed the arctic char almost entirely skin side down, flipping it for only a moment to set the other side, then placed it atop the pasta skin-side up so we could enjoy its crispiness. I'll be cooking this dish often — the only change will be to double the pesto so I can use it with other meals.
pld
This pesto was delicious! I could have just eaten it with a spoon. Served it on halibut. The leftover pesto would be great on pasta or spread on some crusty toasted bread and topped with tomatoes. Mine did come out a bit salty. I didn't really measure but would hold back a bit on the salt next time.
zoz
For those who found this too salty, did you use Diamond Krystal kosher salt? If not, it’s standard to cut the salt by half (due to variations in crystal size).
Kelsie
To everyone saying that it was too salty... The recipe specifies kosher salt (like diamond crystal). If you use table salt or sea salt instead, you'll have nearly doubled the amount of salt by weight! Make sure to either use the exact type of salt the recipe mentions or adjust volume measurements accordingly!
Zan H.
Love this. Made with basil. The pistachio/caper flavor was great. Added some white wine before serving to make it a little more creamy.
BethJL
We made this with shrimp and it was delicious!
Sarah O
Delicious! Substituted pepitas for nuts due to allergy, and served with tilapia. Very fresh and citrusy, perfect for springtime.
mmcneese
Excellent. Used half mint, half basil. Served with roasted asparagus and lentils. The pesto was delicious on EVERYTHING. Quick and easy.
Ruth Futrovsky
Made this with 1/2 basil and 1/2 mint and lemon zest and juice. Turned out great--people wanted extra pesto to mop up with bread.
Marlette
Just mad this tonight with basil and mint combo, pistachios, lemon zest and juice, lemon olive oil and EVOO. My hubby, who is very wary about such new foods, liked it!! I only made 1/2 recipe and served with one 6 oz halibut and broccoli. Wr eat small portions.
Deb Reese
This is a Great recipe! Made earlier in the summer with my abundant garden basil to do “ something different”. Loved it so much that I just made another batch to freeze for the winter before my basil gets zapped by frost.
OMG this is a keeper!
Made this with roasted salmon, so not only was it super quick, but I now am have another recipe to use up bumper crops of basil! Used all basil, almonds, & lemon and could barely stop myself from eating it out of the bowl. Salt proportion was fine for me.
Julia M
The sauce is delicious and could be served over anything and it'd be a hit. I grilled some cod outside and served it with this grilled halloumi and zucchini recipe to use up some of the extra sauce since it seemed so similar. Fabulous meal. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1024518-grilled-halloumi-and-zucchini-with-salsa-verde?smid=pin-share
Redbird, Yardbird
Delicious with swordfish, even if we didn't have enough capers on hand, and also had to sub raw almonds (which I pan-toasted) for slivered. We had limes, and lots of fresh mint, so that's what I used. I think it'll come out better when I have access to a mini-chopper, the smoothie blender was a bit awkward. Still, it was a big success. Didn't use any salt.
stella
I used tilapia and lime and it worked great!
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