This Pesto Pistachio Fish Fillet recipe with fresh tilapia can be made in as little as 15 minutes! Packed with basil pesto and toasted crunchy pistachios, this simple baked fish fillet recipe makes for a low-carb lunch or dinner!
If you’ve been looking for new, healthy ways to enjoy fish and seafood, this low-carb recipe for Pesto Pistachio Fish Fillet is for you! There are no words good enough to describe this delicious Pesto Pistachio Fish Fillet recipe. The best thing? This simple fish recipe can be ready in 15 minutes using only 5 ingredients.
Why this recipe works:
Every bite of this Pesto Pistachio Fish Fillet is packed with basil pesto, garlic, lemon and toasted crunchy pistachios.
The pistachios along with zesty lemon, aromatic pesto, and fresh herbs make for such a lovely combination of flavors and textures! A simple and healthy 15-minute meal that needs nothing but 5 ingredients, a hot oven and a skillet.
Got company coming? Serve these easy Pistachio-Crusted Fish Fillets and leave everyone impressed!
If you’re a seafood person, you will love this recipe for Pesto Pistachio Fish Fillets! If you know a person who is a lover of seafood, this is a perfect way to show them your love!
The beauty of this easy one-pan recipe is that you need only five ingredients! No fuss in the kitchen and the outcome will make you feel like a star chef.
How to make this recipe for Pesto Pistachio Crusted Fish Fillet:
To make this Pesto Pistachio Fish Fillet, we take a nice cast iron skillet (or baking sheet if you prefer). Coat it lightly with olive oil. Add garlic slices and lemon slices to the skillet.
As a second step, each fish fillet is coated all over with a generous amount of pesto. I make this recipe using my protein packed nut free hemp basil pesto. If you have another pesto in your fridge—that would work as well!
Next, a generous amount of roughly chopped pistachios is placed on the top side of the fish fillet. Make sure you are covering the entire surface. Press down the nuts well so they stick to the top of the fish.
Then, place the fillets over the lemon and garlic slices in the pan, and drizzle some olive oil on top of the pistachio crust. Now, place the skillet in a hot oven for 15 minutes.
Just like that, you have made perfectly cooked fish fillets. The pistachios in the crust will be perfectly toasty and crunchy. Pesto, lemon, and garlic will add such a wonderful Mediterranean flavor to this easy one-pan fish dinner!
Make this Pesto Pistachio Fish Fillet recipe today and I promise you’ll have a priceless seafood experience!
Tips for success:
- Almonds or walnuts can make a great substitute if you’re out of pistachios.
- I chose tilapia for this Pesto Pistachio Fish Fillet recipe because it is very neutral in taste and lets the pesto pistachio crust be the star of the show! You can definitely make it with salmon, halibut, haddock and any nice thick piece of fish would work great with the pesto pistachio crust. A thinner type of fish fillet would probably not handle the pistachio crust very well.
- Looking for an appetizer for this great one-pan fish dinner? Try my Goat Cheese Pistachio Crusted Strawberries!
Pesto Pistachio Fish Fillet
This Pesto Pistachio Fish Fillet can be made in as little as 15 minutes! Packed with basil pesto, garlic, lemon and toasted crunchy pistachios, this simple fish fillet recipe makes for the perfect healthy and low-carb lunch or dinner!
Ingredients
- 4 tilapia fish fillets
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 1 organic lemon thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup pesto your favourite kind
- 1 1/4 cup pistachios coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon olive oil for drizzling
- pinch of salt
- lemon for serving (optional)
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
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In a cast iron pan or baking sheet (line up the baking sheet with parchment paper or foil for easier clean up) place 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
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Scatter the garlic slices and lemon slices over the olive oil in a single layer, trying to distribute them as evenly as possible.
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Take each fish fillet and slather it on all sides, tops and bottoms with pesto (a little over a tablespoon of pesto per fillet—more or less to your taste).
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Take a little over 1/4 cup of the pistachios and mound it over each fish fillet along the whole length, making sure to cover the entire surface (more or less nuts to your taste). Press the nuts well with your hands so they stick to the fish.
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Place the fish fillet directly on top of the lemon and garlic slices on the pan. Repeat with the remaining fillets.
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Drizzle a thin drizzle of olive oil over the pistachios on each fish fillet (about 1/4 teaspoon each).
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Place the pan on the bottom half rack of the hot oven and bake for 12-16 minutes (depending on how thick your fillets are) until the fish is cooked through and nuts are toasty.
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Remove from the oven, sprinkle a pinch of salt over each fish fillet, drizzle with more olive oil, lemon juice if desired and serve.
Recipe Notes
- Almonds or walnuts can make a great substitute if you’re out of pistachios.
- I chose tilapia for this Pesto Pistachio Fish Fillet recipe because it is very neutral in taste and lets the pesto pistachio crust be the star of the show! You can definitely make it with salmon, halibut, haddock and any nice thick piece of fish would work great with the pesto pistachio crust. A thinner type of fish fillet would probably not handle the pistachio crust very well.
- Looking for an appetizer for this great one-pan fish dinner? Try my Goat Cheese Pistachio Crusted Strawberries!
I never thought of making a pistachio crust for fish before but this looks so good i’ll have to try it!
It’s a must try Michelle!
I have used pistachio only in sweet dishes, never thought of adding to fish fillet that is genius idea. Love it I am going to try it. These fish fillet with pesto pisatchio is die for.
It’s totally worth it Swathi!
I love the idea of pistachio crusted fish! This looks fabulous and I bet it tastes fantastic. Definitely, need to give this a try soon 🙂
It really does taste fantastic!
This certainly makes a delicious dinner and yet it’s so simple. We do put pest on our fish — a lot but haven’t added the pistachios. Love the idea of the crunch. Will try this next time.
Hope you do Marisa!
What a great way to dress tilapia up. I love a good crusted fish and the flavors you’ve used in this look really tasty. All this needs is a simple salad and it’s a whole meal fit for the house!
Thanks Jenni!!
This dinner idea is so easy to make, but looks like the perfect romantic fancy dinner! I would like to try these flavors!
Yes!!
One pan recipes are terrific, love having less cleaning. This fish sounds like it has an intriguing flavor and texture, I don’t think I’ve seen it before.
It sure does Valerie!!
These look so so delicious and easy enough for any night of the week!
It really is Lauren, Thank you!
I love pesto on fish but never tired pistachio. Sounds so yum and the color of the two really go so well. This looks so flavorful and delicious
it really is Veena!
What a simple and delicious dinner. Perfect for fish Friday’s!! Love the pistachio crust. This is also elegant enough for entertaining too.
Thanks Gloria!
this really looks tasty. I love pistachio and on fish I have had pecans but never pistachios what a great idea I will try this soon!
Please do!
Thank you! I translated your comment–hope you Enjoy this recipe!:)