Pistachio Encrusted Salmon

I live in the Northwest. I've been fishing ever since I could walk. I even worked in the seafood department at the local grocery store in high school. And yet, until two days ago, I had never cooked a piece of salmon in my life! Luckily for me, my husband just went salmon fishing over the weekend and brought us home a beautiful salmon for me to play with in the kitchen. But much to my dismay, I hadn't a clue how I wanted to cook it. Every time my family had salmon, my dad would usually season it with lemon, garlic, and a combination of herbs; it was the classic combination of seafood and citrus. But to me "classic," though always delicious, had become boring. I wanted to try something new.

Then it hit me....I have pistachios!

It was by rare chance that I had just recently bought pistachios for the soul purpose of trying new recipes with them. And the idea struck: pistachio encrusted salmon! I had seen a recipe for pistachio encrusted salmon weeks ago and was tempted to give it a try. With pistachios waiting anxiously in my pantry and my husband proudly slapping a large salmon onto the cutting board, it was as if the universe was saying: "make me dinner!" The end result was heavenly: fresh juicy salmon coated in a crispy golden layer of toasted flavors that tickled my pallet. This recipe makes restaurant quality fish in less than 30 minutes and will easily impress your family and friends.

Pistachio Encrusted Salmon

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted pistachios, shelled
1/3 cup Panko breadcrumbs, or other type
2 Tbsp. fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
4 (3-oz.) salmon fillets
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray. In a small food processor combine nuts, breadcrumbs, cheese, salt & pepper. Pulse mixture until fine. Transfer nut mixture to a shallow bowl, drizzle with olive oil and toss with a fork until crumbs are well moistened.

Spread the top of each fillet evenly with mustard. press the mustard-coated side of each fillet into the crumb mixture to generously coat the fish. Set the fillets, coating side up, on the prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the fillets to form a thick crust.

Bake fillet until top is crisp and browned and the fish is cooked through, 10-12 minutes, depending on thickness.