A simple recipe for Tomato-Peach Gazpacho – cooling and refreshing and just what the doctor ordered on hot summer days. Top it with burrata cheese (or vegan ricotta) for a little creaminess. The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has t…
A simple recipe for Tomato-Peach Gazpacho – cooling and refreshing and just what the doctor ordered on hot summer days. Top it with burrata cheese (or vegan ricotta) for a little creaminess. The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough. ~Rabindranath Tagore Juicy summer peaches get paired with sweet heirloom tomatoes in...
A Plum Salad with Jicama and Cucumber, dressed with a flavorful Plum Shiso Shrub. Crunchy, refreshing and light, it’s deliciously cooling on and hot summer’s day! Vegan and GF. This Plum Salad is fresh, crunchy, and has a lovely sweet tang…
A Plum Salad with Jicama and Cucumber, dressed with a flavorful Plum Shiso Shrub. Crunchy, refreshing and light, it’s deliciously cooling on and hot summer’s day! Vegan and GF. This Plum Salad is fresh, crunchy, and has a lovely sweet tang balance thanks to the addition of Plum Shrub for the dressing! I have been...
Here are 30 Fresh & Healthy Summer Dinner Ideas for hot summer nights! Many are centered around the best of summer produce paired with lean proteins. Hearty summer salads, refreshing chilled soups, summer pasta recipes, light and flavorful fish and…
Here are 30 Fresh & Healthy Summer Dinner Ideas for hot summer nights! Many are centered around the best of summer produce paired with lean proteins. Hearty summer salads, refreshing chilled soups, summer pasta recipes, light and flavorful fish and seafood recipes, and a handful of our favorite summer grilling recipes with many vegetarian options! Hearty Summer...
This baked zucchini is so easy to make, covered in a light coating of crunchy breadcrumbs and Parmesan! This veggie is at its best roasted in a hot oven. Oh hey, it’s the vegetable of the season: zucchini! There are so many creative ways to use this veggie, from casserole to chocolate cake. One of our new favorites though, is this baked zucchini! It’s the opposite of soggy or slimy: coat this tasty veggie lightly with breadcrumbs and a little Parmesan cheese. Even better, it’s not so labor intensive as zucchini fries (where you dip in flour and egg): so you get the best of both worlds! Pop it in the oven and it’s a tasty and easy side dish for summer meals. Here’s what to do! Want a quicker way to cook zucchini? Try Perfect Sauteed Zucchini. How to season baked zucchini Here’s the thing about this green vegetable. Zucchini contains over 90% water. Wow! Not only does it give off a lot of water when it cooks, it needs quite a bit of seasoning. Ever bitten into a zucchini and it tastes watery and bland? This is exactly what we don’t want. Here are the seasonings that will […]
This baked zucchini is so easy to make, covered in a light coating of crunchy breadcrumbs and Parmesan! This veggie is at its best roasted in a hot oven.
Oh hey, it’s the vegetable of the season: zucchini! There are so many creative ways to use this veggie, from casserole to chocolate cake. One of our new favorites though, is this baked zucchini! It’s the opposite of soggy or slimy: coat this tasty veggie lightly with breadcrumbs and a little Parmesan cheese. Even better, it’s not so labor intensive as zucchini fries (where you dip in flour and egg): so you get the best of both worlds! Pop it in the oven and it’s a tasty and easy side dish for summer meals. Here’s what to do!
Here’s the thing about this green vegetable. Zucchini contains over 90% water. Wow! Not only does it give off a lot of water when it cooks, it needs quite a bit of seasoning. Ever bitten into a zucchini and it tastes watery and bland? This is exactly what we don’t want. Here are the seasonings that will cover your zucchini in the best savory Mediterranean flavors:
Dried oregano
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Italian style bread crumbs
Grated Parmesan cheese
There are a few things to note about these breadcrumbs (you can also skip them if desired). Here’s what to know!
Use Italian Panko or breadcrumbs, or this substitute
This recipe uses Italian style Panko or breadcrumbs, not plain. What’s the difference? Italian breadcrumbs are made with seasonings and salt. This gives them quite a bit of extra flavor when you use them. Italian breadcrumbs and panko are easy to find at most grocery stores. If you can’t find it, here’s a substitute:
Mix in 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Because you’re already adding Italian-style seasonings to the zucchini, you won’t lose much without the seasonings in the breadcrumbs.
Don’t want to use breadcrumbs in your baked zucchini? No problem.
Not into breadcrumbs? Or do you eat a gluten-free diet? You can absolutely make baked zucchini without them. Here’s what to do:
Omit the breadcrumbs.
Toss the zucchini with grated Parmesan cheese after baking!
As a note: there are lots of gluten-free breadcrumbs or Panko on the market these days, so you can use those to make this recipe gluten-free as well.
Grated vs shredded Parmesan cheese
For some reason, even after all this time of cooking for a living I have a hard time remembering the difference between shredded and grated Parmesan cheese. Here’s what you need for this recipe:
Grated Parmesan cheese: This is the powdery cheese that looks like snow! You can use either the shaker can or the or the containers. This is what you’ll need in this recipe, because it integrates into the texture of the bread crumbs.
Shredded Parmesan cheese: Shredded Parmesan cheese looks like little sticks of Parmesan. It’s great for garnishing salads and soups. You could use it here in a pinch, but it has a different look. See Roasted Zucchini and Squash.
How to make roasted / baked zucchini: a few tips!
Here are a few tips for making this baked zucchini, aka roasted zucchini! Alex and I tried making zucchini fries and realized that they were a bit time intensive. You have to dip the zucchini in flour and egg before the breadcrumbs, and it ends up all gummy and messy. (If you have a great zucchini fries method, let us know!) So for this baked zucchini, we were inspired to make it like fries but without the fuss. You’ll get a light coating of bread crumbs for a little crunch, but they’re not fully coated like fries. Here’s what to know:
Mix some breadcrumbs with oil-coated zucchini first. Not all of them will stick to the zucchini: that’s ok! The same is true when you place them on the baking sheet. So…
Move any breadcrumbs that fall onto the baking sheet to the top of the zucchini. Just quickly move any piles of breadcrumbs to the top of the zucchini. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
Finish by sprinkling with more dry breadcrumbs & Parm. This gets another fresh coating of crumbs on top.
Bake until just tender (keep an eye on it). The bake time will depend on exactly how thin the zucchini is: so keep an eye on it! You want it to be just tender: crisp and water, but not overly soggy. Take a taste if you need to assess doneness!
Main dishes that pair with baked zucchini
OK so you’ve got your crunchy, crispy baked zucchini: what to serve it with? It’s easiest to serve it with dishes that don’t use the oven. Here are a few great main dishes that pair well:
This baked zucchini is so easy to make, covered in a light coating of crunchy breadcrumbs and Parmesan! This veggie is at its best roasted in a hot oven.
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds zucchini (3 medium small)
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup Italian style panko or bread crumbs, divided
Slice the zucchini into 1/4-inch thick rounds. In a large bowl, mix it with the olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and kosher salt. (If using plain bread crumbs, mix in a generous 1/4 teaspoon salt.) To the bowl add 1/4 cup breadcrumbs and 3 tablespoons of the grated Parmesan cheese and toss.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the vegetables in a single layer on the baking sheets, then use your fingers to quickly place breadcrumbs that fall onto the sheet on the top of the zucchini rounds (it doesn’t have to be perfect). Top with the remaining 1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs (divided across the two sheets) and 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese.
Roast until just tender, 15 to 20 minutes. If your oven is uneven, switch the trays at the 7 to 8 minute mark. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
Category:Side Dish
Method:Baked
Cuisine:American
Keywords: Baked zucchini
More zucchini recipes
Summer is all about zucchini recipes! Here are some we recommend giving a try:
Squash and Zucchini Casserole A total crowd pleaser! A cozy summer side dish, it’s topped with crunchy breadcrumbs and Parmesan.
Grilled Zucchini and Squash This basic recipe shows you the grill time, temperature, and perfect seasoning blend!
Best Zucchini Muffins Greek yogurt makes them ultra moist, and turbinado sugar adds a satisfying crunchy topping.
This flavorful Masala Street Corn hails from the streets of Mumbai! It’s grilled and brushed with a mixture of ghee and garam masala spice! A squeeze of lime adds a delicious brightness. A tasty summer side dish to add to your next Indian feast!…
This flavorful Masala Street Corn hails from the streets of Mumbai! It’s grilled and brushed with a mixture of ghee and garam masala spice! A squeeze of lime adds a delicious brightness. A tasty summer side dish to add to your next Indian feast! Whatever you do be gentle with yourself. You don’t just live in this world...
If you’re not already making pizza every week, what are you waiting for? This is a fantastic tradition to start for your family. And thanks to our method for pizza on the grill, it’s also a great way to enjoy pizza at home in your backyard th…
If you’re not already making pizza every week, what are you waiting for? This is a fantastic tradition to start for your family. And thanks to our method for pizza on the grill, it’s also a great way to enjoy pizza at home in your backyard this summer!
Bright green basil pesto is a natural fit with baked fish! This pesto salmon is an easy weeknight meal that also works to impress guests. Ready for the perfect zingy sauce to add life to baked salmon? Try this pesto salmon! Bright green pesto goes hand in hand with tender baked fish to make a stunning dinner. Because really: what isn’t better with a little pesto on top? It’s mid-summer here and we’re making all the pesto with our overactive basil plant. The savory, garlicky sauce makes the flaky fish pop: you’ll already be taking your second bite before finishing the first. It’s easy enough for a weeknight, but impressive enough to serve to guests. This one went over very well in our house. Here’s what to know! Use homemade pesto if you can…but purchased works This pesto salmon is best with…you guessed it, homemade pesto! Now, we know it’s not always that you have access to loads of fresh basil. But the flavor of freshly made basil pesto is so good, you’ll want to make it if at all possible. Here are a few things to know: Make a half recipe of our basil pesto. This way, you don’t […]
Bright green basil pesto is a natural fit with baked fish! This pesto salmon is an easy weeknight meal that also works to impress guests.
Ready for the perfect zingy sauce to add life to baked salmon? Try this pesto salmon! Bright green pesto goes hand in hand with tender baked fish to make a stunning dinner. Because really: what isn’t better with a little pesto on top? It’s mid-summer here and we’re making all the pesto with our overactive basil plant. The savory, garlicky sauce makes the flaky fish pop: you’ll already be taking your second bite before finishing the first. It’s easy enough for a weeknight, but impressive enough to serve to guests. This one went over very well in our house. Here’s what to know!
Use homemade pesto if you can…but purchased works
This pesto salmon is best with…you guessed it, homemade pesto! Now, we know it’s not always that you have access to loads of fresh basil. But the flavor of freshly made basil pesto is so good, you’ll want to make it if at all possible. Here are a few things to know:
Make a half recipe of our basil pesto. This way, you don’t need as much basil: just 1 cup of basil leaves.
You can use cashews or walnuts. Traditional pesto is made with pine nuts, but they can be expensive or hard to find. Using other nuts works too! Our favorite is cashew pesto, or try this walnut pesto.
Or, find the best quality purchased brand. Here’s the thing about storebought pesto: the quality varies widely. Some pestos taste flat and dull, some are overly salty. So experiment until you find one you love!
Tip for baked pesto salmon: brine it first!
Here’s a little trick we’ve used to great success. Brine your salmon before baking! What’s brining? Brining is letting your salmon sit in a brine solution before baking. This makes for perfectly moist salmon, and it helps the salmon come to room temperature which makes it cook more evenly. It also cuts down on the white stuff (see below). Even better: it doesn’t take any extra time! You can do it while the oven preheats. Here’s how to brine salmon:
Mix up a salt water solution. In a large dish, stir 4 cups of water with 3 tablespoons salt to make a salt water solution.
Place the fish in the water for 15 minutes. You can do this in the time it takes to preheat your oven: so there’s no time lost!
What’s the white stuff on cooked salmon?
What’s that gooey white stuff that sometimes appears on the surface of the fish after it’s cooked? Good news: it’s perfectly normal! The white stuff is coagulated protein that seeps to the surface while baking, called albumin. The amount of albumin varies greatly depending on the fish, so it’s not something you can control. (Read more here.) It’s safe to eat, but it does look less than appetizing on top of a beautiful fillet. Here are a few ways to reduce the albumin when you cook salmon:
Cook it at a lower temperature to cook it more gently (325 degrees Fahrenheit)
Brine the salmon in a salt and water solution before baking
How to garnish pesto salmon
The presentation is the fun part, right? This pesto salmon looks just lovely on a plate. Here’s what to know about the presentation:
Add the pesto after baking. This keeps it beautifully moist and bright green.
Add chopped and toasted pine nuts as a garnish. These look lovely, and they have a unique flavor. Make sure to toast the pine nuts before using them: it accentuates the flavor in a way where you’ll taste the difference.
Lemon zest adds brightness. Zest helps brighten the flavors; you’ll already have a lemon onhand if you make homemade pesto. If using storebought pesto, it can be a nice way to revive the flavors.
Buying sustainable salmon
Want to buy the most sustainable fish you can? Here are a few pointers when you’re looking at salmon at the grocery store:
Look for wild-caught fish if possible. Wild-caught fish is more sustainable than farmed.
Find US caught (if you’re in the US). 90% of the seafood we eat in the US is imported. Imported seafood runs the risk of being overfished, caught under unfair labor practices, or farmed in environmentally harmful ways.
Sides to serve with pesto salmon
This pesto salmon makes an easy, healthy dinner recipe: great for weeknights in and when you’re entertaining guests! How to make it into a meal? Because you’ll have the oven occupied for the salmon, here are a few ideas for side dishes that are oven-free:
Brine the salmon: While the oven preheats, in a shallow dish stir together 4 cups room temperature water and 3 tablespoons kosher salt until it dissolves. Place the salmon in the water and wait for 15 minutes (this should be about the time it takes to preheat).
Bake: Rub the bottom of a baking dish with olive oil. Pat each piece of salmon dry and place it on the pan. Sprinkle the salmon with 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt for each of the 4 fillets and fresh ground pepper. Cover pan with foil and bake the salmon for 10 minutes. Then remove the foil bake again for 3 to 6 minutes, depending on thickness, until just tender and pink at the center (the internal temperature should be between 125 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit in the center). A 1-inch thick fillet should cook in about 15 minutes total.
Serve: When the salmon is done, spoon the pesto over the salmon. Sprinkle it with chopped pine nuts and if desired, a bit of lemon zest. Serve immediately. (Leftovers can be stored refrigerated for 3 to 4 days.)
Category:Main Dish
Method:Baked
Cuisine:Seafood
Keywords: Pesto salmon
More recipes with pesto
Got lots of basil? Let’s make everything pesto! Here are some of our favorite meals starring this bright green sauce:
Pesto Spaghetti or Pesto Cavatappi The trick to getting the creamiest pesto pasta evenly covered in silky sauce! Make it with homemade or purchased basil pesto for a fast dinner.
Shrimp Pesto Pasta An impressively fast and easy dinner recipe! Cover the noodles in glistening green basil pesto for a meal that pleases everyone.
Pesto Cream Sauce This 5-minute pesto cream sauce is genius: just simmer pesto and cream until a thick sauce forms!
Easy Pesto Shrimp A dinnertime win! Savory basil pesto is a natural pairing with juicy shrimp; serve with pasta or rice for an easy dinner idea.
Pesto Aioli Full of incredible basil and Parmesan flavor! Use it for dipping fries or to slather on a burger or sandwich.
Cool, crunchy cucumbers combined with sweet, juicy peaches and dressed in a peppery basil vinaigrette is a great way to make the most of summer and all its gorgeous flavors. This refreshing salad is easy to make and goes great with grilled me…
Cool, crunchy cucumbers combined with sweet, juicy peaches and dressed in a peppery basil vinaigrette is a great way to make the most of summer and all its gorgeous flavors. This refreshing salad is easy to make and goes great with grilled meat.
The Jungle Bird is a tropical rum cocktail with a twist! Bitter Campari offsets sweet pineapple juice to make a balanced, refreshing mixed drink. Love fruity drinks but want something more complex? Here’s the drink for you: the Jungle Bird! It’s one of the few rum cocktails to pair tropical flavors with an Italian bitter: Campari. You might know Campari from the ubiquitous Negroni: an ultra dry and bitter drink. But add it to a tropical drink and the effect is surprising. Campari perfectly balances the drink and gives the finish an intriguing complexity. In fact, it’s become a favorite around here…and that’s saying something, given our extensive library of cocktails. It hits all the right notes: sweet, tart, fruity, and bitter. What’s a Jungle Bird cocktail? The Jungle Bird is a tropical cocktail made with rum, pineapple juice, and Campari. The story goes that it was invented in 1978 at the Aviary bar of the Kuala Lumpur Hilton. The telltale sign it’s that it’s modern: it fuses the Italian bitter Campari with the tropical flavors. This drink recently surged in popularity, fueled by the Negroni craze. The drink is often garnished with pineapple leaves to mimic the feathers of […]
The Jungle Bird is a tropical rum cocktail with a twist! Bitter Campari offsets sweet pineapple juice to make a balanced, refreshing mixed drink.
Love fruity drinks but want something more complex? Here’s the drink for you: the Jungle Bird! It’s one of the few rum cocktails to pair tropical flavors with an Italian bitter: Campari. You might know Campari from the ubiquitous Negroni: an ultra dry and bitter drink. But add it to a tropical drink and the effect is surprising. Campari perfectly balances the drink and gives the finish an intriguing complexity. In fact, it’s become a favorite around here…and that’s saying something, given our extensive library of cocktails. It hits all the right notes: sweet, tart, fruity, and bitter.
What’s a Jungle Bird cocktail?
The Jungle Bird is a tropical cocktail made with rum, pineapple juice, and Campari. The story goes that it was invented in 1978 at the Aviary bar of the Kuala Lumpur Hilton. The telltale sign it’s that it’s modern: it fuses the Italian bitter Campari with the tropical flavors. This drink recently surged in popularity, fueled by the Negroni craze. The drink is often garnished with pineapple leaves to mimic the feathers of a bird. The ingredients in a Jungle Bird cocktail are:
Dark rum
Pineapple juice
Campari
Lime juice
Simple syrup
Dark rum vs light rum: what’s the difference?
The Jungle Bird uses dark rum: something altogether different than the light rum you’ve got for daiquiris and piña coladas. Here’s a breakdown of the differences:
Dark rum is aged longer than white rum. It has a dark color and a developed flavor with caramel notes.
Light rum or white rum is clear and has a smoother, sweeter flavor than dark rum.
Can you use light rum in a Jungle Bird? Sure. It won’t taste quite the same, but it’s similar. Of course if you’re a purist: go grab a bottle of dark rum!
All about Campari
Campari is an Italian bitter with a bright red color! It’s easy to find, most famously used in the Negroni and other classic cocktails like the Americano and Boulevardier.
What does Campari taste like? It’s tastes bitter, fruity, and spicy all at once. It’s infused with different herbs and fruits, part of a secret recipe. Fun fact: Campari was originally colored so brightly red due to a dye made of crushed insects! That’s no longer in the modern recipe, so it shouldn’t deter you from grabbing a bottle.
How to make a Jungle Bird
It’s quick and easy to make a Jungle Bird once you’ve got all the ingredients on hand! It’s a typical shaken cocktail that you’ll shake in a
Shake in a cocktail shaker. Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker, add ice, and shake (Don’t have one? Use a mason jar!)
Strain into a glass and garnish. Strain the drink into a lowball glass. Garnish with a pineapple wedge. If you happen to have the pineapple leaves on hand, they make a great garnish evocative of bird feathers.
More Campari cocktails
Love Campari? There are so many interesting drinks with this Italian liqueur to try outside of the Negroni. Here are some great Campari cocktails to test out:
NegroniSbagliato A spin on the classic cocktail using sparkling wine instead of gin. It’s bitter, sweet, and bubbly all at once.
Old Pal Cocktail A three ingredient cocktail that’s sleek and sippable, balancing bitter and sweet with fiery whiskey.
Mezcal Negroni The way the smoke of mezcal balances the bitter Campari makes an even better drink.
Campari Spritz Bitter and bubbly, this cocktail mixes the popular aperativo with sparkling wine and soda water.
When to serve a Jungle Bird
The Jungle Bird is a festive and fun cocktail, great for parties or a laid back evening! It’s great as a:
Whether you’re looking for new ways to use the abundance of summer tomatoes or simply want a quick side dish, these vegetarian stuffed tomatoes filled with mozzarella, parmesan, and fresh herbs are simple and delicious. Continue reading “Mo…
Whether you’re looking for new ways to use the abundance of summer tomatoes or simply want a quick side dish, these vegetarian stuffed tomatoes filled with mozzarella, parmesan, and fresh herbs are simple and delicious.