*Photo updated August 2011*

This is one of Brandon’s favorite dinners, and it’s a great summer meal. All of the ingredients work so well together and really provide  so many levels of flavor. The puff pastry is light and buttery, the pesto is rich and garlicy, and the tomatoes are fresh and juicy. When combined with a beautiful, buttery salmon filet and the crunch of some toasted almonds, the resulting flavor profile is just perfect.

Salmon with Puff Pastry, Pesto, Tomatoes, and Almonds
Source: Everyday Italian with Giada De Laurentiis

Here’s the recipe adjusted to how we made it:

2 pieces of puff pastry, each cut to be slightly larger than the pieces of salmon
2 (6-ounce) portions of salmon
2 tablespoons pesto (recipe follows)
8 thin slices of tomato
A handful of chopped almonds
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Place the two pieces of puff pastry on a foil-lined baking sheet that has been brushed with extra virgin olive oil. Place the salmon portions beside the puff pastry on the same sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and drizzle with oil. Top each filet with half of the chopped almonds. Bake for ten minutes.

3. Place each piece of puff pastry on a plate. Top each puff pastry with one tablespoon of pesto, and top the pesto with four slices of tomato. Top the tomatoes with the salmon and serve.

Pesto
Source: Better Homes and Gardens Biggest Book of Italian Recipes
*Makes about 3/4 cup
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cups firmly packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered
Salt and pepper

1. In a food processor or a blender, combine all of the ingredients. Cover and process or blend until nearly smooth, stopping and scraping the sides as necessary. If necessary, add additional olive oil to thin the pesto.

*I freeze the extra pesto in tablespoon portions in an ice cube tray. When the pesto is frozen, I transfer it to plastic baggies, leaving me with 1 tablespoon portions to use when I need them.