Pistachio Baked Salmon

I just can't get enough of salmon.  And while I have my tried and true favorite recipes, I'm always open to new suggestions and creating new favorites.  My mom and tried and liked this recipe and I had an used bag of pistachios from the holidays, so the timing was perfect.  It looks like she found the recipe in one of Yahoo's articles, and it originally came from Better Homes and Gardens.

Recipe:
1 cup salted dry roasted pistachio nuts, chopped
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. dried dill
1 tsp. ground black pepper
6 6-oz. skinless salmon fillets (I made 1/2 the recipe)
1/4 cup purchased basil pesto (optional - I did not use)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a small bowl, combine pistachio nuts, brown sugar, lemon juice, dill, and pepper; set aside.

Place salmon fillets in a greased foil-lined 15x10x1 inch baking pan (Although I used Reynold's non-stick pan liner - Love that stuff!).  Spoon pistachio mixture evenly on each fillet.  Gently press in place to form a crust.

Bake for 6 - 8 minutes per half inch of thickness or until fish flakes easily.  (Mine baked for about 20 minutes.)

Verdict:
Yum!  Yummy!  Yummo!  Yummilicious!  I hadn't had salmon in awhile, so I think I just really savored the amazingness that is salmon.  (If I had my choice, I'd eat salmon several times a week.)

The crust on the top was a little salty - a little sweet.  With a little less brown sugar, I think it would still be good and slightly healthier.  Having the crust on top did make it a little difficult to tell when the fish was done, but if I made it a few times, I think that I would have the routine down.

The leftover brussels sprouts were a great side dish.  I usually feel the need to have rice with fish, but the pistachio topping made the fish substantial enough on its own, so I skipped the rice.

Oh, and MESS in the pan.  DO use the pan liner.  What could have been a grumpy, 30-minute scrub job was a simple toss job.  Nice.  Easy clean-up always gets my vote.