Salmon and Pesto Rice Bake

Thursday 15 September 2016


There's nothing like fresh fish. Healthy, nutritious and delicious. But how fresh actually is your fish? You might be surprised to know that recent research had shown that Iceland's freshly frozen fish fillets are actually fresher than those found on the fish counter of a leading supermarket. When you start to think about it, the reasons for frozen being fresher than fresh are obvious. If a fish is caught and frozen immediately (which often occurs at sea in factory boats) you literally stop the clock. The freshness is frozen in and nutritionally nothing is lost. However fresh fish on a supermarket fish counter could have been caught days if not weeks ago. There's something fishy going on there! 






As well as being fresher, frozen fish can often be better value and less wasteful. It's recommended that we eat 2 portions of fish a week with one of those being an oily fish. Even as a real fish and seafood lover I don't always manage this however by keeping a stash of Iceland's award winning fish products which include salmon, seabass, red snapper and scallops in your freezer you'll be well prepared for conjuring up fishy feasts in a flash! For something a touch more exotic be sure to check out their new Seafood Dishes Range. Frutti Di Mare, Sugo Alle Vongole, Guazzetto Di Mare and Zuppa Di Pesce. They've all been created to traditional Italian recipes and can be cooked from frozen in 9 minutes. Combine with pasta for a quick and easy meal just like an Italian Mamma would make. 



Time to unleash my inner Elsa and unlock the Power of Frozen with my recipe for Salmon and Pesto Rice Bake. I've used a pack of Fish Market 4 Atlantic Salmon Fillets which retails at £6. These are skinless and boneless and come individually wrapped and cook from frozen in the microwave in only 3 minutes (30 mins in an oven). They've been approved by Good Housekeeping and are a staple in my freezer. I've combined them with a couple of pouches of frozen ready cooked white rice. This one pot dish takes very little time to throw together and makes a perfect family midweek meal. You can substitute the frozen rice with any type of precooked rice if that works better for you. Or you can use uncooked rice and increase the quantity of water to 600ml. Cook the rice/pesto/vegetable mix for 30 minutes before adding the salmon in this case. That's your one portion of oily fish sorted for this week!


Salmon and Pesto Rice Bake

4 Iceland Fish Market Atlantic Salmon Fillets
2 Sachets (400g) of Iceland Cooked White Rice
1 Onion, finely sliced
150g Mushrooms, sliced
75g Pesto
100ml water
Salt & Pepper
To serve - Toasted Pine Nuts, Shaved Parmesan and Fresh Basil 

Preheat your oven to 200c
Into a large ovenproof dish place the sliced mushrooms, onions and rice and mix well.
Brush the top of the salmon fillets with some of the pesto.
Combine the remaining pesto with 100ml of water, pour over the rice mixture, season well with salt and pepper and stir through until combined.
Nestle the pesto coated salmon fillets on the top of the rice.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Serve topped with toasted pine nuts, shaved Parmesan and fresh basil.

Disclosure : This is a commissioned recipe for Iceland Foods. As always, all views expressed are my own.
Thank you for supporting the brands who make it possible for me to continue to share my Edible Scottish Adventures with you.

17 comments

  1. Definitley a dish worthy of Elsa - Love the different way of using Salmon and Pesto.

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    1. I couldn't believe when I spotted you'd done salmon and pesto too! #greatminds

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  2. I just love the Iceland fish, it's such good quality and so delicious. I had a salad made with the salmon for lunch today :-)

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    1. I love salmon in a salad but never have the patience to cook it and let it cool. Always want to eat there and then.

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  3. I'm sure Elsa would enjoy this! I must start trying some new fish recipes out on the kids - at the moment they only really eat fish fingers :( Thanks for linking up with #CookBlogShare

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    1. My picky daughter is actually very good with fish. She loves the salmon fillets from Iceland and the individually wrapped portions mean I can do one just for her when the rest of us are having something else.

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    2. I should also add that a fish finger wrap is one of my guilty food pleasures!!!

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  4. I use pesto in all kinds, this looks a really good idea! Must pop into Iceland again as I hear they're stocking a glam Pizza Express range including ice creams

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    1. Pesto is such a versatile storecupboard staple. I didn't spot the Pizza Express range on my last visit but will be sure to take a closer look next time.

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  5. Salmon and pesto is one of my favourite combinations! Just so good together!

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    1. I'm with you there. Love a pesto pasta salad with poached salmon stirred through it.

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  6. A pesto rice bake sounds like a mighty fine idea. I think these days frozen food is often fresher than "fresh" food.

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    1. Advances in technology mean that food can now be frozen as soon as it is harvested. The freshness is really frozen in.

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  7. I love fish and this dish looks perfect. I particularly love the addition of pesto. Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x

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    1. I think I'll try it with a red pesto next time to ring the changes.

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  8. This dish looks really gorgeous! I love the addition of the roasted pine nuts - a bit of nutty crunch with tender fish sounds great:)

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    1. The toasted pine nuts do add amazing taste and texture to the dish.

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