Baked Salmon with Pesto Sauce and a Green Apple and Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

Salmon

• Unsalted butter, softened, as needed
• 6 salmon fillets (preferably wild) without skin, weighing 170 g each.
• 3 tbsp. prepared pesto
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Salad

• 1 peeled cucumber
• 1/4 cup finely diced Medjool dates (about 6)
• 2 green apples, cut into 0.5 cm cubes (remove cores)
• 0.5 cups toasted pine nuts
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
• Juice of 1 lemon

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 150°C.
2. Salmon:
   
   Grease a baking dish with a thin layer of softened butter and sprinkle the surface with a little salt and black pepper. Place the salmon fillets vertically (flat side down) in the baking dish, brush each fillet with a little softened butter, and season with salt and pepper.
3. In a small bowl, combine the pesto, mustard, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the pesto evenly over the fish, covering only the top. Bake to your desired doneness, about 14 minutes for medium-rare, 4-cm-thick fillets (bake longer for thicker fillets).
4. Salad:
   
   Meanwhile, place the cucumber on a clean cutting board with a towel and crush it lightly with your hand. Unwrap the cucumber and slice it crosswise into 1-cm-thick pieces; transfer the pieces to a bowl and season with a little salt.
5. Add the dates and apples and stir. Add the pine nuts, olive oil, mint, and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper and stir. Serve the salmon fillet warm with a salad.