The Ultimate Roasted Cashews Salmon Recipe

Does anyone remember when nuts and nut butter were pushed as high protein sources? I remember when I first got into fitness, a lot of coaches and sources would say to eat nuts to increase your protein intake. Naively, I believed these things until I got serious about nutritional science. Last Spring, I discovered roasted cashews at my local supermarket. Cashews are my favourite type of nut to snack on whilst walnuts are my go-to for baking. While I was eating them one day, an idea popped into my head. I wondered whether it was possible cook them with salmon either as a topping or crush them and coat the salmon fillets in them.

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I played around with different approaches and methods of cooking the cashews with salmon. The first few times, I opted to roast the cashews as roasted cashews are pretty expensive in Switzerland. However, I burnt them in the oven. After that I gave up, bit the bullet and bought the roasted cashews for this dish. What started out as an idea and the kind of dish that I would make in once it a while, became a part of my meal prep rotation.

Why Roasted Cashews On Salmon

Cashews are a very good source of fats and have around 5g of protein in them. They are high in iron which helps to support your immune system and can minimise period cramps and symptoms. In addition, they are high in Vitamin K that contribute to healthy bones and normal blood clotting. I do prefer to eat cashews around my cycle to increase my iron intake during that time.

Salmon is one of my favourite protein sources of all time and I eat it every week. When I choose my fish sources, I stick to SMASH (salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines and herring) as they are low-mercury fish. They are a safer alternative to high-mercury fish such as tuna. Salmon is high in omega-3s, iron, potassium, Vitamin D and so much more. It keeps the heart healthy by maintaining blood pressure and keeping cholesterol levels low. Moreover, it supports scalp health and promotes the health of your skin, which is fantastic for those into wellness. In sum, pairing these two foods together makes the dish extra hearty, full of nutrients and extremely tasty.

How To Make It?

For the salmon, I prefer to use salmon with the skin as I believe that the skin is where the flavour is. However, I know that a lot of people prefer it without it. For this recipe, you can use either. I cut my salmon into small bites this time around, but it can be done with a whole fillet. For the sides, choose your grain and veggies of choice. I usually have salmon with wild rice or pasta (if it is winter) and any green or mixed vegetables that I choose for that week. This will make your meal balanced and extremely nutritious.

When it comes to the marinade, I use this as a sauce for the meal and an additional topping for the salmon. You can marinate the salmon in the marinade prior to adding the crushed cashews. I haven’t tried this method out yet but I’m sure that it tastes just as good.

Roasted Cashews Salmon Recipe

1. Lay a sheet of foil on your oven pan. Wash and prep the salmon filets. Then pat them down with some kitchen roll.
2. Brush the top of the salmon with some honey to act as the glue for the cashews.
3. Roll the side that has the honey into the cashews to lightly coat the salmon. Feel free to sprinkle more crushed cashews on any gaps that you see.
4. Bake the salmon in the oven at 150 to 180 °C for 15 to 20 minutes or until the salmon is cooked through.
5. While your salmon is baking, mix the ingredients for the marinade together. If you are using fresh ginger and garlic cloves, make sure to chop them as thinly as possible to get as much of the flavour out of them.
6. Once your salmon has finished baking, remove it from the oven. Take a spoonful of marinade and drizzle it across the fillet. Do this for each fillet.
7. Pop it back in the oven for a couple of minutes to glaze the salmon. You don’t want to leave it in for too long as the glaze will thicken. up.
8. If you have marinade leftover, you can either use this as sauce for your grain or store in a ziplock in the freezer for next time.

Ingredients

• 5 120g/4oz salmon fillets
• 50g unsalted roasted cashews
• 1 tablespoon of fish seasoning
• 1 tablespoon of lemon pepper
• 1 tablespoon of parsley
• 1 tablespoon of curry powder

For the marinade

• 2 tablespoons of Hosin sauce (teriyaki sauce as an alternative)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of honey
• 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar (white vinegar as an alternative)
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce (fish sauce as an alternative)
• 3 cloves of garlic (or 2 teaspoons of garlic powder)
• 30g of ginger ( or 2 teaspoons of ground ginger)

Tips & Notes

To crush the cashews, I placed them in a ziplock bag and pounded them with a rolling pin to crush them. This is a mess-free option. If you want to use a blender or a food processor for speed, this is an alternative method. Another alternative is a mortar and pestle if you have one at home.

You can try other roasted nuts for this recipe such as almonds or walnuts. I think the best would be roasted sliced almonds to gently coat the salmon fillets to get that crunchy layer.

Roll the salmon into the cashews to coat them. There is no need to add oil as it is already an oily fish.

Add a honey soy marinade for a sweet, tangy and crunchy high-protein dish that gives both flavour and texture to your meal.

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What are some of your favourite weeknight recipes? I love that this started out as an idea over a year ago and now is one of my meal prep recipes. I hope that this post has given you the confidence to try something new in the kitchen in the upcoming weeks. Make sure to hit that subscribe button to join the community to never miss out on a post. Find me on Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok for more powerlifting and wellness content.

Until next time,

Folakemi