Thai Basil & macadamia pesto is a lovely combination. I reckon you can make just about anything into pesto.
Pesto comes from the Italian word pestâ which means ‘to pound’. I’ve made pesto from sun dried tomatoes, spinach, silver beet, traditional basil and any mixture of nuts. At a recent trip to my local farmer’s market, I couldn’t pass up a beautiful bunch of Thai basil.
Thai basil leaves are a little smaller and there is an edible purple flower.
The flavour is a little different to regular basil which lends itself well to Italian tomato based dishes but the Thai basil is better suited to Asian style dishes. I knew I could pick a few leaves to add to a Thai curry or stir fry but I had better things in store.
I also had macadamia nuts in the cupboard so I ground some and made it up into a pesto with olive oil, garlic cloves and parmesan cheese, just whizzing it up in the food processor.
Thai Basil & Macadamia Pesto Topped Fish
I had a nice piece of snapper in the freezer and that’s what I was topping with my pesto. I just spread the pesto on top of the fish and wrapped in baking paper, baking for about 15 mins in a 170 deg C oven.
I served the fish with roasted and Thai caramelised truss cherry tomatoes (based on a Karen Martini recipe I saw on BH&G Australia). It was delicious. I’ll be keeping my eye out for more fresh herbs at the markets from now on. Making it in a pesto is a great idea to prolong the life of the herb and capture it at its freshest best.
yum yum yum yum… !!! this looks fabulous!
too easy! Love pesto! xx
Great idea to save fresh herbs. Can you freeze pesto? Or how long does it last in the fridge? I have just started up a small herb pot with basil (regular) and chives, Thai basil sounds like something I could/would use.
Wow, how I wish that I had this recipe when my Thai basil was ripe in the garden . . . now that it's cold up here, it's all gone! What a great recipe, Anne! I'll have to save it for summer when I can find Thai basil again!
oooooooo!!!!!!! That looks so delicious.. theres a new fish shop opened up around the corner from us.. I might go investigate it today and pick up something yummy!
Mmmmm that looks so good! thanks for sharing this 🙂
Ai @ Sakura Haruka
I had no idea that pesto meant purely to pound. Thanks for sharing. I love making basil and pinenut pesto
YUMMY!!! I love pesto. I'm craving it right now. Thanks 🙂 Rachel x
#TeamIBOT
Oooh Anne! That looks delish!
Oooh yum! Love a bit of pesto in pasta or on pizza 🙂
Yum I adore pesto! Thai basil is gorgeous, I think I actually prefer it to the more popular italian basil. It has this fresh fragrance that is really lovely. I will have to try this!
This sounds absolutely divine…thanks for sharing and for the inspiration to get up and make it!!