Fennel Frond Pesto

What can you do with all the fennel fronds? Make pesto! It will have a bright lemon flavor and slight anise flavor, which I thought would pair well with fish. Here's the pesto recipe, from Recipe, interrupted:

Ingredients:

1/3 cup pistachios, toasted

1-2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

1 oz (about 1/2 cup) freshly grated parmesan

1 tsp salt

ground black pepper, to taste

2 cups lightly packed fennel fronds (usually from about 2 fennel bulbs with a good amount of fronds on them)

optional: 4-5 mint leaves, torn

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

juice of half a lemon (or to taste)

Directions:

1. Put the pistachios, cheese, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor. Pulse a few times to grind slightly.

2. Add fennel and mint, if using, to the food processor. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil until the mixture is reduced to a paste and has a spreadable, but not greasy, consistency. Taste and add salt if necessary. Squeeze in a little bit of lemon juice to taste.

Adrienne's note: We had this over sauteed salmon. To cook the salmon, salt and pepper the fleshy side of it. In a saute pan over medium heat, heat up about 1-2 tbsp of olive oil. Place the fish flesh-side down for about 6-7 minutes (this was a big slab). Watch the cooking process as the fish flesh turns from dark to light pink. When the fish is cooked midway through, flip it over so that the skin-side is in the pan. Cook for another 6-7 minutes so that the skin becomes crispy. Top with fennel frond pesto.