Creamy Tuscan Salmon Recipe - Little Sunny Kitchen (2024)

Tuscan Salmon is made with salmon fillets that are seared to perfection which gives it lovely crisp edges and holds in a ton of moisture for perfectly tender, flaky salmon. They’re served smothered in a delicious creamy garlic sauce which turns an elegant piece of fish into the ultimate comfort food. It’s a delicious restaurant-style dish that’s as impressive as it is easy. The perfect weeknight meal!

This delicious Tuscan salmon recipe is similar to my Tuscan chicken recipe, which is another favorite around here. It even has some of the same flavor notes that marry me chicken has. Any time you add a delicious, flavorful cream sauce to anything, you can bet people will be asking for seconds!

Serve to a crowd, or make just enough for two on a bed of rice, potatoes, or pasta. My personal favorite is buttered noodles, with a side of grilled veggies. There is nothing more satisfying.

Even kids who think they don’t love fish will devour this meal. Even if it is just because of that delicious creamy, cheesy, garlic, and sundried tomato sauce on top! This is part of why my kids request Instant Pot Tuscan chicken more often than I ever would have thought. I love it too, so you can bet I’m on board because salmon in cream sauce is a dish everyone wants to keep coming back to!

You will also love my Salmon Pasta recipe! It’s creamy and delicious, with a slightly different cooking method than this dish.

Why You’ll Love This Creamy Salmon Recipe

1. Impressive. There’s something so fancy about a really great, plump fillet of fish. Coated in a spectacular sauce that takes the presentation up a level, is the perfect finishing touch. No one needs to know how easy it was to make.
2. Flavorful. Tender flaky juicy salmon already is a flavorful fish. Adding on the Tuscan cream sauce that is laced with flavors of garlic, parmesan, and sundried tomatoes is another element of deliciousness.
3. Quick and Easy. The secret is, it’s so darn easy to make! In one skillet no less. I mean, come on.
4. Versatile. Serve it as a main for dinner and use up any leftovers for lunch the next day. You could even add chunks of salmon to a salad and use the sauce as a dressing. Speaking of versatility, this popular sauce can be used on all kinds of different proteins like chicken breasts, pork chops, pork tenderloin, other types of fish, you name it.

Ingredients Used

For the Salmon

• Salmon fillets – You’ll need 4 fillets for this recipe. You can buy them precut but sometimes it’s cheaper to buy a larger piece and cut them yourself. See below for more tips on what to look for when choosing your salmon.
• Salt &Ground black pepper – Salmon is a flavorful fish. A little sprinkling of salt and pepper is all it needs.
• Olive oil or oil from the sundried tomato jar – Both great choices! The oil from the sundried tomato jar will pair nicely with the flavor of the sauce.

For the cream sauce:

• Butter – Used as the fat to sauté the garlic in. The aroma of garlic and butter is unmatched and the sundried tomatoes just add even more to it. It makes a wonderful base for the entire sauce.
• Garlic – Cloves of freshly minced garlic using a garlic press are highly recommended but in a pinch, minced garlic in a jar can also work.
• Sundried tomatoes– I use the sundried tomatoes that come in oil. That way I can use the oil to cook the salmon, but I also find the texture to be great for such a creamy sauce. If you’d rather use cherry tomatoes, they work just as well.
• Heavy cream – It’s the thick, rich, creamy part of the sauce that makes it what it is. A cream sauce!
• Dijon mustard – Dijon mustard is slightly pungent and will add a delicious kick to the sauce. The tartness will cut through the cream striking a great balance between the sharpness and the thickness.
• Parmesan cheese – Whenever possible I always recommend grating your own from a block. It melts much better as it doesn’t come with a slew of additives and anti-clumping agents.
• Water – The sauce is quite thick, so have a little water, if needed, to thin out the sauce.
• Dried oregano & thyme – You can also use a homemade Italian seasoning blend instead.
• Salt and pepper – You may find that the parmesan cheese, mustard, and butter (if using salted) give this sauce enough salt for you. Do a little taste test and the amount of salt and pepper you need.
• Baby spinach leaves – Spinach wilts down in the heat, so even though it sounds like you need a lot of spinach, in the end, you’ll end up with just a fraction of the volume. So don’t be afraid to use it all!

How to Cook the Salmon

1. Prep. To get a really good sear on the salmon, it’s recommended to pat it dry with paper towels to get rid of any excess moisture. Then, season it with salt and pepper.
2. Preheat the pan. Turn the stove to medium and heat oil in a large non-stick skillet.

1. Add salmon. Place each salmon fillet pink side down and cook for 4-5 minutes. Using tongs will help transfer from one place to another and using a spatula is helpful for flipping.

4. Cook the salmon. Cook salmon for 4-5 minutes on the first side and 3-4 minutes on the other side. Thicker cuts may take a little longer. Transfer cooked fillets to a plate and cover to keep warm.

How to Make Cream Sauce for Salmon

1. The base. In a saucepan, melt the butter and add chopped sundried tomatoes for 1 minute and toss in the garlic for the last 30 seconds until fragrant.
2. Add remaining ingredients. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add in the heavy cream, Dijon mustard, herbs, and parmesan cheese. Simmer for a couple of minutes until it starts to thicken. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Wilt spinach. Toss in the handfuls of spinach and allow it to wilt in the sauce.
4. Return salmon to skillet. Transfer back the salmon to the skillet with the sauce and spoon the sauce over the salmon.
5. Serve warm. Enjoy over pasta, rice, potatoes, or steamed veg.

Tips and Tricks

• White deposits. If you notice albumin forming on your fillets (you know, the pockets of white slimy stuff), don’t panic. It’s harmless protein coming to the surface. It just doesn’t look appealing to some people. It can form when your salmon is cooking quickly.
• Add white wine. It can be added to make the cream sauce. After cooking the garlic, add ¼ cup of white wine and deglaze the pan with it.
• Mushrooms can be added to the recipe too. Saute it first in the butter and garlic.
• Substitute heavy cream. Use half and half if that’s what you have. whole milk does not work.
• Consistency. If you find it too thick, add a splash of water.
• The skin on or off? Keep the salmon skin on while you pan-sear salmon. That way it protects it from too much heat as well as helps to keep the shape. If you prefer to serve it skin off, remove it before adding it back into the sauce but it’s edible and crispy after searing.
• Cook skin side down first to get a good sear and crispy skin.

What is the best salmon to buy?

Looking for just the right salmon can feel overwhelming sometimes! A few key things to think about are whether it’s farmed or wild-caught, what it looks like, and what is in your budget. Don’t be fooled by labels, either. Organic salmon is farmed salmon. Atlantic salmon is also farmed salmon, as they’ve banned fishing for wild salmon. Alaskan salmon is always wild-caught, however, wild-caught is leaner, and yet more expensive. If it’s not in your budget to buy wild-caught, you will get more bang for your buck with the meatier cheaper salmon.

Wild-caught is also said to be higher in Omega 3s, however, farmed salmon also has its health benefits, despite being fed antibiotics and hormones, and can even taste better because of its fatty meaty texture.

Whatever you decide is best for your family, do that! There’s no wrong choice, just be aware of what your options are.

Another family-friendly Salmon meal is my recipe for Salmon Tacos!

FAQs

Our Favorite Sides to Serve with Salmon

Potatoes: Air fryer roasted potatoes or Crockpot mashed potatoes for a classic potato side dish.

Pasta: Creamy lemon pasta, garlic butter pasta, or buttered noodles will all pair nicely with the salmon and the creamy garlic flavors.
Rice: Instant Pot Basmati rice, Instant Pot brown rice, and Instant Pot mushroom rice could replace the potatoes if you’d rather have a grain.

Veggies: Creamy parsnip puree is a low-carb alternative to mashed potatoes, crispy oven roasted broccolini, or blanched green beans would also be great!

If you love Tuscan Chicken or Marry Me Chicken, you’re sure to LOVE this Tuscan Salmon. Try my Creamy Garlic Shrimp recipe too! If you know anyone else who is looking for a new quick and easy salmon recipe (with a bonus awesome sauce), be sure to share this recipe with them!