Description
Marry Me Salmon is a delicious, creamy skillet salmon recipe featuring perfectly seared fillets nestled in a luscious sauce of garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, heavy cream, and Parmesan cheese. This elegant yet easy dish is perfect for a special weeknight dinner or entertaining guests.
Ingredients
Scale
Salmon
- 1½ pounds salmon or 4-5 salmon fillets
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 tablespoon oil (sun-dried tomato oil, olive oil, or avocado oil)
Sauce
- 4 tablespoon butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup baby spinach, packed
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped and drained
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated (plus more for serving)
Optional Garnishes
- Fresh basil
- Fresh parsley
- Lemon juice
Instructions
- Season the salmon. Pat the salmon fillets dry with paper towels. Season both sides evenly with salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Sear the salmon. Heat the sun-dried tomato oil (or your choice of oil) in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the salmon fillets, leaving space between each. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until nicely browned and cooked to desired doneness. Remove salmon to a clean plate and wipe excess oil from the pan with paper towels.
- Prepare the sauce base. Reduce heat to medium and melt butter in the skillet. Add minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the vegetables. Stir in baby spinach and chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Cook for approximately 1 minute until spinach is just wilted.
- Make the cream sauce. Lower the heat to low and stir in heavy cream. Gently bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. If the sauce is too thick, add a little broth or water to reach your preferred consistency.
- Finish the sauce. Remove the skillet from heat and stir in freshly grated Parmesan cheese until melted and smooth.
- Combine and serve. Carefully nestle the cooked salmon fillets into the cream sauce. Serve immediately, garnished with fresh basil, parsley, lemon juice, or additional Parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
- Use the oil packed with sun-dried tomatoes in this recipe for extra flavor, or substitute with olive oil or avocado oil if unavailable.
- Salmon is fully cooked when it flakes easily with a fork but remains moist. For medium-rare, aim for an internal temperature of 125°F (52°C); for medium, 130°F-135°F (54°C-57°C).
- Leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Freezing is not recommended as it may affect the cream sauce texture.
- You can substitute baby spinach with fresh kale or arugula for a different leafy green flavor.
- If sun-dried tomatoes are very dry, soak them briefly in warm water before chopping.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 salmon fillet with sauce
- Calories: 520 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 650 mg
- Fat: 38 g
- Saturated Fat: 18 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 16 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 145 mg
