Tuscan salmon with creamy garlic sauce
Tuscan salmon is a delicious, creamy dish with authentic Italian and Mediterranean flavors. It’s a simple, colorful, and inviting recipe that combines the rich taste of salmon with a silky sauce made from spinach, garlic, cherry or sun-dried tomatoes, and cream. Everything is gently cooked in a skillet with a drizzle of olive oil.
This dish has everything to please: it’s refined yet easy to prepare, requires only simple, accessible ingredients, and comes together quickly. You can even make it a few hours in advance if needed, making it a perfect choice for both weeknight dinners and entertaining guests.
I really enjoy cooking fish, but salmon holds a special place in my kitchen. I prepare it regularly, whether as pan-seared fillets, whole baked salmon, or even gravlax for special occasions.
In this Tuscan-style version, you’ll find all the flavors of Italian cuisine: a perfect balance of aroma, richness, and warmth. It’s a dish that never goes unnoticed and is sure to delight both family and guests alike.
Table of Contents
Tuscan Salmon Variations
You can easily adapt this dish by replacing the salmon, allowing you to enjoy new variations while keeping the delicious Tuscan flavors. Here are a few alternative ways to try the recipe:
- Tuscan-style shrimps
- Tuscan Chicken
- Tuscan Cod
- Tuscan Trout Fillet
The process remains the same: cook the shrimp, chicken, or pieces of cod, then set them aside and finish the recipe as instructed.
If you enjoy the easy pan-cooking method for salmon, you’ll love this recipe of salmon served with a creamed leeks.
Ingredients:
NB: You can print out the recipe card at the end of the article.
- 4 salmon fillets with skin on
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 170 g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 150 g of sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, sliced (adjust the amount to your preference or substitute with more cherry tomatoes)
- 100 g of fresh spinach shoots or spinach leaves without stems, washed, drained, and roughly chopped (in large pieces so they remain visible in the sauce)
- 400 ml of heavy cream (with over 30% fat content)
- 50 g of grated Parmesan Parmigiano Reggiano (you can add more to taste)
- 60 ml of vegetable or chicken broth (optional, but adds extra flavor and can be used to thin the sauce if needed. I used 2 Knorr chicken bouillon cubes dissolved in 60 ml of hot water.)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or basil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation steps :
Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper on both sides.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick skillet.
Sear the salmon fillets flesh-side down for 5 minutes, or until they are nicely browned to your liking.
Flip them over and cook for another 5 minutes, or until cooked through depending on the thickness of the fillets. The sides should change color and become uniform.
Carefully remove the salmon fillets from the pan and place them on a serving dish. Cover them with parchment paper or aluminum foil to keep warm.
In the same pan, without washing it, add the butter and let it melt.
Once the butter has melted, add the chopped onion and garlic and sauté until they become translucent.
Add the cherry tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes, then sauté for 1 minute to release their flavor. The cherry tomatoes should not become soft.
Add the spinach to the pan and stir it together with the tomatoes until it’s slightly wilted, about 2 minutes.
At this point, I switched to another pan for serving and taking photos, so this step isn’t necessary for you.
Add the heavy cream and half of the broth (optional, but it adds extra flavor), then season with salt and pepper to taste. As soon as the cream begins to simmer, add the Parmesan cheese. Stir everything together.
Once the cheese has melted and the sauce is nice and creamy, place the salmon fillets back into the pan on top of the sauce.
Let it simmer for 1 to 2 minutes so the salmon absorbs the flavors of the creamy sauce. Adjust the sauce’s consistency by adding broth if it becomes too thick.
Remove from heat, sprinkle with chopped parsley or finely chopped basil to taste, and spoon some sauce over the salmon fillets.
Serve immediately with rice, mashed potatoes, or pasta, according to your preference. You can also enjoy it on its own.
Tuscan Salmon with Creamy Sauce
INGREDIENTS
- 4 salmon fillets with skin on
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium yellow onion finely diced
- 170 g cherry tomatoes halved
- 150 g sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil sliced (adjust the amount to your preference or substitute with more cherry tomatoes)
- 100 g fresh spinach shoots or spinach leaves without stems washed, drained, and roughly chopped (in large pieces so they remain visible in the sauce)
- 400 ml heavy cream with over 30% fat content
- 50 g grated Parmesan Parmigiano Reggiano you can add more to taste
- 60 ml vegetable or chicken broth optional, but adds extra flavor and can be used to thin the sauce if needed. I used 2 Knorr chicken bouillon cubes dissolved in 60 ml of hot water.
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or basil
- Salt and pepper to taste
PREPARATION
Pan-fried salmon
- Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick skillet.
- Sear the salmon fillets flesh-side down for 5 minutes, or until they are nicely browned to your liking.
- Flip them over and cook for another 5 minutes, or until cooked through depending on the thickness of the fillets. The sides should change color and become uniform.
- Carefully remove the salmon fillets from the pan and place them on a serving dish. Cover them with parchment paper or aluminum foil to keep warm.
Creamy garlic, spinach and cherry tomato sauce
- In the same pan, without washing it, add the butter and let it melt.
- Once the butter has melted, add the chopped onion and garlic and sauté until they become translucent.
- Add the cherry tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes, then sauté for 1 minute to release their flavor. The cherry tomatoes should not become soft.
- Add the spinach to the pan and stir it together with the tomatoes until it’s slightly wilted, about 2 minutes.
- At this point, I switched to another pan for serving and taking photos, so this step isn’t necessary for you.
- Add the heavy cream and half of the broth (optional, but it adds extra flavor), then season with salt and pepper to taste. As soon as the cream begins to simmer, add the Parmesan cheese. Stir everything together.
- Once the cheese has melted and the sauce is nice and creamy, place the salmon fillets back into the pan on top of the sauce.
- Let it simmer for 1 to 2 minutes so the salmon absorbs the flavors of the creamy sauce. Adjust the sauce’s consistency by adding broth if it becomes too thick.
- Remove from heat, sprinkle with chopped parsley or finely chopped basil to taste, and spoon some sauce over the salmon fillets.
- Serve immediately with rice, mashed potatoes, or pasta, according to your preference. You can also enjoy it on its own.
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