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Pan-Seared Creamy Tuscan Salmon with Garlic, Spinach, Artichokes, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Capers. This recipe features the best white cream sauce for salmon! Ready in 30 minutes!
If you're looking for a family-friendly dinner recipe to make tender and flaky salmon, look no further. This one-pan meal will surely become one of your favorite weeknight dinners! Pan-seared Tuscan salmon is generously coated in a creamy garlic sauce with sun-dried tomatoes and other veggies.
Crispy and crunchy on the outside, the salmon is moist and tender on the inside. This recipe features the same vegetables I used for fusilli pasta not long ago.
Serve creamy Tuscan salmon with roasted or steamed vegetables, pasta, or with Italian ravioli. Buy ravioli in the store and dress them up according to my recipe!
Why make Tuscan salmon
- One-pan meal. Use a large skillet or frying pan. Stainless steel, cast iron, or non-stick. The salmon is pan seared to perfection until crispy and flaky. Then, the creamy garlic sauce is made in the same pan.
- Ready in 30 minutes. Perfect recipe for a family weeknight dinner!
- Tuscan flavors. Sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, garlic, artichokes, and capers taste delicious in a white cream sauce.
Helpful tips for searing salmon
- Do not remove the skin. The skin will help salmon fillet retain its shape while you sear it. It will also protect it from overcooking. Also, when the salmon is completely cooked, you can slide the fork between the salmon fillet and the skin to remove the skin. It's much easier to remove the skin once the salmon is cooked!
- Pat dry salmon with paper towels before searing.
- Season the salmon with salt right before searing.
- Sear the salmon flesh side down first (skin side up). This will create a nice crust over the top of the salmon. Make sure the skillet is hot and the olive oil rolls easily around the skillet (without burning).
- How long to sear salmon? Sear salmon about 4 minutes on each side, until it's cooked through and flaky.
White Cream Sauce for Salmon
Creamy garlic sauce is made with heavy cream and minced garlic. Sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, and capers add flavor and texture. The cream sauce is super flavorful, and it also keeps the salmon fillets tender and moist on the inside.
How to make Tuscan salmon
1) First, sear salmon fillets in olive oil in a large skillet.
2) Remove the salmon from the skillet.
3) Next, cook the vegetables. Add minced garlic and chopped sun-dried tomatoes to the skillet.
4) Add chopped artichoke hearts and drained capers. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
5) Then, add fresh spinach.
6) Cook for a couple of minutes, until the spinach wilts.
7) Add 1 cup of heavy cream and paprika. Bring to simmer. Simmer for about 1 minute, stirring. Season with salt and more paprika, if you like.
8) Add cooked salmon to the skillet with the cream sauce. Spoon the sauce over the salmon, and simmer for a minute or more, until the salmon is warmed up and cooked through.
What to serve with creamy Tuscan salmon
- Pasta. Because Tuscan salmon features creamy sauce, it's best to serve it with some carbs. Serve angel hair pasta, spaghetti, penne, or ziti pasta.
- Spaghetti squash. Roast spaghetti squash in the oven and scrape out the spaghetti squash strands with the fork.
- Roasted vegetables. Green vegetables will be amazing with the creamy and flaky Tuscan salmon. Make roasted asparagus, oven-roasted broccoli, garlic green beans with bacon, or cooked spinach.
Other salmon recipes
Salmon is a great source of protein. It's always handy to have a good salmon recipe to make for a family dinner. Here are some of my favorites:
Other Italian recipes
Italian-inspired recipes usually revolve around pasta, as well as meat served with lots of vegetables. If you enjoy Italian cuisine, you might like these weeknight dinner recipes:
- Creamy Farfalle (Bow-Tie Pasta) with Spinach, Mushrooms, Caramelized Onions
- Linguine with Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce
- Mushroom Ravioli with Spinach
- Baked Italian Chicken with Vegetables
- Mediterranean Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Artichokes, and Capers
Creamy Tuscan Salmon with Spinach, Artichokes, and Garlic
Ingredients
Salmon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb salmon fillets (3 or 4 salmon fillets)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
White cream sauce
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes , chopped
- 1 cup artichoke hearts , chopped
- 2 tablespoons capers , drained
- 5 oz spinach fresh
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- salt
Instructions
How to sear salmon
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat.
- Season salmon fillets with salt.
- When the oil is hot, add salmon fillets flesh side down (skin side up). Sear for about 4 minutes on medium-high heat.
- Reduce heat to medium.
- Flip the salmon fillets to the other side (skin side down). Sear for another 4 or 5 minutes on medium heat until salmon is flaky.
- Remove salmon from the skillet.
How to make white cream sauce
- To the same, now empty, skillet, add chopped sun-dried tomatoes, minced garlic, chopped artichokes, capers. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
- Add fresh spinach, and continue cooking and stirring until the spinach wilts, for a couple of minutes.
- To the skillet with sautéed vegetables, add 1 cup of heavy cream and paprika. Bring to simmer. Simmer for about 1 minute, stirring. Season with salt. Add more paprika, if you like.
Assembly
- Add cooked salmon to the skillet with the cream sauce.
- Spoon the sauce over the salmon, and simmer for a minute or more, until the salmon is warmed up and cooked through. The salmon should be flaky.
- Season with salt, if needed.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This was a hit at the dinner last night! Instead of salmon, I used Argentine shrimp and it was just as delicious. Served with penne pasta. Thank you for sharing!
Can you substitute the cream for something else?
Julia, this was hands down probably one of the most delicious dishes I've ever made. Thank you so much for posting and the great photos! I followed the recipe exactly and would not change one thing. The flavors are absolutely amazing and I was surprised by the fact that it was not too rich. I served with a simple linguini with no seasoning, and it was perfect. And the leftovers were even better!
Oh my goodness, this was wonderful! The capers gave it a nice zing. I used marinated artichokes and it was fine! I served it on jasmin rice (I would've used quinoa but my husband and daughter voted for rice! 2 against 1! It is a real keeper!! Also, my salmon had no skin but it was still just fine!
My husband and I don't generally enjoy fish, but I made this and we both really enjoyed it. I served it with rice and soy sauce. The soy just added the right amount of salt to the dish and made it scrumptious!!! Will definitely be making this again.
Hi. Would this be good if I added a little of a sweet white wine and let it evaporate just before adding the cream and then add a tad bit of cheese (perhaps parm) to it since I want to have it with pasta? Never cooked with artichokes before so I am not sure if adding wine and/or cheese would spoil it.
I think adding white wine just before adding the cream is a great idea! I would add dry white wine, not a sweet one. You could also add shredded cheese to the sauce. Artichokes would taste great both with the wine and the cheese in the sauce!
Hi. Would this be good if I added a little of a sweet white wine and let it evaporate just before adding the cream and then add a tad bit of cheese (perhaps parm) to it since I want to have it with pasta? Never cooked with artichokes before so I am not sure if wine and/or cheese would spoil it.
I think adding white wine just before adding the cream is a great idea! I would add dry white wine, not a sweet one. You could also add shredded cheese to the sauce. Artichokes would taste great both with the wine and the cheese in the sauce!
This dish was a perfect holiday dinner with my mom! We like to keep it simple, and I don't do ham or turkey. Browsing recipes I found this easy, saucy, yummy salmon and it turned out perfectly! Thanks for the inspiration.
Megan, you are very welcome! I am glad you enjoyed this recipe and glad you left this wonderful comment. 🙂
Omg! This was absolutely delicious and so easy. My husband, who is picky and doesn't ever like sauces, just loved it. A must try!
So glad you tried this recipe and enjoyed it! Thank you for such a positive comment!
Plan on making this for family dinner. It looks great I intend on paring it with asparagus and sauteed baby tomatoes on top! Hopefully it comes out just as good as your recipe. Might even add a few different spices to enhance the flavor. Love trying new ideas, fingers crossed!
Your side dishes sound delicious! Love the idea of serving this salmon over asparagus and sauteed baby tomatoes!
Hi - this looks lovely. Could you let me know can I make the sauce earlier, roast the salmon in the oven and and just reheat the sauce? Cooking for dinner party so want to minimise time away from guests. Thanks so much!
With cream sauces, it's really the best to make them right before you are ready to serve. When you reheat the cream sauce, it often might separate and lose its texture. The cream sauce looks the best and has the best texture immediately after it's made.
This was awsome, flavorful & incredibly easy! I preferred it over pasta so I added a dab of cornstartch to the sauce to thicken it enough to adhere to the pasta. Amazing!
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Serving the salmon over pasta sounds delicious!
Julia, Hi. I don’t cook with artichokes a lot, but I’m eager to try this. Is it fair to assume you use artichokes in water since you don’t specify marinated artichoke hearts? Thanks!
I actually used roasted artichoke hearts in olive oil. Those are the best! But you can definitely use artichokes in water - just drain them really well!
I’m going to make this tomorrow for guests.
Question about the artichokes: are they the marinated ones or the ones in water?
Thanks!
I used roasted artichoke hearts in olive oil. But you can use artichokes in water – just drain them really well!
Oh my gosh!!
My whole family was drooling over this, no one wanted to be ‘finished’
So simple, and so outrageously tasty!!!
5 Stars 2Thumbs up!!!!
So happy you tried it and liked it! Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting. I just posted this recipe yesterday, and very happy to see that someone (you) already tried it!