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.
Made this tonight exactly as written. Simple, quick, easy and full of flavor! Will be making this again and again! Thank you, Julia!
I am very reluctant to cook our salmon in new ways (I have a foolproof method) but this looked interesting. Glad I tried it, very tasty, and very easy to make. Now I have 2 foolproof ways to cook salmon.
This looks like a simple but tasty recipe. I'm wondering if I can substitute 2% or 5% Fage Greek Yoghurt or a low fat creme fraiche for the cream. Unfortunately, I need to avoid full fat because of raised cholesterol levels. I presume I just need to be very careful and avoid the sauce splitting.
Made this for lunch and it was delicious. I substituted the artichokes for green beans and popped in some sliced chestnut mushrooms.
Will definitely make this again. Thanks, Julia.
Love this recipe. I have made it twice for company...rave reviews both times. I would like to make it for 10 guests. Does it double/triple well? Can I make the salmon and sauce earlie in the day and combine before serving to heat through?
Barbara, I am so glad you've made this twice! The recipe doubles and triples well.
I would not make the cream sauce earlier in the day - the cream does not reheat well. You can make salmon in advance and cook the veggies in advance. But add the cream only when ready to serve.
Could I substitute evaporated skim milk for the heavy cream to reduce fat content of the recipe? Otherwise, I would love to try this recipe. Love salmon!
Debbra, yes, you can use evaporated milk instead of heavy cream. Should work just fine!
Absolutely delicious! Used bottled marinated artichoke hearts. Easy to prepare and easy to cook. This will become a regular for us.
Karen, I am so happy this recipe was a success!! I love feedback (especially positive one)! 🙂
This looks delicious. Are the artichokes canned or marinated?
Janet, I used canned artichoke hearts drained really well of any liquid.
Thank you very much, Julia for posting this. It's been one of my go-to salmon recipes and I'm making it next week for an anniversary dinner. 36 years!
Paul, you are very welcome! I am so glad this has become a favorite for you! And, I am very flattered you'll be cooking this dish for your anniversary dinner. Happy Anniversary!
Wonderful dish,especially when you don't want to heat up kitchen. It's at the top of my favorites!
Anne, I am super flattered by your comment! Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback!
Made this for lunch and it was delicious. I substituted the artichokes for green beans and popped in some sliced chestnut mushrooms.
Will definitely make this again. Thanks, Julia.