Pan-Seared Salmon with Spinach is an easy and healthy Mediterranean style dinner. Your family will love all the veggies! Ready in 30 minutes. This recipe is gluten-free and high in protein.
One of my favorite dinners ever is a creamy Tuscan salmon with spinach. This recipe is very similar to Tuscan salmon, except it doesn't have any cream. Of course, salmon and spinach is not the only flavor combination there is. I also recommend salmon with asparagus, as well as cilantro lime salmon.
Mediterranean dinner
This simple recipe takes only 30 minutes. First, salmon fillets are pan-fried in olive oil in the skillet. Then, spinach is lightly sauteed together with garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, and capers. Pan-seared salmon fillets are served over the bed of sauteed vegetables. Delicious and healthy!
Salmon and spinach
- Healthy dinner. Salmon is high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Spinach is packed with nutrients and antioxidants. It's high in fiber and a good source of many vitamins and minerals. Combining salmon and spinach together in one delicious dinner is a great way to add healthy foods to your diet!
- 30-minute recipe. Quickly sear the salmon in olive oil, then lightly saute spinach with other ingredients. That's it! Your family will love this dinner, and you don't have to spend much time to make it!
- One-pan recipe. Salmon is seared in the same skillet where you saute the vegetables. One pan to clean! What's not to love?
- Low-carb meal. Salmon is a high protein food packed with omega-3 fatty acids. Both spinach and salmon are great choices for a low-carb meal!
Salmon skin: on or off?
- Salmon skin is delicious especially when the salmon is pan-fried. When you pan-sear the salmon with skin on in olive oil on medium heat, the skin gets crunchy and crispy. So good!
- Salmon skin contains a good amount of nutrients.
- Salmon skin protects the fish from overcooking. The skin will help salmon fillet retain its shape while you sear it. It will also protect it from overcooking. Also, it’s much easier to remove the skin once the salmon is cooked! Slide the spatula between the salmon fillet and the skin to remove the skin.
How to make pan-seared salmon with spinach
How to pan sear salmon
1) Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Season salmon fillets with salt.
2) When the oil is hot, add salmon fillets flesh side down (skin side up). Sear for about 4 minutes on medium-high heat.
4) Then, 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.
Prepare the vegetables
1) To the same, now empty, skillet, add chopped sun-dried tomatoes and minced garlic.
2) Add chopped artichokes, capers. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
3) Add fresh spinach.
4) Cook, stirring until the spinach wilts, for a couple of minutes. Season with salt if needed.
Assembly
1) Add pan-seared salmon on top of the vegetable mixture.
2) Spoon some of the vegetable mixture over the salmon.
Side dishes for pan-seared salmon
- Roasted vegetables. Green vegetables go really well with pan-seared salmon. Try roasted asparagus, oven-roasted broccoli, garlic green beans with bacon, or cooked spinach.
- Pasta. If you crave some carbs with your salmon dinner, 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 spaghetti squash is a great gluten-free side dish for salmon.
Salmon and Trout recipes
If you enjoyed pan-fried salmon with spinach, check out these easy recipes:
Pan-Seared Salmon with Spinach
Ingredients
Salmon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb salmon fillets (3 or 4 salmon fillets)
- ¼ teaspoon 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.
Prepare the vegetables
- 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. Season with salt if needed.
Assembly
- Add pan-seared salmon on top of the vegetable mixture.
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.
I love how absolutely healthy this is; looks gorgeous too!
I made this last night and my men absolutely loved it. It was super easy and i put it over a bed of garlic herb cauliflower rice. I made the salmon a bit different and blackened it. This will definitely be a heqlthy go to meal in our hiuse from now on.
This recipe is absolutely outstanding and actually turned out just like in the photos! Super easy to put together and the taste is sensational! Totally won over my husband, who gave it an enthusiastic two thumbs up - this comes from a guy that merely tolerates fish and eats it only because he knows it’s good for him. Well now! This recipe is a salmon game-changer! We’ll make it again and again. Thank you so much, Julia!
Kae, I am so happy you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you so much for stopping by and taking the time to share such a positive review! Glad you enjoyed the flavors in this dish.
hi dear,
this looks good, can i use mushrooms and baby spinach in this recipe?
thnxx
Yes, mushrooms and spinach go well together!
Fast to make and very tasty! Definitely one of my favourite salmon recipes!
Super fast! Didn't cook salmon as long as recipe but it was healthy, easy, fast and tasty!!
Great recipe! Substituted kale for the artichokes as that’s what I had!
one wor. WOW! for the seared Salmon and spinach
I had so much spinach in my fridge and looked up for salmon and spinach. This recipe is so delicious. My husband who is not crazy about salmon loved it. Making this again and again! Thank you.
This was fabulous. I added a little bit of orzo pasta for the carb loving teens in my house but otherwise followed the recipe as written. Will make again. And again.
Amazing recipe! I loved the sear I got on the salmon, although I think I should've cooked it a little less than what the recipe said. I didn't have artichokes and didn't know what to substitute them with so I just left that out of the recipe, but the sun-dried tomatoes, capers, and garlic worked really well together. Added some red pepper flakes as well. Loved the spinach!
IN lockdown here in UK, so feel as if I am in an episode of Ready, Steady, Cook where chefs have to come up with a menu using a selection of ingredients they are given. In my case, what is in the freezer, fridge and cupboard until the next online food delivery arrives! Typed in Salmon and Spinach, and this delicious recipe popped up. As it happens, I always have jars of sundried tomatoes, peppers and artichokes in oil, and capers, so a perfect fit. Nearly the asparagus season here, so will try that next.
Making for Saturday.
Enjoy!
This was delicious! Thank you, Julia!! We used vacuum-packed artichoke hearts from Whole Foods (Much less intense acidity and fewer preservatives) and sun-dried tomatoes that were not packed in oil from Kroger. Also added baby kale and extra spinach, and red pepper flakes. I can see this being awesome with broccolini as well as asparagus or broccoli as Julia mentions. The quick prep here was MONEY.
Thank you, Holly! So glad you found this recipe useful! Love the idea of adding baby kale and red pepper flakes! Yes, it would be so good with broccolini, too.
This was so good and tasty! Loved the colors of this dish and even my husband ate salmon! What another great and easy way to prepare salmon. Thank you!
Thank you! I am glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Do you use dried sun dried tomatoes, or packed in oil?
I used sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil.