Creamy Garlic Butter Tuscan Salmon is restaurant quality Pan Seared Salmon in a delicious creamy sauce with spinach, sun dried tomatoes and parmesan!
Rich and creamy with crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside salmon fillets. The entire family loves this deliciously easy to make Salmon recipe. The creamy sauce is to die for!
SALMON
Besides providing us with incredible rich flavour and high-quality protein, salmon has many healthy benefits. Full of vitamins and minerals (potassium, selenium and vitamin B12), it’s the amount of omega-3 fatty acids that gives salmon its ‘brain food’ reputation.
We love salmon! See all of our salmon recipes here!
How do you pan sear or fry salmon?
- Use skin on or skinless fillets.
- Remove from the refrigerator about 15 minutes before cooking to bring them close to room temperature.
- Pat dry with paper towel to prevent sticking, allowing the outsides to crisp evenly while cooking.
- Heat oil in a large skillet before adding your fillets and make sure your pan is nice and hot.
- Season just before cooking to prevent drawing out moisture and drying out your fish.
- Sear your fillets flesh-side down first (skin-side up) for 4-5 minutes each side, depending on thickness.
Knowing when to flip
While fillets are cooking, notice the colour along the sides of the fillets slowly begin to change to a paler colour, from the bottom where the fish is touching the pan up to the centre.
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Once the colour has moved up to the centre, it’s time to flip! What you’ll get is a tender, juicy and crispy fillet.
Sauce For Salmon
Leave the juices in the pan after searing your fillets…that’s where all of the flavour is! Melt the butter, cook your garlic until fragrant — about one minute to prevent burning while allowing the garlic to release flavour.
If using wine, simmer it down slightly before adding in the sun dried tomatoes (give them time to release their flavours). Add sun dried tomato oil for more flavour!
What to serve with Salmon
Pasta, rice or steamed/roasted veggies are a low carb favourite (think zoodles OR cauliflower rice).
Also, Garlic bread to soak up that creamy sauce!
What wine goes well with this recipe?
A light Chardonnay or Pinot Gris. For a sweeter wine, Riesling or a Sparkling Moscato.
Some cooking tips:
- Substitute white wine for chicken broth.
- Gently simmer the cream sauce to avoid separating.
- Substitute salmon for Trout, Cod or Burramundi.
Adapted from this Creamy Garlic Butter Tuscan Shrimp.
MORE TUSCAN RECIPES
Tuscan Chicken Mac And Cheese (One Pot, Stove Top)
Chicken with Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Parmesan Sauce
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Creamy Garlic Butter Tuscan Salmon is a restaurant quality Pan Seared salmon recipe in a delicious creamy sauce! Filled with garlic, sun dried tomatoes, spinach and parmesan cheese.
- 4 salmon fillets, skin off (or Trout or any white fish)
- Salt and pepper, to season
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 6 cloves garlic, finely diced
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1/3 cup dry white wine (OPTIONAL) -- (do not use a sweet white wine)
- 5 ounces (150 g) jarred sun dried tomato strips in oil, drained of oil
- 1 3/4 cups half and half *SEE NOTES
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 cups baby spinach leaves
- 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese, (do not include for dairy free option)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch (cornflour) mixed with 1 tablespoons of water (optional)**
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
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Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the salmon filets (or fish if using) on both sides with salt and pepper, and sear in the hot pan, flesh-side down first, for 5 minutes on each side, or until cooked to your liking. Once cooked, remove from the pan and set aside.
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Melt the butter in the remaining juices leftover in the pan. Add in the garlic and fry until fragrant (about one minute). Fry the onion in the butter. Pour in the white wine (if using), and allow to reduce down slightly. Add the sun dried tomatoes and fry for 1-2 minutes to release their flavours.
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Reduce heat to low heat, add the half and half (or heavy cream), and bring to a gentle simmer, while stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.
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Add in the spinach leaves and allow to wilt in the sauce, and add in the parmesan cheese. Allow sauce to simmer for a further minute until cheese melts through the sauce. (For a thicker sauce, add the milk/cornstarch mixture to the centre of the pan, and continue to simmer while quickly stirring the mixture through until the sauce thickens.)
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Add the salmon back into the pan; sprinkle with the parsley, and spoon the sauce over each filet.
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Serve over pasta, rice or steamed veg.
*Half and half is an American product, made from equal parts light cream and milk. Feel free to use half light cream and half 2% milk (or full fat if not worried about calories and fat counts), in place of half and half.
Alternatively, use all light cream or heavy cream.
Not a traditional Tuscan recipe. Adapted from Olive Garden's Tuscan Chicken.
© 2017 CAFE DELITES. All rights reserved. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to share this recipe, please provide a link back to this post for the original recipe.
Alan Hall says
Since I retired three years ago I have got into cooking, I love surprising my wife with fresh tasty healthy food. Now this Tuscan salmon has become my signature dish, my wife loves it, my son’s love it , and I served it as the main course at a dinner party recently, and my friends loved it. I am always sharing the recipe with others. This recipe is idiot proof, luckily for me. If you haven’t tried it yet, then all I can say is, Why not? Thanks team Cafe Delites, keep up the great work. Al
Kerri-Lynn says
This was SO good. I was impatient and didn’t follow the “simmer gently” so had some separation, but even then….so good!! I have never been good at cooking and hated it, but have had such success with your recipes. My results even look like your pictures. Thank you!
Kimberley says
Why can’t I give this recipe 10 stars?? It was better than delicious!! So, so good!!
Makhluk says
Delicious! As some others did, I sauteed the onions first, then added the garlic. Used heavy cream instead of Half & Half because l always have cream on hand. Bought my very first ever bottle of wine for this because I just didn’t think chicken stock would add the same flavor. Had the cornstarch in water thickener ready, but the sauce was perfect without it. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Thanks for sharing it.
Anna says
Wow…This is the best salmon recipe. I really love it. I will try this at home. Thanks for sharing 5 star for my rating.
Van@Lello Pasta Bar says
creamy garlic butter Tuscan salmon is surely awesome and I’m craving for this right now. Thanks for the recipe.
sue says
Made this tonight and it was delish!!! I wish I had had some white wine as it certainly would have enhanced the recipe. Also, I didn’t have any sundried tomatos and I made my own using tomato paste, spices and olive oil. This will be a recipe I will make over and over again. Thank you
Karina says
Thank you for letting me know! I will keep that in mind for my future posting and other recipes! XO
Karina says
That is so sweet of you to make it for your sister! I am so glad that you loved it so much! It tastes delicious with the tomato but you are welcome to omit it, especially with a food allergy. Enjoy!!
Kwanita says
Tried it and loved it!! I would like to make it for my sister with tomato allergy. Would it be good without the tomato? Or is there anything I could substitute for the tomato??
Thank you:)
Glynis says
Please could you put what cup measurements are on ounces, tablespoons etc. In the UK, not familiar with cups !
Many thanks … love this website
Jose A Rivera says
Help!!!
I’ve try to make this 3 times and for some reason the sauce keeps breaking down. Any assistance will be appreciated.
Karina says
Hi! I’m so sorry about this. It seems to be a technical issue and we are working on it right now. Hopefully we will have all recipes up again soon! Thank you for your patience! Karina X
Samantha says
I don’t see the recipe 🙁
Am I missing something?
Help lol
Karina says
That is a great idea! Let me know how it turns out!
Brenda says
Made this tonight for my husband. . We both loved it! I would like to try it with shrimp also. Thanks for receipe!
Tessa says
I was so excited to make this but I forgot to get cream. Do you think I could just use milk and a bit more cornstarch?
Cheryl says
Oh this was sooooo good! Yummy, will make again!
Brandi says
Any recommendations for a dairy free option for the half and half?
Marsha says
This was absolutely the best thing I’ve cooked in years!!! I serve over scratch made mashed potatoes. ..divine!
NANCY says
All recipes Have A print SIGN RIGHT UNDER THE LITTLE PHOTO OF THE DISH ON THE RIGHT SIDE. gO TO THE TOP BOXED IN PART OF THE PAGE.
Beth Armstrong says
This is by FAR the best dish I’ve ever cooked. I can’t believe how amazing it turned out! It was high end restaurant quality, for sure. We have left over sauce so I’m going to toss it onto some pasta for leftovers. In my opinion you can absolutely substitute the salmon for chicken, shrimp, or keep it vegetarian and use it as a pasta sauce.
Bibi says
I made this on the weekend and LOVED it. I used cherry tomatoes in place of sun-dried tomatoes and let it simmer a little longer to reduce the juices. I may have added more garlic too but I do that with all recipes.
This is a keeper. Thank you!
Karina says
YAY! That is exciting! I am so glad that you both loved it and it turned out great too! I love how you made it your own and what you like. Thank you for sharing and following along with me!
Donna B says
P.S. I served it with mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables which worked very well.
Donna B says
Hi Karina, I cooked this tonight for my partner and I and a dinner guest. We all loved it!! I cooked the onion first then added the garlic because I like my onion well cooked and my garlic not so. I used yoghurt instead of cream because I tend to use that substitute. It did split slightly even though I didn’t boil it but it didn’t matter. The taste was sensational and I will definitely cook this again. Thanks so much for sharing this yummy recipe. Definitely 5 stars! 😊
Karina says
That is so great to hear! I am so glad that everyone loved it and it was a huge hit! Way to go! Thank you so much for sharing!
Terre Lee says
Wow! I made this tonight for the first time because the pictures looked so amazing and the instructions were so clear! My family loved it!! I had smaller salmon filets so I added shrimp to the mix and what a delight!! Even the vegans in the house were dipping their garlic bread in the sauce! Thanks for sharing this recipe!!
Th
Karina says
That is amazing and so glad to hear! I am so glad that you loved it so much! Thank you for letting me know!
Juliaah says
I made this dish today and I have to say, this may have just become my all-time favourite out of all the salmon recipes I’ve ever tried. EVER. I served this with tagliatelle tossed with olive oil and salt and it was absolutely divine. I’ll be making this many, many, many times again! Right now though I think I may just have to tiptoe to the fridge and finish off the leftovers as a small midnight snack…
Karina says
HMMM! I am not sure why your sauce was so dark. I am sorry the salmon was overpowered by the sauce. Next time you wouldn’t need to have as much sauce or take the salmon out after little time in the sauce to help savor the salmon taste for you. Hope that helps and you enjoyed your meal. Thanks so much for letting me know and following along with me!
LWJ says
OMG this tastes just as good as it looks! It was absolutely delicious! I omitted the tomatoes and onions and it didn’t need the cornstarch thickener….it was perfect! Thanks for a great recipe.
Karina says
MMM! That sounds delicious! I am so glad that it turned out and you made it your own! Thanks so much for sharing!
Nancy says
Another happy home cook! I live in Austria and sometimes it’s hard to find baby spinach but I substituted baby bok choy and it was so wonderful. I’ll cut back on the heavy cream and 1/2 it with low fat milk next time and believe me there will be many next times! My husband hates salmon and so I snuck a piece of cod in it for him and that worked beautifully. So glad to have discovered your blog! Auf Wiedersehen!
Tymeron Smith says
You are so nice! That is awesome to hear! I am so glad you enjoyed this fish! It is one of my favorites!! Thanks so much for sharing!
Brettani Shannon says
This was one of the best things I’ve ever made in my own kitchen! Is definitely something that I would order off a menu and it did not disappoint. My fish was a little over cooked but I didn’t even care because it was so good. I also thought it was fun to make. Great recipe. Can’t wait to try more of yours. Thank you
Tymeron Smith says
That is awesome! I am so glad that you were made a hero! You deserve it! Way to go!
Tymeron Smith says
That sounds great! Thanks so much for sharing!
Charlene says
I made this recipe for dinner and the entire family loved it. It is delicious and rich and so filling. I only had half the amount of sundried tomatoes but even so I was happy with it. We had it over rice and it was perfect.
Lauren W says
Made this with chicken and it was amazing. Some salt pepper garlic and cayenne on the chicken to give it some spice. Will definitely be making this again because it was gorgeous and tasted so so delicious! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Stacey says
Oh my goodness. I’ve always shy’d away from cooking fish but this was amazing! It tasted amazing but i like my food to have a little kick to it so i added some chilli flakes (minimal amount) to it and it set it off perfect. My folks and son absolutley loved it. It was a huge hit and my father is critical when it comes to food, bit of a food snob but he said he’d have paid good money for that! Thank you for this recipe.
Ray C says
You made me a hero with my wife and friends once again. I must confess that it took me a bit longer to prepare as I was enjoying myself so much. I served it with Roasted Asparagus and Truffle Oil along with crusty bread.
Mary says
This was delish! I substituted fresh roma tomatoes for the sun dried. Put over cauliflower rice. Can’t wait for lunch leftovers!
Martha Compton says
Made this last night with salmon and it was absolutely divine! This is a dish you would expect to find in a fine restaurant. I used heavy cream instead of half and half because it curdles when using wine. Might not have if I had cooked wine down a bit more, but wanted the flavor. Such a great recipe! Will try shrimp next. Great company dish!
Jennifer P. says
I made this tonight and combined the salmon and shrimp. It turned out amazing! Tastes just as good as it would be at a fancy restaurant. I’m really happy with how it turned out. I love your recipes. I’ll continue to follow and make some of your other recipes! Thanks!
Tammy says
This dish was absolutely tasty. I made it with half and half and because I do not eat onions, I eliminated it from the dish and added extra spinach. Also the sauce was the perfect consistency without the extra cornstarch mix. All in all, by far my favorite salmon dish yet. Will try recipe next with Mahi Mahi and Halibut. Thanks for this recipe!!
Sarah says
Good recipe, just doesn’t say when to add onion.
Élisabeth says
I made this yesterday for my boyfriend and his family, everybody loved it! Even his teenage brother. I normally dont like fish that much, but I likes my plate. I will definitly do that recipe again! I didn’t have dryied tomatoe so I cooked cherry tomatoe in the oven for 20 minutes. It was very tasty. And so easy.
Rebecca Young says
Fantastic recipe! My family eats a whole food plant based diet, and I scour recipe blogs to get ideas for amazing meals. I ended up changing a few things: I made Tuscan white bean patties instead of the salmon; I used coconut oil instead of butter; I swapped the half and half for rice milk (full-fat coconut milk in a can will work too, but in my experience, it would have made the sauce sweeter than I would like for this dish) and used tapioca flour mixed in a bit of cold water to thicken the sauce (the cornstarch per your recipe would have worked as well, I just didn’t have any on hand).
Everything turned out delicious, both me and the husband loved it, and I will be adding the sauce recipe to my collection. Thank you for the inspiration to keep our meals super tasty and unboring!
Dianiche says
My bf looooves this. I probably make this weekly. It’s super easy and tastes amazing.
Karina says
Robin that’s fantastic! I’m so happy to get your feedback. Thank you so much! Enjoy your weekend!
Robin Duncan says
Very good. Salmon was a bit thin so only cooked 2 min per side and was just right. Server with Farfalle pasta. Used chicken broth instead of white wine and that worked well. husband really liked. I will make this again
Karina says
I’m so happy to hear that Debbie! Thank you so much for sharing your feedback!
Karina says
You’re welcome Brittany!
Karina says
You’re very welcome Qairawan!
Qairawan says
I made this tonight and it tasted so good, I never thought it would be this easy. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Brittany Rado says
This was absolutely fabtastic. I will be impressing my husband with this again. Thanks so much.
Debbie Deleeon says
OMGosh this recipe is SOOOO good! I don’t eat dairy, so I changed the half and half to non-dairy creamer, no cornstarch and vegan butter. Holy, holy cow, it is so delicious!!!
caroline says
household staple after one go! thanks!!!
Karina says
Yes! Thank you too!
Karina says
You’re welcome Katia!
Karina says
YUUUUM! I’m so happy you liked it! That you for sharing Andrea!
Karina says
Hi Amy! I haven’t tried coconut milk but readers on Instagram have and with great success! I’d love to hear your feedback if you try it!
Karina says
Yum Jan!
Jan Peterson says
I made this tonight with a lingcod and I used wine and I used cream and it was amazing. Nothing curdled or separated. Thanks for such a great recipe.:)
Janice Peterson says
I made this tonight with a lingcod and I used wine and I used cream and it was amazing. Nothing curdled or separated. Thanks for such a great recipe.:)
Karina says
Hi Brittany. Please educate yourself before commenting. PURE cornstarch is gluten-free of course, as it’s a starch derived from corn. HOWEVER ‘not every brand of cornstarch on the market is considered safe on the gluten-free diet for those who have celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Manufacturers don’t always take the steps necessary to avoid gluten cross-contamination as they’re processing and packaging products like cornstarch alongside other grains and grain products. Some companies’ cornstarch products are made in shared facilities or on equipment shared with wheat products like flour, and so they aren’t considered gluten-free.’
https://www.verywell.com/is-cornstarch-gluten-free-562369
Brittany says
Cornstarch is already gluten free. It’s pretty sad that you recommend substituting it with a gluten free cornstarch. 🙁
Dawn says
So easy and yummy. Added asapargas, mushrooms and klamata olives. Made it an entire meal all alone!! Thanks!
Amy says
Hi! This recipe looks amazing. Have you ever tried to substitute coconut milk for half & half, curious if that would work? Might have to try it and get back to you!
Andrea says
A friend shared this on her facebook wall. My husband and I had it last night for dinner using salmon and heavy whipping cream, served over whole wheat pasta. It was DIVINE!!! There were no leftovers with this one. Will be making again, and again! Thanks for posting it!!!
Katia says
Made it! It was simple and delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe! Xx
Claudia says
Martie Scharton says
Here’s a note to Martie Scharton:
Her original note is here:
September 14, 2017 at 6:45 AM
Your recipes look and sound the best, but I can’t use them because I can’t print them.
Have difficulty writing so I can’t write grocery list or follow directions. Print sign is there
But it won’t let me print. Can’t carry iPad to grocery store or have on counter. Very disappointed because your seasonings sound the best. Sorry to complain. Just disappointed.
Thank for listening.
Martie, you can easily cut and paste the recipe, and then paste them into an email or a word document. You can print them from there! Easily.
Jane says
Thank you for the recipe. Absolutely amazing!! I can not belive how easy it is and what a result. Loved it!
Jane says
Thank you for the recipe. Absolutely amazing!! I can not belive how easy is this recipe and what a result.
Michelle says
wowzers! this was killer! made it tonight for dinner and the whole fam loved it. this recipe is definitely a keeper…thank you!!
Chelsea says
I did it with chicken and it came out really good. Thank you for the recipe. Want over spaghetti.🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Nicole says
Made this recipe a few weeks ago and it was so rich and delicious — my partner and I loved it. I followed the recipe pretty closely, except I sauteed the onions for several minutes first, before adding the garlic (so the garlic wouldn’t burn). Highly recommend!
Martie Scharton says
Your recipes look and sound the best, but I can’t use them because I can’t print them.
Have difficulty writing so I can’t write grocery list or follow directions. Print sign is there
But it won’t let me print. Can’t carry iPad to grocery store or have on counter. Very disappointed because your seasonings sound the best. Sorry to complain. Just disappointed.
Thank for listening.
Rebekah @ Speckled Dishes says
Oh my! Yes, yes, yes! I’ve been looking for a salmon recipe – packed full of flavor – and I think I just found THE recipe that I’ve been hoping for! Thank you!!
Elisabeth says
I am a newbie to this site, and I immediately printed off a ton of recipes to try. I made this two nights ago and it was delicious. I followed the recipe except I sauteed the onion first and then added the garlic (to prevent it from burning). I had plenty of leftover sauce, which I added to pasta last night. Thank you! I am making the chicken francese this week too.
Peggy Glaze says
FROM Peggy in Tampa, FL. *****
This was AMAZING! I made it for dinner tonight and my Husband could not stop saying how wonderful it was. We could eat the sauce with a spoon. I followed the exact receipe and would not change anything.
Elaine says
Wow! This was delicious! Even my grown sons liked it enough to have 2nd helpings. They don’t like spinach and sun-dried tomatoes but they ate every drop. Thanks for sharing this recipe. I made it with salmon and followed the recipe exactly.
Sandra Beach says
I absolutely love the shrimp version of this dish!!! What can I substitute for the sun dried tomatoes since my husband is allergic?
Cindy S. says
Oh my! This sounds wonderful, I cannot wait to try it!! I love salmon but my husband is not really a fan. I am hoping this meal changes his mind 🙂 Will let you know how it goes later. lol
Tom Fogarty says
Karina, thank you for this recipe. My wife and grandson love salmon. I on the other hand…don’t. I have to say that as I was looking at it I was thinking about substituting another fish for myself, which I think would work. But I sucked it up and made it for myself, too. I was delighted! I did not have jarred sun-dried tomatoes so I just soaked my dried ones in hot water for about 20-30 minutes. I happened to have everything else on hand. It came together easily. I give it 5-stars!
Thanks again for doing what you do with this page…
Be well and be blessed!