Creamy Garlic Tuscan Salmon

Tender salmon filets smothered in a rich garlic cream sauce filled with sun-dried tomatoes, kale and Parmesan cheese. Restaurant quality tuscan salmon, in 30 minutes!

This ultra easy Tuscan Salmon recipe is a winner when it comes to weeknight dinners!  We love easy seafood dishes, like my Honey Lime Shrimp, and Honey Garlic Glazed Salmon. This is one of my Dinner recipes you’ll definitely want in your recipe rotation!

TUSCAN SALMON RECIPE

You guys have been going crazy over these Creamy Garlic Chicken Breasts, and I’ve been thinking about trying out some different flavor variations… and this one is such a winner!

A rich and creamy garlic sauce, full of sun-dried tomatoes and kale… plus tender, buttery salmon filets.  It’s a match made in culinary heaven.

Even if you’re not a huge salmon fan, you need to try this one!

HOW TO MAKE TUSCAN SALMON

1. Pat salmon filets dry and season with spices on all sides.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over MED-HIGH heat.
3. Add salmon, skin side up, and cook 5 minutes.  Flip and cook another 5 minutes.
4. Remove salmon to a plate.  Add butter to same skillet.
5. Add onion and cook until soft.  Add garlic and sun-dried tomatoes and cook 30 seconds or so.
6. Pour in chicken broth, scraping the bottom of the pan.
7. Pour in cream and cook a few minutes.  Stir in seasonings and cheese.
8. Add kale and cook until wilted.  Add salmon back to the skillet and spoon some sauce over top of the filets.

COOKING TIPS FOR THIS SALMON RECIPE

• BUY GOOD SALMON – I prefer to buy fresh salmon from the seafood counter of my grocery store, instead of frozen filets in bags, since those tend to be very thin.  Cooking Light has a great article on how to pick the best salmon at the grocery store.
• USE IT QUICKLY – Salmon can go “off” or bad pretty quickly, so I prefer to buy my salmon no more than 1 day ahead of time.
• TO SKIN OR NOT TO SKIN – I usually leave the skin on, but this is totally up to you.  The skin provides a layer of protection against the hot pan, and it’s a lot easier to slide a spatula underneath crispy skin than underneath tender flesh.
• DON’T OVERCOOK – Salmon is prone to overcooking, and the line between not done enough and dry and overdone is pretty fine.  The USDA recommends salmon be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 F degrees.  However, different people prefer their salmon to be more rare or more well-done, like a steak.  To be on the safe-side though, I stick to the USDA’s recommendation.

VARIATIONS OF THIS RECIPE

• OTHER PROTEIN – this sauce would go really well with chicken breasts (or thighs), pork chops or shrimp!
• OTHER GREENS – most Tuscan recipes use spinach, which will totally work in this recipe if you’d rather use that instead of kale.
• THICKER SAUCE – if you prefer a thicker sauce, whisk together 1 Tbsp cornstarch with 2 Tbsp water (in a separate bowl) until smooth, then whisk into sauce and cook until thickened to your liking.

MAKING TUSCAN SALMON AHEAD OF TIME

I think this recipe tastes best when made right before eating, but you can do the prep-work ahead of time if you’d like.

• Chop the sun-dried tomatoes
• Chop the kale
• Chop the onion and garlic
• Measure out the seasonings
• Measure out the Parmesan cheese

STORAGE

Any leftover salmon should be refrigerated in an airtight container and consumed within 3 days.

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT FOR THIS RECIPE

• Cast Iron Skillet – a classic workhorse in my kitchen, I use this skillet all the time.
• 12″ wide skillet – I love this pan, and love that it’s oven and broiler safe (a must for one pan recipes).
• Non-Stick Skillet – if you’re worried about your salmon sticking, a non-stick pan is a good option.

BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN TO CHECK OUT OTHER READERS’ COMMENTS FOR TIPS AND REVIEWS.

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Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!

Creamy Tuscan Salmon

4.97 from 32 votes

Author: The Chunky Chef

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Calories: 445

Servings: 4 servings

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Tender salmon filets smothered in a rich garlic cream sauce filled with sun-dried tomatoes, kale and Parmesan cheese

Ingredients

SALMON

• ▢ 2 Tbsp olive oil
• ▢ 4 (6 oz each) salmon filets
• ▢ 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• ▢ 1/4 tsp black pepper
• ▢ 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning

TUSCAN CREAM SAUCE

• ▢ 1 Tbsp butter
• ▢ 1/2 small yellow onion minced
• ▢ 2 Tbsp finely minced garlic
• ▢ 5 oz jar sun-dried tomatoes in oil drained and chopped
• ▢ 1 1/3 cups chicken broth reduced sodium
• ▢ 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• ▢ 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• ▢ 1/4 tsp black pepper
• ▢ 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese fresh is best
• ▢ 1 - 2 cups chopped fresh kale

Instructions

• Pat salmon dry, then season with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Add olive oil to large skillet and heat over MED-HIGH heat until hot. Add salmon, skin-side UP (if using skin-on filets), and cook for 4-5 minutes. Try not to move the salmon around as it cooks. This is what creates a great golden brown crust.
• Carefully flip salmon over and cook on the other side for another 5 minutes, until opaque throughout and flakes easily. Remove to a plate and set aside.
• Don't wipe out the skillet, but add butter to pan drippings. Add onion and cook 4 minutes, until softened. Add sun-dried tomatoes and garlic and cook another 30 seconds or so.
• Pour in chicken broth and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, then stir in cream.
• Let cook for 2-4 minutes, stirring often, then stir in pepper and Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese.
• Add kale and cook another minute or two until wilted. Return salmon to the skillet, nestling them down into the sauce and spooning sauce over the top of the filets.

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Chef Tips

For a thicker sauce, whisk together 1 Tbsp cornstarch with 2 Tbsp water (in a separate bowl) until smooth, then whisk into sauce and cook until thickened to your liking.

** not a traditional Tuscan recipe - it just uses similar ingredients to Tuscan-style foods from popular Italian restaurants in the U.S.

Nutrition Disclaimer

The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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