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Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Salmon…with garlicky browned butter and fried sage. Think spinach and artichoke dip, but with the addition of buttery, flaky salmon. It’s all made in one skillet with healthy salmon, shallots, garlic, a touch of cream, parmesan cheese, plenty of fresh baby spinach, artichokes, and warming winter sage. Not only is this salmon easy and delicious, but it feels fancy too. And the best part? It comes together in under an hour and is equally great as both a weeknight dinner or for entertaining with family and friends this season.
Simple skillet dinners are my go-to right now. With December 25th quickly approaching things are busier than ever. This means I’m relying on easy dinners both for weeknights as well as for entertaining in the coming weeks. Last week I shared a creamy Tuscan inspired sun-dried tomato chicken and this week? Switching it up with salmon in a creamy spinach and artichoke sauce. Similar…ish, but different, and both so DELICIOUS.
This is what I am calling “winter” salmon. Personally, I always associate seafood with spring and summer. But I know many of you love to cook salmon throughout the winter months as well. So, I drew inspiration from everyone’s requests and created a cozy, creamy salmon that’s perfect for these snow-filled winter days.
And trust me, around here we have had some very snowy days and nights. As I mentioned in Sunday’s favorite’s post, our weekend was filled with snow and days inside cooking and baking. I happily spent Saturday with my litter sister, Asher, making gingerbread houses and sipping on steaming hot chocolate. Twas the perfect snowy December weekend.
With days like the ones we are having, warming recipes are just what we need…enter this salmon. It’s a good mix of comfort food paired with healthy fish and even some vegetables too.
So. Very. Balanced.
Making this salmon is easy, here is how.
I do bake this salmon, but I usually, like to start out by searing each filet in a super hot skillet to get a nice browned “crust”. I do this more for additional flavor and color. But I’ll be the first to tell you that if you don’t feel like messing up the stove, or simply don’t have the time, you can easily skip this step. Completely up to you.
Once the salmon is seasoned up and seared (if you choose), it’s onto the creamy spinach and artichoke sauce. This sauce is the heart of this recipe. It’s basically spinach and artichoke dip, just a little lighter and looser to be more like a sauce. The first step is the garlicky butter that also has shallots and sage. Besides finely chopping the garlic, I like to smash it down to infuse the butter with garlic flavor. But not overwhelm all the other flavors happening throughout this dish.
Once the garlic is caramelizing, toss in a handful of fresh sage and allow the sage to slowly fry up as the butter begins to brown. It’s a five minute or so process, but within those five minutes, your kitchen is going to smell amazing. Nothing is better than herby browned butter with hints of garlic.
Once the butter is browned, the garlic caramelized, and the sage fried.
Add in some cream, or canned coconut milk is what I normally use. Then add the cream cheese, and nutty manchego cheese. Whisk until creamy and toss in fresh spinach and marinated artichoke hearts. Remove from the heat, add the salmon, and transfer the dish to the oven to finish baking.
Ten minutes later the salmon should be cooked throughout, and the sauce bubbling up around each buttery piece, so GOOD.
Can you prepare this ahead of time?
You can! The number one question I seem to be getting is if recipes can be made in advance. So I kept that in mind when creating this recipe. If you want to prep the sauce and salmon ahead for entertaining, that’s easy to do. Just mix up the sauce, add the salmon, and keep the whole dish in the fridge until ready to bake. When you want to serve, just remove the dish from the fridge, let it come back to room temperature, then bake and enjoy.
This easy prep ahead step makes this a wonderful recipe to entertain with over the holidays. I know my cousins are already looking forward to giving this a try. They’re actually the ones who encouraged me to make this!
What shall you serve this with?
I recommend a pretty winter salad and crusty bread for scooping up extra artichoke sauce. If you want a heartier side dish, go for my favorite stacked potatoes. Something lighter? Steamed quinoa or cauliflower rice.
Keeping this recipe in my “back pocket” for the weeks ahead. It’s already a favorite of mine and my dad’s, and now I’m excited to share this with the rest of the family…very soon! And of course, if you need a quick Monday night dinner that feels comforting, but is still healthy-ish, this is that recipe.
If you make this creamy spinach and artichoke salmon, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Salmon
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 660 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 4 salmon filets, skin on or off (your preference)
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 small shallots, sliced or smashed
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 1/4 cups canned full-fat coconut milk or heavy cream
- 2 ounces cream cheese, cubed
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan or manchego cheese
- 4 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1 (12 ounce) jar marinated artichokes roughly chopped
- juice from 1/2 a lemon
- flaky sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Rub the salmon with paprika, salt, and pepper. 2. Optional: Sear the salmon before baking. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the salmon and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the salmon is seared on 1 side. Remove from the skillet. If using skin-on salmon, sear the skin side. 3. To the same (oven-safe) skillet, add the butter, shallots, and garlic. Cook until the garlic is fragrant, 2 minutes. Add the sage and continue cooking another 2-3 minutes, until the butter is browned and the garlic golden and caramelized. Add the crushed red pepper flakes, coconut milk, and cream cheese. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly until smooth and creamy. Add the parmesan, spinach, and artichokes, and cook until the spinach is wilted, 3-5 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice. Remove from the heat. If desired, remove the smashed garlic. 4. Slide the salmon into the sauce. Transfer to the oven and bake 10-15 minutes or until salmon is cooked through.5. To serve, plate each piece of salmon, then spoon the sauce over top. Serve with flaky sea salt.
Notes
To Prepare Ahead of Time: Skip step 2 completely and do not sear the salmon. Then complete the recipe through step 3. Let the sauce cool, then slide the salmon into the sauce. Chill for up to 1 day ahead of time. When ready to bake, remove the dish from the fridge 30 minutes prior to baking, then bake as directed.
This post was originally published on December 16, 2019
Made this tonight as part of my #coronacooking to cope with anxiety. It was delicious I was literally drinking up the sauce with a spoon! My whole family ate so fast I didn’t get to take a photo.
I am so glad you are loving this recipe, Sheryl! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
I made this last night and it was amazing!! Every recipe of yours that I’ve made has been really good, but this one is my favorite so far!
That is so amazing to hear! Thank you so much Joan! xTieghan
Delicious! I’ve never been able to prepare salmon as a “comfort food” until I found this recipe- I love it!
I am glad this is the first! Thank you Courtney! xTieghan
Delicious and really very simple!!!
Thank you so much Debbie! xTieghan
Having this rt now for Sunday lunch! Really good! Reminds me of a deconstructed spinach artichoke dip w salmon! I’ll def make again:)
Thank you Sue! xTieghan
I never leave reviews but my partner and I can’t stop talking (and subsequently, drooling) over this recipe! We used coconut milk instead of heavy cream, and it was every bit as decadent as we hoped it would be, without all the guilt! Easy enough for a quick weeknight meal, but it felt like a special occasion. We steamed sweet potatoes, and spooned the extra sauce on top….I mean, c’mon. Thanks for this new favorite, Tieghan!!
Hi Becca! Thank you so much for trying this and leaving a comment!! I am so glad you both have been loving this recipe! xTieghan
This is a crowd pleaser. I made it exactly as the recipe states. Next time- I’m doubling the sauce! It’s delicious!
Wow yes!! I am so glad this turned out so well for you Tracy! xTieghan
This dish was amazing!!! My husband absolutely loved it, called it superb! And exactly the “healthy” that we eat… low carb, almost Leto. Thank you for creating all your dishes. You are my “go to” for recipe inspiration!
That is so great to hear! I hope you continue to love my recipes Sharon! xTieghan
This was amazing and so easy to make. Made for the first time for a group of 10 so I was a little nervous..but everyone loved it. There was none left!! Theae recipes definitely taste as good as they look! I will definitely make again!!
Wow that is so great! Thank you for trying this for all of your guests, Cicely! xTieghan
This is my new favourite salmon recipe! So delicious, I made it twice in one week. I’m curious about prepping it ahead of time, it seems I should allow the sauce to cool before adding the salmon and storing in the fridge. Is this correct?
Hi Katie! I would let everything cool, then chill in the fridge. Warm over medium heat! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I am so glad you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
This was delicious! The only thing I changed was that I added sundried tomatoes. So yummy!
I am so glad you loved this! Thank you Christyn! xTieghan
I made this for a dinner party prior to Christmas in NYC ? was an absolute hit !!! I am making again tomorrow night in the Hamptons for new friends ? .. I think they will enjoy it
I hope they do! Thank you Tracey!! xTieghan
I made this for dinner last night and it was absolutely delicious! I tried it with the coconut milk and can happily report that I detected no coconut flavor, nor did my husband. An excellent, relatively easy recipe with lots of flavor. Thanks so much for another winner.
Thank you so much Pamela! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
MDe this last night. What an awesome recipe. And really not too complex or hard once you get going it came together very quickly.
Thank you so much Bruce! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This was SO delicious! I made it yesterday when my parents were visiting and everyone loved it and scarfed it up so fast. It was really easy to make. I went with the heavy cream option, and skipped the searing. New favorite meal to make for company!
That is so great! I am so glad you all loved this, Chelsea! Thank you so much! xTieghan