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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
Oh my!! Just made this for tonight’s dinner and it was fabulous!! I forgot to buy shallots so I used my leftover onions from the French Onion Apple Grilled Cheese and it was so tasty!! This is the fifth recipe I have tried this week and I am beyond thrilled with every one of them!!
That is so amazing to hear, Melissa! Thank you so much for trying this one! I hope you continue to enjoy my recipes! xTieghan
This recipe was absolutely DELICIOUS! I am giving it 4 stars only because the sauce was way too heavy, I will probably halve the amount of cream and cream cheese next time.
I am really glad you enjoyed this! Thank you Julie! If you have any questions, please let me know! xTieghan
This. was. insane. Unbelievably decadent. Special occasion type food. My husband and I love salmon and can usually both eat more than a 6 oz portion. But this sauce is so rich and dare I repeat decadent that we could hardly finish 6 oz each! This is incredible and I will 1,000% be making this again. I served it with a spinach salad with warm bacon, sautéed pears and a champagne vinagarette. Thank you for this recipe!!!
Hi Christy! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Hi! We do not have an oven (weird I know)… do you have any suggestions on how to finish this up well on stove top? Want to do it justice! Have loved the few recipes I’ve tried. (Turmeric rice chicken one pot was REALLY AMAZING)!!
Hey Rebecca,
I would put a lid over the top and you should be okay finishing it in this way. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Second time making this, one of my husband’s favorites!
Love to hear that! Thank you so much Tracy! xTieghan
LOVED IT! An amazing recipe full of flavour yumminess and creaminess!!!
Thank you so much Xenia! xTieghan
I made this last night. It was wonderful. I think I did something wrong with the sauce because it got kind of “grainy”. But that was something I did wrong. The taste is wonderful and I love the artichokes in this! Very different and wonderful.
Thank you so much Bee! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This was delicious! Thanks for another winner.
Thank you so much Erin!! xTieghan
Absolutely delicious! Followed this recipe exactly tonight and my family said it’s the best meal they ever had and want me to make it again over and over! What an excellent recipe, so tasty and easy to follow and execute. Restaurant worthy!
That is so great to hear! I am so glad you both enjoyed this recipe, Brandie! Thank you! xTieghan
Made this last night for the second time. Turned out great again, served some multi colored short cut pasta on the side and drizzled sauce over it. Totally velvety salmon again.
A delicious recipe. Thank Tiegan.
Thank you Bruce! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I made this for my family and they love it!!! It was really easy (thank you for such easy to follow instructions and simple ingredients!) The red pepper was just the right amount of heat. My 6 year old said, “mmm, its a perfect spicy.” LOL.
Aw! I am so glad this turned out so well for all of you! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
My goodness was this good. My daughters and hubby and I all love salmon so I bought large filets for each of us, which meant I had to bake them on a baking sheet in the oven because they wouldn’t fit in my cast iron with the artichoke sauce. We had a batard bread with it and it was all so amazing. Loved it. Thank you!
Thank you so much Shannon! I am glad this recipe turned out so well for you! I hope you are staying safe and healthy! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan – just started following you from your live gig the Ginger Zee on crispy chicken tacos. We’re still pretty cold here in Michigan so tried your wintery creamy artichoke salmon last night. Husband is a picky eater and he and my daughter loved it!. Might have told him the artichokes were mushrooms… 😉 So, thank you! Planning to make many more of your recipes this week. I don’t like to cook but find your format (clear communication and videos) easy to follow Take care! Lisa
Thank you so much Lisa! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! I hope you are staying well! xTieghan
I don’t even like salmon and I LOVE this!
My husband likes salmon so I thought I would give this recipe a try. So glad I did. Now it’s a staple recipe in our household! Thank you!!!
Thank you so much Lindsey! I am so glad you enjoyed this! xTieghan
This is ridiculously good. I made it for a family dinner and there were audible groans and sighs of delight as people took the first bite. It’s a dish to build a dinner party around because you want to share it with everyone because it is so very good. Thank you for yet another culinary delight!
Thank you so much for trying this! I am so glad it turned out so well for you! xTieghan