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Keeping things super quick and very delicious with this Garlic Butter Creamed Spinach Salmon. This one skillet salmon is for those nights when you’re craving something fancy…ish, but need to keep things quick and easy too. It’s all made in one skillet with heart healthy salmon, shallots, garlic, a touch of creamy coconut milk, parmesan cheese, plenty of fresh baby spinach, and spring herbs. Not only is this salmon easy and delicious, but it feels fancy too. Best part? It comes together in less than 30 minutes.
There are some days that I head into the kitchen and I really do not have a clue what I’m going to cook. To be honest, I don’t love to be overly planned out when it comes to the recipes I share. I’ve learned that when I spend a day or two plotting out new recipes, and putting the concepts on my list of recipes to test, that when the time comes to actually make the recipe, I find that I’ve already changed my mind.
What I’ve found most productive is to start each week fresh and only plot recipe concepts every 2-3 days. Any more lead time and I will end up changing my mind and move on from the concept. Yes, I know it sounds crazy, but if something is not exciting me in the moment, I’m not going to create it. Of course, there are some ideas that are just always exciting, and will always make the cut. But then there are also some that just aren’t.
I leave the non-exciting ones behind, and run with the exciting ones…
Anyway, my point in this little behind the scenes peek into my recipe development process, is that I made this garlic butter salmon last week on a whim, and without much thought. It just sounded amazing, so I ran with it and had the recipe tested and ready for photographing in just a couple of hours.
For whatever reason, I was thinking about how much I used to love my mom’s homemade Chicken Florentine. She made it heavy on the butter, lemon, spinach, and parmesan. It’s one of those childhood comfort foods I will always love.
I thought about how delicious that Florentine sauce would be with pan seared, crispy salmon. Once the thought hit, I knew this would be one of the recipes I’d be testing out that day.
I was almost certain it would turn out to be a great recipe to share with you all. So I was very excited about it from the start. Clearly all went as planned, because here it is! And you guys…it’s just as good as it sounds, but better.
And so easy, which I think is always nice on a Monday.
This is another one of my one skillet recipes.
The salmon is pan seared until both sides are perfectly crisp. I love cooking salmon filets with the skin on, as it adds an incredible amount of flavor. Plus the skin is where a lot of the healthy oils are, so there are also additional health benefits. You can certainly use skin-off salmon as well, but I do recommend skin-on for best flavor!
Once you sear the salmon, it’s time to make the sauce. All you need is a pat of butter, shallots, garlic, coconut milk, parmesan, spinach, and herbs. Now, I know the coconut milk may sound odd, but you really don’t taste any coconut flavor. I like to use coconut milk for its creaminess. I find it to be incredibly delicious in cream sauces and prefer it over heavy cream. Bonus that it’s also much healthier!
Slowly cook the garlic until fragrant, then add the milk, spinach, and herbs. I also add plenty of lemon, since that was a key ingredient in my mom’s sauce.
Finish up with some fresh chives and done. It doesn’t even take 30 minutes, and it’s really just one of the most delicious ways you can cook up salmon on a weeknight. The sauce is a touch buttery, a little garlicy, very creamy, and made fresh with the squeeze of a lemon. It’s the perfect pairing to a pan seared, crispy filet of salmon.
Serve this with crusty bread for dipping, baby potatoes, roasted asparagus, a big salad, or maybe even a combo of them all! This makes for a great weeknight meal, but can easily be used as a main course for your next spring or summer dinner party.
And yes, it’s great for Easter too!
If you make this garlic-butter creamed spinach 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 also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Watch the How To Video:
Garlic Butter Creamed Spinach Salmon.
Servings: 4 4
Calories Per Serving: 619 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
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 small shallot, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup canned full-fat coconut milk, or heavy cream
- 2 ounces cream cheese, cubed
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 4 cups fresh baby spinach
- juice from 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives, plus more for serving
Instructions
- 1. Season the salmon all over with salt and pepper. 2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the salmon, skin side down and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the salmon is crisp. Gently flip, and continue cooking the salmon for another 2-3 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked to your liking. Remove from the skillet. If desired, peel away the skin and discard. 3. To the same skillet, add the butter, shallots, and garlic and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. 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, and spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, parsley, and chives. Remove from the heat and slide the salmon back into the sauce. 4. To serve plate each piece of salmon, then spoon the sauce over top. Serve with additional herbs.
This post was originally published on April 8, 2019
This recipe was bomb – can’t wait to make it again!
Thank you Heather! xTieghan
I made this for dinner last night and it’s amazing. I had some leftover asparagus I needed to use up so I added that in too – delicious!
Thank you Camille! xTieghan
The flavor and ease was totally worth it. The sauce had great flavor that enhanced the salmon without masking it. I don’t really care for salmon, but my family really likes it. I will certainly make this again. The only change I made (unintentional) was to substitute white wine for lemon juice-I swear there was a lemon on the counter this afternoon!
Served over risotto-perfect.
Thank you Tim! xTieghan
Bought the ingredients for this the other day, but ended up using the salmon last night in a different application (we just put it on the grill with some asparagus). So tonight armed with all the rest of the ingredients, I made it with boneless pork chops ! Seasoned them with lemon pepper, salt & smoked paprika, fried them up, removed from pan & made the sauce, then nestled them back in to cook al the way through. Such a delicious combo that I can’t wait to try with salmon ! Haha ! Thank you Tieghan !!
Hi Megan! I am so glad you loved this recipe! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
AMAZING. My husband and I chose to make this Salmon dish for a date night in and it was a hit! The coconut milk makes it creamy and pairs well with all the other flavors!
Thank you so much Rebecca! I am so glad you loved this recipe! xTieghan
The sauce is amazing. A wonderful switch from roasting salmon in the oven. Just the sauce itself could be used over pasta or rice. Looking forward to making this again!
Thank you Denise! xTieghan
Wow, we eat a lot of salmon and I think it’s safe to say this was one of our favourite dishes ever! Looks impressive and tastes gorgeous too! Will be a firm family favourite for sure. Huge thanks for sharing your wonderful skill with food and helping me educate my twin 12 year old girls about the importance of cooking and eating good tasty healthy food! I’ve made so many of your dishes and can’t wait to try more ?
That is so amazing to hear!! Thank you so much Maxine! xTieghan
Looks and sounds scrumptious…and forget weekday… this has special meal weekend status! Just one question: doesn’t the lemon juice curdle the cream, or does that only happen with dairy cream?
Hey Anne! I like to add the lemon juice towards the end of cooking so I do not have any issues with it cuddling. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Made this tonight- amazing flavour, quick and simple. Substituted a spoonful of natural yoghurt at the end instead of the cream cheese as didn’t have it in the fridge and it worked well, thank you!
Thank you so much Diedre! I am so glad you liked this! xTieghan
My husband licked his plate so clean that I almost put it back into the cupboard – I probably would have if I hadn’t recognized the same look from my own plate! This was so great – thank you so much.
Wow! So amazing! Thank you for trying this Kristin! xTieghan
This recipe was absolutely fantastic. One of our favorites ever! Wouldn’t change a thing. Thank you. (ps, one thing I might change is make sure to mention when to add the parmesan 🙂
Thank you! I will definitely update that, Jenny! I am so glad you enjoyed this! xTieghan
oh yuuuuum, i do love salmon but never cooked it this way
I hope you try it! Thank you Ruth! xTieghan
This recipe came at the perfect time. I had salmon filets and needed a new way to try them. Loved the coconut milk as a healthier alternative for cream sauce and so did my family! Delicious
*The instructions didn’t say when to add the Parmesan Cheese so I guessed and added it to the sauce after the spinach (????)
Hey Zooey! So glad you loved this recipe! I fixed the parmesan, but you added it at the right time! 🙂 Please let me know if you have any other questions. Again, so glad you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
So gorgeous, this is my dream dinner idea! 🙂
Thank you Laura! xTieghan
Florentine Sauce and Salmon!! What an amazing combination. And I do love your idea of using coconut milk for a healthier alternative. As ALWAYS, your photos are AMAZING! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much Linger!! xTieghan