Creamy Garlic Salmon
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A delicious one pan Creamy Garlic Salmon recipe that is so easy to make. Salmon gets seared until crispy and topped with a yummy sauce!
This Creamy Garlic Salmon is secretly easy meal to make that feels fancy and restaurant quality.
Searing the salmon skin side down provides a crunchy salmon skin, and making a simple garlic creamy sauce makes this dinner feel rich and decadent.
Perfect for a date night at home, or a quick weeknight meal.
Tyler’s Tips for the Best Creamy Garlic Salmon
- A hot pan coated in olive oil is the key to achieving a crispy salmon skin that tastes delicious with this easy garlic cream pan sauce. Salmon is meant to be cooked skin side down in a hot pan about 90% of the way through, we flip the salmon to finish the cooking process and provide a gentle brown to the other side.
Ingredients:
substitutions
Olive Oil: You could use avocado oil, but we really recommend extra virgin olive oil
Fish: Salmon is ideal for this recipe; you can use fresh or frozen salmon and use it with skin on or off, depending on your preferences. If salmon isn’t available, try making this with halibut, tilapia, shrimp, or even scallops.
Seasonings: The combination of salt, black pepper, paprika, and thyme mesh really nicely with fish, but almost any type of fish seasoning blend can work well. Feel free to use a pre-made spice blend for fish.
Butter: Swap the butter for ghee, tallow, or coconut oil if you’re looking for a dairy-free option.
Flour: Whole wheat flour gives us just enough starch to thicken the sauce; regular flour or a gluten-free flour should work as well, but we have not tested this with almond or oat flour yet.
Garlic: Garlic powder can be used in place of fresh garlic, and it can be omitted if needed.
Broth: Any broth or stock (broth and stock are the same) can be used in any soup recipe. Beef Broth, Chicken Broth, or vegetable broth all work interchangeably. I always use low or no salt broth.
Cheese: The Parmesan cheese gives this cream sauce just the right flavor, but feel free to swap it with cheddar or Asiago cheese. We have not tried dairy-free cheese options, but they might be able to work in this recipe.
Rice: White rice as a base for the salmon and the cream sauce is ideal, but brown rice, quinoa, or even pasta would work.
How to Make Creamy Garlic Salmon
- Season salmon with spices, then cook in a skillet in olive oil over medium-high heat for 5 minutes skin-side down and 2 minutes on the other side until lightly browned.
- Set the salmon aside skin side up to keep the skin crispy, then lower the heat to medium-low. Add butter and garlic, sauté for 2 minutes until lightly browned, then whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
- Slowly whisk in milk and broth until thickened. Turn the heat off and whisk in Parmesan cheese until combined and slightly thickened. (Optional: You can add 2 cups of chopped fresh spinach to the sauce at the very end.)
What to Serve with Creamy Garlic Salmon
Try serving this salmon with this lemony asparagus, a side of green beans, or with these roasted garlic brussels sprouts.
You can also add fresh spinach to the sauce at the very end.
storage
Storing: This salmon with cream sauce will last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
Freezing: We do not recommend freezing this recipe.
Reheating: You can reheat this recipe in the microwave, toaster oven, oven or on the stove.
Creamy Garlic Salmon
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pound salmon filets
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup whole milk room temperature
- ½ cup low sodium chicken broth
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup uncooked rice
Instructions
- Season salmon with salt, pepper, paprika, and dried thyme on both sides.
- Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat.
- Lay the seasoned salmon filets skin side down, facing away from you into the sauté pan. Cook for 5 minutes or until the skin begins to brown. Flip and cook for 2 minutes or until gently browned on the top.
- While the salmon is browning, prepare the rest of the ingredients including the rice. Cook the rice according to the directions on the package. Rice cooking time will vary depending on what type of rice you use.
- Once cooked, remove the salmon from the pan and set aside skin side up to maintain that crispy salmon skin. Reduce the heat to medium low.
- Add the salted butter and garlic to the pan. Sauté for 2 minutes until lightly browned.
- Add the whole wheat flour to the pan and whisk together with the garlic and butter. Cook for 1 minute.
- Slowly add the room temperature whole milk and chicken broth to the pan, whisking together for about 2 minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken.
- Turn the heat off and add parmesan cheese to the pan. Whisk together until combined and slightly thickened.
- Optional: You can add 2 cups of chopped fresh spinach to the sauce at the very end.
- Plate your cooked rice and top with salmon skin side up, pour sauce over the top of the salmon and enjoy!
Notes
If your sauce looks too thin, add a little more flour. If it looks a little too thick, add a bit more room temperature liquid.
