Pan Seared Creamy Tuscan Salmon | A Fancy but Easy Dinner!rn (2024)

This flaky and buttery tuscan salmon with a creamy white wine sauce will make your weeknights feel like fancy dinner outings. It’s packed with pan seared salmon, juicy cherry tomatoes, garlic, and spinach for a mouthwatering Italian bite.

Table of Contents

• Why You’ll Love This Tuscan Salmon Recipe
• What You’ll Need
• Fresh vs Frozen Salmon
• How to Make Pan Seared Creamy Tuscan Salmon
• Tips for Success
• What to Serve with Tuscan Salmon
• More Easy Salmon Recipes
• Get the Recipe

Why You’ll Love This Tuscan Salmon Recipe

This fancy but easy tuscan salmon is so good it can make an appearance on weeknights, holidays, and special gatherings.

• Dairy-free. The rich and creamy sauce is made with coconut-milk for a dairy-free dinner.
• Quick. Everyone has time for a 40-minute meal! You can also get a head-start by prepping the ingredients in advance.
• One-pan. This recipe is perfect for easy clean-up because it comes together in the same pan.
• Family-friendly. Swap the wine for veggie stock to make this a family-friendly dinner.

What You’ll Need

Cherry tomatoes, fragrant garlic, and coconut milk are the base for this tuscan salmon recipe. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact amounts.

• Salmon filets – Use skin-on or skinless.
• Seasonings – Salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
• Grape seed oil – Feel free to use olive, avocado, or coconut oil.
• Unsalted butter – Reduce the salt in the rest of the recipe if you use salted butter.
• Garlic – Garlic powder is a good swap.
• Sweet onion – White or yellow onions are fine.
• White wine – Sauvignon blanc is my favorite for this. For an alcohol-free dish, use veggie stock.
• Cherry tomatoes – Don’t use regular tomatoes because they’re too large and meaty.
• Baby spinach – You can use regular chopped spinach too.
• Coconut milk – Full-fat helps with a thicker sauce, but low-fat works as well.
• Lemon juice – Lime juice is a good swap but reduce the amount by half.
• Fresh basil – Reduce the amount by half if you use dried basil.

Fresh vs Frozen Salmon

Frozen salmon is just about deciding whether you want it with skin on or not, but there are more things to watch out for when it comes to fresh salmon:

• Check the color. Fresh salmon should look bright orange or pink, not beige (almost like cooked salmon). If it’s pale, avoid it at all costs.
• Look at the eyes. They should look shiny, not sunk-in. Once they begin to dry out and sink in, it means the fish is no longer fresh.
• Check the gloss. The flesh should look naturally buttery and glossy, not opaque.

How to Make Pan Seared Creamy Tuscan Salmon

Deglazing is a “fancy” technique that’s actually quite easy and adds great flavor to any sauce. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for more detailed instructions.

• Prep the salmon. Remove the salmon fillets from the fridge 15 minutes before cooking. Season both sides generously with salt and pepper.

• Sear it. Preheat a pan over medium-high heat. Pour grape seed oil into the pan and place the salmon flesh-side down. Cook the salmon for 5 minutes on each side. Remove it from the pan and set it aside.
• Cook the garlic and onions. Add butter to the pan and let it melt. Add garlic, sautéing for 30 seconds while stirring continuously. Throw in the onions and sauté until translucent.

• Deglaze the pan. Pour in white wine, scraping off any brown bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and red pepper flakes.
• Add the veggies. Introduce the cherry tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes or until they burst. Add spinach and sauté it until wilted.

• Finish the sauce. Pour in the coconut milk, stir, and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add lemon juice and fresh basil, stirring to combine.
• Serve. Return the salmon to the pan, remove the pan from the heat, and serve immediately.

Tips for Success

This creamy tuscan salmon will look straight out of a fine-dining kitchen as long as you don’t over-cook the sauce.

• Use dairy. Swap the coconut milk in the recipe for heavy cream or half-and-half if no one’s lactose intolerant.
• Add pasta. Boil your favorite short pasta and mix it into the sauce for a 2-in-1 dinner combo.
• Make it spicy. Add chili oil to taste to increase the heat.
• Watch the sauce. Remove the pan from the heat when the recipe indicates because over-cooking can make the sauce split.
• Add mushrooms. Sauteed mushrooms are a great way to add more flavor and texture to each bite.
• Up the umami. Finely chop 1-2 sun-dried tomatoes and mix them in along with 1 tablespoon of their oil to increase the umami in the dish.
• Ask the fishmonger. If you can’t find skinless fresh salmon, ask the fishmonger to remove the skin for you to cut down on prep time.
• Choose the right wine. It needs to be a dry white wine. Sweet ones will clash with the flavors and make the recipe taste funny.

What to Serve with Tuscan Salmon

This tuscan salmon is the perfect dinner with Italian-inspired salads and simple veggie sides. Pair it with my Tomato Panzanella Salad or Italian Grinder Salad for something light and refreshing. My Cucumber Tomato Feta Salad and Simple Arugula Salad are other great options. For veggie sides, go for my Air Fryer Asparagus or Air Fryer Green Beans. Dipping my Garlic Parmesan Fries into the sauce is also something we love to do!

How to Store & Reheat Leftovers

This recipe isn’t freezer-friendly because the creamy sauce will split, but you can definitely prep it for the week and refrigerate it.

• Fridge: Refrigerate the cooled leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Don’t store it longer because salmon spoils very easily. If the sauce begins to taste sour or the salmon smells off, discard it immediately.
• To reheat it: Sprinkle it with 1 teaspoon water or coconut milk and microwave it for up to a minute. You can also heat it in a pan over medium-high heat for 7-8 minutes with the lid on.

More Easy Salmon Recipes

• Pan Seared Salmon with Sage Brown Butter Sauce
• Honey Glazed Salmon
• Cedar Plank Salmon
• Salmon Cakes with Lemon Dill Yogurt Sauce
• Blackened Air Fryer Salmon Bites with Garlic Honey Butter

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