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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.
We tried this one night when we had friends over for dinner. Everyone raved about it! I did tweak it a bit by doubling the garlic and Parmesan, but that’s how our family’s tastes run. I’m definitely adding it to my recipe book to use again!
Hey Mary Jean,
Wonderful!! I am so so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks a bunch for making it! xT
Really good!! My husband was skeptical when I said what I was making, but he loved it – and so did our 2 & 4 year olds!
Hi Jennifer,
I really appreciate you giving the recipe a try, so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week! xxT
Putting an order in at the fish market and will definitely be making this for tomorrow night’s dinner, looks amazing! What size would you say your filet’s are? Also, could you please share the source for your beautiful serving plate? Thank you! Happy New Year!!
Hey Catherine,
I would say they are about 4 ounces. Sorry, I do not have a link for the plate. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
My family’s new favorite meal, it is amazing thank you so much for sharing!!
Hi Halley,
Thank you so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Merry Christmas!?? xT
I made this with trout (skin on) rather than salmon last night. Excellent! the coconut milk added great flavor and richness, without making the sauce heavy. Great recipe as well as use of my cast iron. Will absolutely be a repeat in this house.
Hey Patti,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xTieghan
So stinkin delicious! I used the canned Parmesan cause that’s all I had and it was just divine. Will try with chicken thighs next tkme!
Hey Ashley,
Awesome! It’s so great to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
A-MAZING! Made this tonight and I could have licked the plate it was so tasty. Thank you! You did it again.
Hi there! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! 🙂 xTieghan
My alltime favorite! We ate it at Christmas as one of the meals to choose from.
Now in the summer we eat it with (courgette) spaghetti and everyone loves it.
It fit’s in a ketogeen diet.
Hey Nathalie,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a go:) xTieghan
Yet another half baked harvest recipe that didn’t disappoint! This was SO good – I did some roasted veggies and quinoa on the side!
Hey Sarah,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, I truly appreciate you giving it a try!!? xTieghan
This is one of my all time favorites as well as my family’s. I made it again last night and everyone loved it!!
I have not had anything I do not love from you!!! Thank you for being such an inspiration in the kitchen. You have great taste.
I guarantee everyone will find this a winner.
Hey Melanie,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a go! xTieghan
Planning on making this dish this week! Should I change anything if I am going to use frozen spinach?
Hey Annie,
Nope, you can follow the recipe as is! I hope you love the dish, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
You may want to thaw and drain the spinach. That would be my only suggestion.
Hi there! Thanks so much for the feedback 🙂 xTieghan
Love this and would like to double it– any suggestions on how to multiply it for more people?
Hey Kayla,
Happy Sunday! I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! You will want to make sure you are using a large enough pan, but you can adjust the serving size on the site and the ingredients will adjust for you. xxTieghan
Awesome dinner! It was a perfect summer time meal served over quinoa. Thank you for being a part of many of our family dinners. 🙂
Hey Shauna,
Awesome! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
This was so very good! And easy! When I first looked at the ingredients, I thought, coconut milk and Parmesan?? It didn’t sound right to me, so I decided I’d use heavy cream. But my heavy cream was bad, so I ended up using coconut milk after all. I should never have doubted you Tieghan! The flavors worked perfectly! Thanks for another great weeknight dinner!
Hey Gina,
Happy Friday!! I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
So excited to try this recipe! Do you have a cocktail or drink that you would recommend pairing with this?
Hey Sarah,
Thanks so much! Here are some cocktails that you might enjoy:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/watermelon-rosemary-frose/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/serrano-pineapple-margarita/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/blackberry-champagne-mule/
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Simply delicious! I served it with rice.
Hey Daniela,
Fantastic!! I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan