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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
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.
Im think adding a little shot of white wine would work well in this recipe.
Sure if you’d like:) I hope you love the recipe, let me know if you give it a try! xx
Made this last night just for myself and I could have drank the sauce! Such a great combo of creamy + a bit of tang from the lemon juice. I had extra sauce left over so I meal prepped some chicken and will be topping it with the sauce.
Will definitely be making again, thanks Tieghan!
Hey Nicole,
Fantastic!! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback and giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it turned out well for you! Have a great weekend:)
Why can’t I Pin this? You have a Pinterest page.
Hi Michelle,
I just checked, you can pin this recipe, simply roll your cursor over any photo for the Pinterest “save” button. Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xT
Made this last night, for one. Delicious! I skipped the red pepper flakes because I don’t like them, and I used heavy cream instead of coconut milk. I rubbed the salmon fillet with olive oil and roasted it for 10 minutes at 450, then topped it with the sauce. My salmon fillet was large so I just ate half last night and saved the rest for tonight. I will definitely make this again. I had it with a baked sweet potato, half of which I also saved for today.
Hey Chris,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xx
Great recipe! My husband was so upset I was cooking salmon, but loved it. This will become a regular. Thank you!!
Hi Julie,
Happy Sunday! 🎃 So glad to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for making it and sharing your feedback! xx
I’ve made this thee or four times and it is soooo good! Sometimes though the cream cheese is so hard to melt into the sauce. Any advice for that? Same with other recipes that involve melting the cream cheese even though I will have it at room temperature before hand.
Hey Chloe,
Thanks so much for making this recipe! Next time, try popping the cream cheese in the microwave for a few seconds just to warm through, it should melt better for you! xTieghan
My girlfriend and I make this dish at least once very week or so. Every time so amazing and super easy. We started adding Orzo into the sauce just before adding the Salmon, highly recommend!
Hey Willy,
So glad to hear you and your girlfriend have been enjoying this recipe, thanks for making it so often! xTieghan
The flavors in this dish are amazing! My husband is a picky eater and not a huge fan of salmon. He loved it! He said “This recipe is a keeper!”. Bonus points for such an easy dinner! My sauce was a bit thick and dark. I think I overcooked the butter, garlic and shallots. It still tasted fabulous!
Hey Mary,
Happy Wednesday!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and sharing your review, I love to hear that it was tasty!?
I absolutely loved this recipe!! This was super easy to make, and the whole process beginning to end took around 30 minutes. Everyone who tried a bite enjoyed it and even went back for seconds. I didn’t have cream cheese, so I used greek yogurt instead and thought it tasted fantastic. Can’t wait to make this again.
Hi Stephanie,
Happy Wednesday!? Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was a tasty one! xxT
Will make again and again!
Hi Mallory,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week! xTieghan
May I suggest that skipping the cream cheese (because I didn’t have any) and adding a cup of feta (because I did have some) made this dish pop!!!! So good.
Hi Julie,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for your comment and making this recipe. So glad it hear it was enjoyed! xTieghan
We love this delightful salmon. Served it over orzo with some added parsley. Yum
Hi Mary Ann,
Happy Friday! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback and trying this recipe out! Love to hear that it was enjoyed:) xxTieghan
Do you think i could use unsweetened almond milk? I have everything for this except the coconut milk and would love to not go to the store haha. I have unsweetened almond or oat in my fridge.
Hey Bella,
Sure, any milk that you enjoy will work for you! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
I made this tonight for dinner(weeknight), followed the recipe exactly. It came out so delicious, restaurant quality! It’s an easy recipe to follow but I found it very time consuming for a weeknight meal. But maybe it’s me, I’m not the fastest cook. I like to make sure I’m doing everything right. Give it a try though, you won’t be disappointed!
Hey Cindy,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for trying it out! Sorry this took you longer than expected. ☀️xx
Made this tonight for dinner…WOW! Feels like a fancy dinner for a special occasion and yet so quick and easy! I served it with some roasted baby potatoes and asparagus.
Thank you Tieghan for another amazing meal! My son’s review “Mom, please make this one again!”
Hey Kim,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for trying it out! ☀️xx