Have you ever been to Tuscany in Italy? If you haven’t, you’ve likely heard of the area and know that it’s world-renowned for having beautiful surroundings, culture and food in particular. If you can’t travel to Italy, you’ve probably had dishes in other restaurants inspired by cuisine from that region. Even on the more affordable end of things, Olive Garden is notorious for taking Italian recipes and giving them an Americanized flavor. As everyone knows, a deliciously creamy Tuscan sauce can go a long way with seafood and pasta. But we bet you haven’t had it like this before.
Although a creamy Tuscan pasta with shrimp or scallops seems like a common fit, we don’t often apply the sauce to other kinds of seafood. Fortunately, that all changes with this recipe. Today, we’re applying that same delicious Tuscan cream sauce to some salmon steaks and the results are going to be just as delicious as they sound. So let’s get started.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 4 skinned salmon fillets
- 2 teaspoons of olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 6 cloves of diced garlic
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1/3 cup of dry white wine (optional)
- 5 ounces of sun-dried tomatoes in oil (drained)
- 1 3/4 cups of half and half
- 3 cups of baby spinach leaves
- 1/2 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon of cornstarch (optional)
- 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped parsley
- salt
- pepper
Here’s what you do:
1. To begin, heat some oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once your salmon fillets are ready, season them with salt and pepper and sear them in the pan. Cook them for five minutes on each side or until they’re browned to your liking. When they’re ready, take them out of the pan and set them aside.
2. Next, add your butter to the leftover juices in the pan and let it melt. Add in your minced garlic and fry it for about a minute before adding in your diced onion as well. If you’re using wine, add it in at this point and let it reduce slightly. Once it has cooked down, throw in your sun-dried tomatoes and cook them for about one to two minutes as well.
3. Turn your heat down to low and pour in your half-and-half, bringing everything to a gentle simmer. Keep stirring the mixture occasionally and add in salt and pepper to taste. At this point, add in your spinach leaves and let them wilt in the sauce. Throw in your parmesan cheese at this point as well and let it all simmer for another minute or so until everything melts together. If you want to make a thicker sauce, try adding in cornstarch and water to the middle of the pan and simmering while stirring everything together.
4. With your sauce almost ready, add your salmon back into the pan and sprinkle everything with your freshly chopped parsley. Serve by spooning the sauce over each filet—preferably with pasta, rice, noodles or steamed vegetables!
As you can see, this creamy sauce is simple to make and it works just as well with salmon as it does with other seafood dishes like shrimp or scallops. The creamy flavors combine perfectly with one another and complement the salmon almost perfectly. As mentioned, there are a few ways to customize this as well to make it fit your tastes (whether it means a lighter sauce or a sauce without wine).Though you might not want to eat this recipe all the time if you’re watching your calories, this one is sure to be a hit with the whole family.
Have you tried making this recipe yourself? Let us know how it went in the comments below.
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