One thing I have enjoyed about being home is the time it’s left me to experiment with different ingredients. Some experiments are great, some are complete disasters and then there’s ones like this recipe that make you go “DAMNNN that is good!” I was really excited to put this one up on the blog.
This week I was really craving Tuscan Salmon, but after doing a ton of baking I wanted to skip the heavy cream. I boiled some cauliflower to soften it and threw it in my NutriBullet with some Parmesan, shallot, olive oil, garlic, lemon and seasonings. The sauce came out thick so I thinned it down and simmered it with chicken broth. You can use veggie stock as well for this. If you want to get real ambitious and make your own you can use this recipe here.
It’s important to use the same pan you fry the salmon in to make the sauce. This is where all the flavor is! Melt the butter into the pan after and use it to scrape the brown bits into the onions. You’ll saute the onions, garlic and tomatoes together before adding the cauliflower mixture. I used 1 1/2 cups of broth to thin my sauce down. If you want it a little thinner, continue to add broth until you reach your desired consistency.
The sauce came out just as rich and flavorful as a traditional Tuscan salmon made with cream. The recipe makes enough sauce for 4 salmon fillets, but as you can see pictured I only made 2. I decided to save the rest of my sauce and pour it over baked chicken the next day and it was SO good. Highly recommended if you are just making this for 2 people.
Pan Seared “Tuscan” Salmon with a Creamed Cauliflower Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into pieces
- 1 shallot, chopped
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 salmon fillets (I used skinless)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1½ cups chicken broth (veggie is fine too!)
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 3 cups spinach
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the cauliflower. Cook until softened, around 8-10 minutes. Drain the cauliflower and add to a blender with the shallot, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth, around 30 seconds. Set aside
- Coat a medium pan with olive oil. Turn the heat to medium high. Add the salmon and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side. I try to buy thinner fillets when pan searing. If you have a thicker fillet you may need to cook longer. Remove from the pan and set aside. Do not clean out the pan, you will use the juices for the sauce.
- To the same pan on medium low heat, add the butter and melt. Add the onions and cook until translucent, around 7-8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, around 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes.
- Add the cauliflower mixture to the onions and tomatoes. Stir and then slowly add in the chicken broth ½ cup at a time. Mix well. Add in the spinach. Cover the pan for an additional 5 minutes to wilt the spinach and stir.
- Add the salmon back to the pan and cover in sauce. Serve and enjoy!
Yum! Paired with Oregon Rosé