This recipe for Seared Salmon and Garlic Cream Sauce is perfect for a quick weeknight meal. All of this comes together in about 20-minutes. This includes the garlic cream sauce as well! Begin with cooking the sauce and while it is simmering, quickly sear the salmon and have dinner ready in a snap!
Ingredients
The garlic cream sauce only has unsalted butter, minced garlic, white wine, heavy cream, lemon juice, grated parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and minced parsley. Conveniently, the salmon can be made while the sauce is simmering.
- Melt the butter in a medium sized sauce pan over medium-high heat, add the minced garlic and sauté for 30-seconds until fragrant.
- Add the white wine to deglaze the pan, bring to a simmer for approximately 5-minutes until reduced by one third. Avoiding alcohol? Exchange the wine for vegetable, chicken or seafood stock.
- Add the heavy cream, lemon juice, parmesan, and simmer for an additional 10-minutes until thickened and sauce coats the back of a spoon. (This is the perfect window to cook the salmon - start it here to have this dish done in 20-minutes!)
- Season to taste with salt and pepper, and garnish with finely minced parsley.
Salmon Searing Technique
The beauty of this recipe lies in the simplicity of the ingredients. The salmon only uses a little bit of oil, salt, pepper and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. The key is to properly cook the salmon to ensure that you have nice crispy skin, and it doesn't dry out. If you follow a few important steps, this is actually very easy process to nail down every time. I like to pat the salmon dry, coat with oil and then season with salt and pepper right before cooking.
The key is to cook the salmon 80-90% of the way through with the skin side down. It is very important to heat the pan of your choosing (stainless steel, carbon steel, or cast iron, etc.) over medium-high heat, then add the oil. Let it sit for a minute or two until the oil comes up to temperature and starts to lightly shimmer, but not smoke. Add the fish and lower the heat to medium, cover the pan and cook until the internal temperature reads 120 - 130°F (for medium-rare to rare) on an instant read thermometer. This should take approximately 6 to 8-minutes for medium sized filets.
At this point, the skin should be crispy and have released from the pan on its own. Sometimes it may take some coaxing to completely release your filets. Using a very thin, metal spatula like this one from Oxo does the trick nicely! Carefully flip and cook the top side of the salmon for an additional 20 to 30-seconds. Remove from the pan, add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and let rest for several minutes before serving.
Did you make this recipe for Seared Salmon and Garlic Cream Sauce?
Let me know in the comments below how yours turned out, and don't forget to leave a rating!
Recipe
Seared Salmon and Garlic Cream Sauce
Equipment
- 1 Large Heavy Bottom Skillet
- 1 Medium Sauce Pan
Ingredients
Salmon
- 4 Medium Sized Salmon Filets
- 1-2 Tablespoon Neutral Oil Olive Oil, Avocado Oil, Etc.
- Kosher Salt & Pepper to Taste
- 4 Lemon Wedges
Garlic Lemon Cream Sauce
- 3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 3 Garlic Cloves Minced
- 1 Cup Dry White Wine Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, etc. - Substitute vegetable, chicken or seafood stock if avoiding alcohol.
- 1½ Cup Heavy Cream
- 1 Oz. Fresh Lemon Juice Juice from ½ of a lemon or 2 tablespoons
- ¼ Cup Parmesan Grated
- 1 Tablespoon Flat Leaf or Italian Parsley Finely Minced
Instructions
Garlic Cream Sauce
- Melt the butter in a medium sized sauce pan over medium-high heat, add the minced garlic and sauté for 30-seconds until fragrant and some color starts to form. Take care to not brown the garlic too much.
- Add the white wine, stirring to deglaze the pan. Bring to a boil and simmer without lowering heat for approximately 5 to 8-minutes until reduced by one third.
- Add the heavy cream, lemon juice, parmesan and simmer for an additional 10-minutes until thickened and sauce coats the back of a spoon. (Start cooking the salmon here).
- Season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with finely minced parsley.
Seared Salmon
- While the sauce is simmering, heat a large, heavy bottom skillet over medium-high heat. Add several tablespoons of a neutral oil and allow to heat up for a minute or two. The oil should lightly shimmer, but not smoke.
- While the pan and oil is heating up, pat your salmon filets dry and coat with a neutral oil of your choosing. Season both sides generously with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.
- Add the filets to the pan, skin side down and lower the heat to medium. Cover the pan and cook until the internal temperature reads 120 - 130°F (for medium to medium-well) on an instant read thermometer. This should take approximately 6 to 8-minutes for medium sized filets.
- Carefully flip and cook the top side of the salmon for an additional 20 to 30-seconds.
- Remove from the pan, add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and let rest for several minutes.
- Top with garlic cream sauce and serve.
Ericka says
Elevate your Salmon! Great sauce!