This pan seared salmon with creamed spinach is topped with a creamy herb sauce and is all made in one pan for an easy weeknight dinner.
- Prep Time:
10 mins - Cook Time:
15 mins - Total Time:
25 mins
There’s no question that my family’s opinion on a recipe is the biggest factor in determining whether a given recipe will end up on the blog or not. Dishes with flavorful sauces likes this mahi-mahi with Thai coconut curry sauce always tend to fare well with the judges/kids. Given how much my youngest daughter loved the sauce in this creamy salmon and spinach dish meant this recipe was a shoo-in. The fact that there’s spinach in the dish was a huge bonus. Getting her to eat spinach can be a challenge.
A quick look at my recipe index showed that the last time I met that challenge was a year ago with the lemon gnocchi with spinach and peas recipe. So, yes, I’m excited about this one. The fact that it can be done in 30 minutes or less, is a one-pan dish, has a healthy protein, and requires me to chop only one ingredient is a win-win for everyone.
What’s the Special Sauce?
Cheese. Cheese is the secret, my friends. Not just one but two.
First, there’s the Boursin cheese. It’s a creamy soft cheese that melts beautifully into the sauce. The garlic & fine herbs in the cheese means you don’t have to chop any yourself which means less prep time.
I wish I could say that this post was sponsored by Boursin but I can’t. We just like it a lot and always have some in our fridge. You will only need a 1/4 cup of Boursin for this recipe. You can save the rest for another time or serve the extra with crackers for a pre-dinner appetizer.
The second cheese is some freshly grated Parmesan. It’s important to freshly grate the Parmesan cheese to have a smooth sauce. Pre-grated cheese is usually coated in something to prevent clumping (like cellulose powder) which will affect the texture of the sauce.
This recipe makes plenty of creamy sauce. I love to coat each bite of salmon in the sauce. If that’s not your style, some cooked orzo or crusty bread would be great to sop up the extra sauce. Or feel free to throw in more spinach to boost the veggie factor.
One Pan Creamy Salmon and Spinach
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Description
This pan seared salmon with creamed spinach and topped with a creamy sauce is all made in one pan for an easy weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
- 4 skin-on salmon fillets, 1 to 1-1/4 pounds total
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions, plus more for garnish
- 1/4 cup cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup Boursin garlic and fine herbs cheese, room temperature (see Notes)
- 6 ounces baby spinach
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (see Notes)
Instructions
- Season salmon. Pat salmon fillets dry on both sides with a paper towel then season with salt and pepper.
- Cook salmon. Heat butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Tilt and rotate the pan so the butter evenly coats the bottom of the pan. When the pan is hot, carefully add the salmon skin side down. Cook, undisturbed, for about 4-5 minutes and the salmon flesh looks opaque about 1/2 way up the sides. Carefully flip the salmon and cook for 3-4 minutes more or until the salmon is cooked to your liking (about 120 degrees F internal temperature for medium rare). Transfer the salmon to 4 plates. Set aside.
- Make sauce. To the same pan, add green onions and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in cream, milk, and Boursin cheese. Bring mixture to a low simmer over medium heat. Cook, continuing to stir, until cheese is melted and sauce is just thick enough for a spoon or spatula to leave thin tracks in the pan.
- Cook spinach. Add spinach and toss with tongs until the spinach is wilted. Add parmesan cheese. Continue tossing until spinach is evenly coated, parmesan cheese is melted and sauce has thickened slightly.
- Serve. Divide the spinach among the 4 servings, spooning sauce over the spinach and salmon. Garnish with chopped green onions if desired.
Notes
- Boursin cheese is usually in the deli section of most grocery stores.
- Be sure to freshly grate the Parmesan cheese to get the smoothest sauce.
Kennedy says
I made a some small adjustments to the recipe and loved how it turned out: 1) I used lemon herb butter instead of regular unsalted 2) I used cottage cheese instead of milk and cream for the sauce and 3) I seasoned the salmon with white pepper and Trader Joe’s citrus garlic seasoning 4) I served it over brown rice with a squeeze of fresh lemon
Nguyet Vo says
I love your adjustments! I would never have thought that cottage cheese would work in the sauce. I am so happy you loved the recipe.
Chieboy Sillona says
looks good! may I ask though, as we don’t have a lot of things here in the Philippines, what is a good alternative to boursin cheese?
Nguyet says
You could use cream cheese and add in some extra garlic and herbs. I hope that helps. Thanks!
Abigail says
Absolutely Delicious! Made for my mum and boyfriend and they loved it! Served it with homemade sweet potato fries! Thanks for sharing such a yummy recipe 🙂
Nguyet says
Aw thank you so much, Abigail! Thank you for trying the recipe and for coming back to share your review.
Danielle Schrader says
We just recently got our first share of Sitka Salmon and I was browsing to find a good recipe for the fish. I just happened upon this website and decided to give it a try. I am a boursin die hard so of course the recipe was an eye catcher. WOW!! I absolutely love this recipe. I have made this twice already. Tonight I am making it a pasta dish. I am making the recipe as is and just adding some fettuccini, some garlic toast and a tossed salad.
LOVE IT!!!
Nguyet says
What a compliment Danielle! Thank you so much for your kind words. I am so happy the recipe was a winner for you!
Alea says
This was so quick and easy! I only had salmon without skin so I used that and added crushed red pepper at the end. Everything else I did exactly as the recipe instructed and it was a hit! Thanks for sharing!
Taming of the Spoon says
Thanks so much, Alea! I’m so happy you loved the recipe.