Tuscan Salmon

Impress everyone with this creamy Tuscan Salmon! It might just be the best salmon recipe ever, made in just 30…

A Couple Cooks – Recipes worth repeating.

Impress everyone with this creamy Tuscan Salmon! It might just be the best salmon recipe ever, made in just 30 minutes.

Tuscan Salmon

There are salmon recipes and then there’s this creamy Tuscan salmon. It might result in a few marriage proposals, which is why we also like to call it “Marry Me Salmon!” The tender fish is bathed in a luscious cream sauce with garlic, sun dried tomatoes, spinach, and capers, making each bite bright, salty, and luxurious. It tastes restaurant-style, but it’s easy to whip up at home in just 30 minutes. Honestly, it might be the best salmon recipe we’ve made!

Ingredients in this Tuscan salmon recipe

We’re not exaggerating when we say this is one of the best salmon recipes we’ve made. Multiple friends and family have tried it and can’t stop raving, then immediately ask for the recipe! This is the one we pull out to impress at dinner parties and for entertaining. Each ingredient here packs a flavor punch, so no substitutions. Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Protein: Salmon fillets, skin on and 1 to 1 ½ inches thick
  • Pantry: Olive oil, garlic powder, salt, pepper
  • Dairy: Salted butter, milk, heavy cream, Parmesan cheese
  • Fresh ingredients: Garlic, spinach, lemon (for garnish)
  • Special ingredients: Sun dried tomatoes, capers
Tuscan Salmon recuoe

Buying high-quality salmon is key

The most important thing for a great salmon recipe is a buying high quality fillets of salmon. Lower quality salmon can taste very fishy and have a mushy texture. It can also have a lot of white stuff (called albumin) when it’s cooked. While it’s not harmful, it doesn’t look appetizing! Here’s what to know when shopping for salmon:

  • 1 to 1 1/2-inch thick fillets are good for this recipe; you might find it labeled center cut at the store. Thicker fillets can take longer to cook and are slightly harder to pan fry since they can become blackened before they’re cooked on the inside.
  • Look for wild caught salmon. Fish that is wild caught in your country is usually a sustainable choice. (There are also quality options in well-regulated farms; see Seafood Watch Consumer Guide.)
  • Buy fresh salmon. Salmon that’s fresh from the fish counter usually has the best flavor. Frozen can work, but try to find highest-quality frozen salmon. Avoid big economy-sized bags, which have thinner fillets that can taste fishy.

Avoiding the white stuff

Ever noticed the white stuff that oozes to the top of some salmon recipes when cooking it? It is coagulated protein that seeps to the surface called albumin. The amount of albumin varies depending on the fish. We’ve bought certain varieties of salmon that have little to no albumin when cooked, but others that consistently have it ooze out.

There’s one thing we’ve found that helps: brining the salmon. In a side by side test, we found it helped to reduce the albumin in two similar fillets. (Keep in mind it did not reduce all of the albumin, so to fully reduce it you have to find a grocery store or other source for salmon that reliably has no white stuff.) Here’s what to do:

  • In a large shallow dish, whisk together 4 cups room temperature water and 3 tablespoons kosher salt until dissolved.
  • Place the salmon in the water and wait for 15 minutes.
Creamy Tuscan Salmon in pan

Making Tuscan salmon for a crowd

This Tuscan salmon recipe is perfect for impressing guests, whether it’s for a dinner party or a holiday like Christmas or Valentine’s Day. It’s pan seared, so you can cook as many fillets as fit in a large skillet. If you want to increase the serving size for this recipe for serving a crowd, you can do it two ways:

  • Pan sear the salmon in batches. Sear a double version of the salmon in batches.
  • Bake the salmon. Use the method in this Baked Salmon recipe, but season with the quantities of garlic powder, salt and pepper in the recipe below. For a crispy top similar to pan searing, broil for 2 minutes at the end of the bake time.
  • Make a large amount of the sauce in a skillet, then pour it into each fillet. Re-warm the salmon if necessary, then top with the creamy sauce right before serving.
Tuscan Salmon

Leftover storage

This Tuscan salmon recipe stores well, if you do end up having leftovers! (We rarely do.) Store in a sealed container for up to 3 days, refrigerated. Re-warm in a skillet over medium heat until warmed through. If the sauce becomes dried out, add a splash of milk or cream or a pat of butter.

More salmon recipes

Salmon is always a hit around here! Here are a few more salmon recipes to enjoy:

This Tuscan salmon recipe is…

Gluten-free and pescatarian.

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Tuscan Salmon

Creamy Tuscan Salmon


  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutese
  • Total Time: 30 minute
  • Yield: 4

Description

Impress everyone with this creamy Tuscan Salmon! It might just be the best salmon recipe ever, made in just 30 minutes.


Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds or 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, wild caught if possible, about 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick
  • 1 ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • Fresh ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons salted butter
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • ¼ cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons capers, drained
  • ¾ cup heavy cream
  • ¼ cup milk
  • 2 cups baby spinach, loosely packed
  • Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
  • 2 lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions

  1. Allow the salmon to come to room temperature for 15 minutes (or brine it*). Pat the salmon dry with a clean towel. Rub it generously with olive oil and sprinkle it with 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt, the garlic powder, and a few grinds of black pepper.
  2. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add the olive oil. Add the salmon skin side up and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until cooked about halfway to the center of the thickest part of the salmon.
  3. Reduce to medium heat and flip the salmon (a fish spatula makes easy work of it). Tilt the pan down slightly and quickly spoon the pan juices over the top of the fish a few times. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, continuously spooning the butter over the salmon. Cook until just tender and pink at the center (the internal temperature should be between 125 to 130°F in the center when removed).
  4. Remove the salmon to a plate and set aside. Drain the pan of any liquid and quickly wipe it out with a paper towel. 
  5. Place the pan over low heat and melt the butter. Then add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute until the garlic is lightly browned and fragrant. Add the capers, cream, milk, and remaining ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. Simmer for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 minute, then return the salmon to the pan and warm it for 2 minutes, spooning the sauce over the salmon.
  6. Serve topped with the sauce and grated Parmesan cheese.

Notes

*To help reduce the white stuff (albumin) that can ooze from salmon when it’s cooked, we recommend brining the salmon to bring it to room temperature. In a large shallow dish, whisk together 4 cups room temperature water and 3 tablespoons kosher salt until dissolved. Place the salmon in the water and wait for 15 minutes.

  • Category: Main dish
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Seafood
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Keywords: Tuscan salmon, tuscan salmon recipe, salmon tuscan, creamy tuscan salmon

A Couple Cooks - Recipes worth repeating.

Sun Dried Tomato Pasta

This sun dried tomato pasta is creamy, cozy, and a crowd-pleasing dinner idea! This recipe is simple to make with…

A Couple Cooks – Recipes worth repeating.

This sun dried tomato pasta is creamy, cozy, and a crowd-pleasing dinner idea! This recipe is simple to make with maximum wow-factor.

Sun Dried Tomato Pasta

You know those recipes where people rave and only you know the secret that it’s actually easy to make? That’s the case with this Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Pasta! There’s major wow-factor but this pasta comes together in under 30 minutes. Earthy, fruity sundried tomatoes lend a meaty quality to this vegetarian pasta, which is bathed in a Parmesan cream sauce. We couldn’t stop raving about each bite!

Ingredients in sun dried tomato pasta

This sun dried tomato pasta comes together in about 30 minutes, with only one ingredient to chop. That’s right, all you need to do is mince garlic! Otherwise, it’s a matter of simmering up a simple sundried tomato cream sauce and boiling a pot of pasta. Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Short pasta (we used rigatoni)
  • Butter
  • Garlic
  • Milk
  • Flour
  • Heavy cream
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Sun dried tomatoes, packed in oil
  • Spinach
  • Fresh or dried thyme
  • Salt

Got leftover sundried tomatoes? They’re great in this Sundried Tomato Pesto or tucked into a Pesto Grilled Cheese.

Sun Dried Tomato Pasta

Other types of pasta to use

This sundried tomato pasta recipe works with any type of pasta noodle, but we like it best with short cut pasta. Short cut pasta makes it easy to get perfect distribution of sundried tomatoes, spinach, and bites of chewy pasta. However, you’re welcome to make it with long noodles too! Here are a few varieties we’d recommend:

Sun Dried Tomato Pasta

Cook the pasta to al dente

The most important part of this sun dried tomato pasta recipe? Cook your pasta to al dente. Al dente means “to the bite” in Italian, and signifies to cook until it’s tender with a small white speck inside when you bite into a piece. There’s nothing worse than soft, rubbery pasta. Here are a few tips for the perfect al dente pasta:

  • Boil the pasta a few minutes less than indicated on the package instructions. Often package instructions make for overcooked pasta.
  • Start taste testing early. Start taste testing and stop cooking when the pasta is just tender but you can still see a small white speck inside.

Tips for making sun dried tomato pasta

Besides cooking your pasta to al dente, here are a few things to note about this sundried tomato pasta:

  • If the pasta finishes before the sauce, drain and stir with a drizzle of olive oil. This prevents the pasta from sticking to the pan.
  • You’ll add flour as a thickener after simmering the sauce. A standard cheese or cream sauce starts with a roux, a mixture of flour and butter that thickens cheese sauces. This sauce is a little different: it does contain flour as a thickener, but you’ll add it at the end of simmering.
  • For a gluten-free version, use cornstarch and GF pasta. There are lots of great brands of gluten-free pasta these days, made from gluten-free flour or legumes like chickpeas.
Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

Protein adders

This sundried tomato pasta is a delicious vegetarian pasta that’s filling and satisfying! However, if you want to add protein it’s very easy to add the following:

Leftovers and storage info

Sundried tomato pasta tastes the best the day it is made. But unlike many pasta recipes, this one tastes great as leftovers! Store leftovers for up to 3 days refrigerated. You can reheat them in a skillet on the stove, adding a splash of milk to keep the sauce creamy. Or you can simply eat it cold (it’s still good!).

More easy pasta recipes

Love a good pasta? Here are some tasty more pasta recipes that make fast and easy dinner ideas or fun pasta side dishes:

This sun dried tomato pasta recipe is…

Vegetarian. For gluten-free, use cornstarch and gluten-free pasta.

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Sun Dried Tomato Pasta

Sun Dried Tomato Pasta


  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4

Description

This sun dried tomato pasta is creamy, cozy, and a crowd-pleasing dinner idea! This recipe is simple to make with maximum wow-factor.


Ingredients

  • 8 ounces pasta of any type (we used rigatoni)
  • 2 tablespoons salted butter
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 cup milk
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • ½ cup sun dried tomatoes packed in oil (julienne-cut), drained
  • 3 to 5 cups (3 to 5 ounces) baby spinach or roughly chopped fresh spinach
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Instructions

  1. Start a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and boil until al dente (check a few minutes before the package instructions indicate). When cooked, drain the pasta. If it finishes before the sauce, toss with a drizzle of olive oil to prevent sticking.
  2. Meanwhile, heat a large saute pan or saucepan over medium low heat. Melt the butter, then add the garlic and thyme and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute until the garlic is lightly browned and fragrant. Add the milk, heavy cream and Parmesan cheese and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the cheese has melted and it thickens slightly. Add the sun dried tomatoes, spinach, and salt and cook 2 to 3 minutes more, until the spinach is wilted.
  3. In a small bowl, mix the flour with 2 tablespoons water. Pour it into the pan with the sauce, then stir until it thickens. Cook 2 minutes more.
  4. Add the drained pasta and stir to combine. Stir in a few grinds of fresh ground black pepper if desired. Serve immediately. Leftovers last refrigerated for up to 3 days. 
  • Category: Main dish
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Vegetarian
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Keywords: Sun dried tomato pasta, sundried tomato pasta, creamy sun dried tomato pasta

A Couple Cooks - Recipes worth repeating.

Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

This sun dried tomato pesto is a tasty dip or spread! Made with just 6 ingredients, it’s an easy recipe…

A Couple Cooks – Recipes worth repeating.

This sun dried tomato pesto is a tasty dip or spread! Made with just 6 ingredients, it’s an easy recipe that’s bursting with flavor.

Sun dried tomato pesto

Need a dip idea that doubles as a sandwich spread? This sun dried tomato pesto is bursting with so much zippy flavor, you’ll want to put it on everything! Dip it with with toasted or grilled bread or crackers, and it’s a burst of savory, sweet, tangy, and herby all at once. All you need are a handful of ingredients to whip up a batch. Store it in the fridge and it’s one of those essential recipes that keep on giving: use it as a sandwich spread, pasta sauce, and more!

Ingredients in sun dried tomato pesto

Sun dried tomato pesto is always a major hit in our household when we make a batch, so we’re extra excited to share it with you. We could not stop dragging our bread slices through the lovely red puree. The flavor is a pop of bright acidity, contrasted with the rich savory undertones of the sun dried tomatoes. Make it for friends and they won’t be able to tear themselves away from the bowl! Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe:

  • Pine nuts
  • Sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained
  • Garlic
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Fresh parsley
  • Olive oil
  • Salt
Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

Pine nuts are essential (plus, a substitute)

Pine nuts are the star in traditional Italian basil pesto: they have a unique sweet undertone that is essential to the overall flavor. If you can find them, they’re fantastic in sun dried tomato pesto, too. The way the nut blends with the chewy tomatoes is heavenly.

However, pine nuts can be very expensive here in the US. Want a pine nut substitute? Try cashews, which have a slightly sweet flavor as well. Walnuts also work, though they have more of a bitter aftertaste.

Tips for making sun dried tomato pesto

This sun dried tomato pesto recipe is simply a matter of blending a few ingredients together. It’s quick and simple and takes only a few minutes to whiz together. Here are a few notes:

  • Toast the nuts first. Toasting pine nuts brings out their nutty flavor in a way that’s impossible to detect without applying heat. It brings out the flavor like adding a pinch of salt does to savory recipes.
  • The best tool for the job? A food processor. Use a large food processor to whiz the ingredients together in a flash.
  • Or, use a mortar and pestle. Don’t have a food processor? You can also use an old school mortar and pestle to grind this pesto into a paste.
Sun Dried Tomato Pesto recipe

Storage info

This sun dried tomato pesto recipe lasts up to 2 weeks stored in the refrigerator. While you can freeze it for up to 3 months, the texture, consistency and flavor are all better prior to freezing. So if you can, eat it while it’s fresh!

Ways to use sun dried tomato pesto

Speaking of…what are the best ways to eat sun dried tomato pesto? We like it best as a dip with grilled bread. However, it’s also tasty as a sandwich spread or even as a pasta sauce! Here are a few ideas:

More pesto recipes

There are many more ways to make pesto: the traditional basil and other creative spins! Here are some of our favorite pesto recipes:

This sun dried tomato pesto recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free.

Print
Sun dried tomato pesto

Sun Dried Tomato Pesto


  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: About 1 ½ cups

Description

This sun dried tomato pesto is a tasty dip or spread! Made with just 6 ingredients, it’s an easy recipe that’s bursting with flavor.


Ingredients

  • ½ cup pine nuts*
  • 1 8.5 ounce jar sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained
  • 2 medium garlic cloves, peeled
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 handful fresh parsley
  • ¼ cup olive oil, plus additional as needed
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

  1. In a small dry skillet, toast the nuts over medium high heat, stirring constantly, for about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the nuts to a bowl and allow them to cool slightly.
  2. In food processor**, add the garlic and process for a few seconds until chopped. Add the drained sundried tomatoes, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, parsley, olive oil, and kosher salt. Process until ground into a paste, about 30 seconds.
  3. Once combined, tastes. Blend in a bit more olive oil if desired, to achieve a looser texture. Stores for 2 weeks in the refrigerator (or freeze for up to 3 months, but the texture is best when refrigerated).

Notes

*You can substitute cashews for a similar flavor, though we like it best with pine nuts.

**Alternatively, you can also use a mortar and pestle.

  • Category: Dip
  • Method: No Cook
  • Cuisine: Italian inspired
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Keywords: Sun dried tomato pesto

A Couple Cooks - Recipes worth repeating.