Tuscan Salmon with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

With a delicious creamy sauce with a hint of garlic, this salmon recipe is one of my favorites, creamy salmon with spinach, garlic and sun-dried tomatoes. The intensity of the garlic and the sun-dried tomato provide the ideal flavor and depth to make this creamy salmon a very tasty dish.

The Tuscan salmon is often seen with roasted peppers. In my version, I use sun-dried tomatoes; I love them because they give the recipe the intensity needed for a strong cream flavor to stand out.

The recipe is really simple and to make it you will only need a frying pan. I make it in a cast-iron pan, in a Le Creuset tall skillet, for 100% natural cooking. One pan, a love of cooking and the step-by-step I detail below.

High Skillet pan 26cm Le Creuset (meringue color)

Ingredients

• 4 salmon fillets
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 3 or 4 garlic cloves
• 200 ml cooking cream 18% fat
• Half a large onion or 1 medium onion
• 1/3 cup dry white wine (optional)
• 4 or 5 strips of sun-dried tomato packed in oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• 2 handfuls of fresh spinach
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (not included in the dairy-free option)

WMF garlic press and Organic Collection bowl by Dutch Rose

Preparation

1. Add a few tablespoons of oil to the Skillet pan and heat it. Place the salmon in it (if it has skin, place skin-side down first and let it cook well, so you can remove it easily when it is browned). Season with salt and pepper.
2. When you can see that the salmon is cooked on one side, flip it and season the other side as well. Let it cook until it turns golden. When it's done, remove it from the pan and set aside.
3. Without turning off the heat, add a couple of tablespoons of butter to the pan (about 20 or 25 g).
4. Add the 4 minced garlic cloves (run them through a garlic press).
5. When they start to look cooked, add half a large onion thinly sliced. Sauté it until golden.
6. When the onion starts to become translucent, it's time to add the white wine if you are going to use it. Wait for it to reduce and continue with the next step.
7. Add chopped sun-dried tomato or cut into small pieces (if you want intensity, also add a few tablespoons of the oil it was packed in). Sauté for a couple of minutes over low heat.
8. Add 200 ml of cooking cream and let it reduce for a couple of minutes. Adjust salt and pepper.
9. Add the fresh spinach and let it cook. Stir occasionally.
10. When the spinach is cooked and the sauce reduced, add the salmon you had set aside. Let the salmon warm up again and it's ready to serve.

*Optionally, you can add grated Parmesan or a hard sheep cheese to the recipe. You can do it when the spinach and sauce are ready (just before adding the salmon), or you can add it afterwards if you prefer the Parmesan to remain visible rather than melt into the sauce.

Notes

• You will know the salmon is cooked on one side because the part in contact with the pan takes on a whitish tone that rises toward the middle of the salmon. Also, you'll notice it can be turned easily when it's done, because the iron first grips the food, but once cooked it releases it, and that's the moment to flip.
• Wine is optional, and you can add either dry or sweet wine.
• I recommend adding a few tablespoons of the oil the sun-dried tomatoes are packed in - it adds an important extra flavor.
• The same recipe can be made with other fish, whether oily or white.
• Adapt the recipe to your taste: if you want a milder dish, reduce the amount of garlic and/or sun-dried tomatoes.
• Essential to serve with bread - you'll love that sauce!