Juicy tender salmon seasoned to perfect than topped with a creamy finger licking white sauce made of heavy cream, cooking wine, and parmesan cheese.
Hey yo I’m happy to finally upload this recipe not only because it’s delicious but it’s only my second salmon recipe on this site.
My last salmon recipe I made with a lemon butter garlic sauce this one with a delicious garlic and herb sauce made with white wine Parmesan cheese and heavy cream.
I’m not the biggest fan of salmon but my mother is and has been forcing me to get into eating it more lately lol. It’s growing on me but I found myself becoming bored with it because I was eating it so much mainly for my healthy lifestyle change and weight loss Journey.
So I’ve been looking for a different ways to make it, more so different things to top it with when I luckily came across a Instagram video of someone typing it with a white creamy sauce. So I looked it up and found out they were using Parmesan cheese and white wine and decided to give it a shot.
There’s y’all know I always switch things up and customize things to my liking and to make the recipe mine and that’s what I did. Let me get into some of the changes I made to the sauce after experimenting with it a few times and talk about how to achieve a nice juicy tender salmon and different ways to cook it.
Cookware and utensils
Ok so let me tell ya what cookware and utensils you’re gonna need. You can use either a Baking Sheet, a Casserole Dish, or a Large Skillet to cook the salmon. Remember you can either bake or fry the Salmon.
If you do decide to cook the salmon in a skillet make sure you have 2 Spatula’s to make flipping the Salmon easy and an Instant Food Thermometer to check for doneness, especially if you’re new to cooking.
You also need a Small Skillet or Saucepan to make the creamy garlic herb sauce and a Whisk to stir in the sauce. A whisk helps to break up the lumps and helps the Parmesan cheese melt.
Ingredients
- Salmon
- Butter
- Olive Oil
- Seasonings
For the creamy garlic herb sauce - Heavy Whipping cream
- Parmesan cheese
- Cream Cheese
- White cooking wine
- Chicken broth
- Seasonings & Herbs
Cooking options, time, and temperature
Ok so first off, the best salmon is juicy tender salmon and I’ve found a few ways to achieve just that. First off, cooking the salmon for a short period of time is key. Now let’s talk about the two common ways it’s prepared.
- Baking: Baking salmon in the oven is the most common way it’s cooked. But baking them at a low temperature for a few minutes gets it nice and juicy. Like at 350 for 17 minutes.
- Crispy by baking: If you like your salmon a little crispy on top with nice crispy skin, cook it on high like 400 degrees but still and always, keep the cooking time SHORT… this is key to retaining moisture.
It’s important to cook your salmon for an even shorter time when the temperature is high because you run the risk of it drying out and having all those good juices evaporating in high heat.
- Skillet: Now another common, but not as common way to cook salmon is in a skillet over the stove. This way is far easier and simpler.
Cook mine flesh side down first, most start off cooking it skin side down. But, the key to keeping it nice and tender applies here too, COOK FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.When cooking Salmon on the stove, medium high is the way to go because it gets the skin nice and crispy within 4 minutes and Salmon takes no longer than 8 minutes to cook at this temperature.Especially the normal size portions.
If the portions are really thick it may take longer. Using a thermometer by sticking it into the thickest center and an internal temperature read of 145 will determine it’s done.
Common mistakes
Ok so one of the most common mistakes people make when baking salmon is waiting for it to brown while cooking it at a low temperature.
It’s NOT, and I repeat, NOT going to get brown or get a crispy skin cooking at low heat. Cook it at a high heat for a short period of time as I stated earlier if you want a crispy skin.
About the olive oil and butter
About the oil and butter… I like to use a combination of both! Most people just use one or the other, with olive oil being the common choice. Olive oil helps to open up the pores of the salmon.
This allows the seasonings to get into the meat, which is why marinating this overnight is a good option. Olive oil also helps to brown the salmon. I use butter to help brown the salmon as well.
I mainly use butter for flavor and I brush both onto each side of the salmon before seasoning it. Both help the seasonings adhere which is why I brush the butter and olive oil over the salmon first.
Use unsalted butter because we’re already using a lot of seasonings and ingredients with sodium in it and you dont want the salmon salty. Also, use a good brand of butter.
About the seasonings + alternatives
Ok so the seasonings… here are the seasonings I use to season the salmon and I dont use many people you dont need many, it’s just salmon and we dont want to overpower the taste of the salmon of the sauce.
Adobo seasoning: As I said so many times before, adobo seasoning is one of my favorites, so it should no shock you that I’m using it as my seasoning for TASTE… Alternatives are…
- Seasoning salt
- Complete seasoning
- Salt
All these seasonings will work just fine if you dont have any Adobo on hand which I personally think works best for Salmon. But seasoning salt, complete seasoning, and salt will get the job done.
Just use less salt since it’s stronger and more potent per teaspoon. Always remember that salt is the saltiest “taste” seasoning because all it’s made of is salt.
Paprika: Paprika, paprika, paprika, you see it listed as an ingredient in almost every Salmon recipe and the reason it’s so important is because it gives the salmon COLOR!
I wont even make salmon without paprika! I hate very pink looking salmon but that’s just me. Salmon also help to brown the flesh of the salmon as it’s baking, or rather it gives the appearance of browned meat once the salmon’s done.
There aren’t really any substitutions of replacements for paprika! Paprika is often used for flavor but mostly as a decorative season you garnish salads with to make them more appetizing and to give meat color.
Garlic: Garlic is a must when making salmon… I always say that. It just goes so well with salmon and completes it. Salmon just isn’t salmon to me without a lil garlic being added to it.
- Minced Garlic: If you dont have garlic powder, you can use minced garlic or garlic paste if you have some on hand. But in this case, you really dont even need it because we’ll be using more than enough garlic for the garlic and hearb sauce.
About the creamy garlic herb sauce
Heavy Whipping Cream: The heavy cream is the base ingredient. Cant make the sauce without the heavy cream and we’ll be using more heavy cream than anything else.
White Cooking Wine: This is what makes the sauce… it’s the more prominent flavor of the sauce and that unique taste and flavor that makes the sauce great.
Chicken Broth: Chicken broth just enhances the flavor of the sauce and adds another layer of flavor and it provides depth of flavor and it also smooths out the sauce and thins it to give it the right consistency.
Parmesan Cheese: Parmesan cheese adds flavor to the sauce. The parmesan cheese is probably the third most prominent flavor and the flavor you taste the most after the white wine and garlic.
Cream Cheese: Cream cheese is important because it’s an emulsifier. Parmesan cheese is hard and doesn’t fully melt, and so just like when making Alfredo sauce, I add a hint of cream cheese to help assist it in melting.
I have such a LOVE-hate relationship with Parmesan cheese, especially when it comes to using it for sauces. When you hear folk say ALL cheeses aren’t equal, Parmesan cheese definitely had a hand in birthing that saying because it just refuses to fully melt.
I like to use Philadelphia cream cheese because it’s the best brand and you want to use it for a high quality sauce. But it’s also used to thicken the sauce and to give it a lovely consistency.
Butter: Butter is for flavor and it’s used to sautee the minced garlic. Use unsalted butter and a good brand of butter. There’s only a few ingredients so make every ingredient count.
Minced Garlic: This is garlic herb sauce, so we use a nice amount of garlic, and the type of garlic used is minced garlic, but you can use garlic paste as well. It’s the 2nd most prominent flavor of the sauce.
Salt: I use a pinch of salt, just a little salt brings out and enhances the flavor of the sauce. Without it, the sauce will still be good, but the salt brings out and strengthens all the flavors of the sauce.
Herbs: So it’s called garlic and herb sauce right? So we add a few herbs, that being Italian seasoning and Parsley flakes. I use Italian seasoning because it’s made of every herb you can think of.
Tips for best results:
- Shake first: Make sure to shake the heavy cream and broth before use. Because heavy cream forms lumps in the cartoon, especially if you’ve had it a while, and all the good flavor of broth seaps down to the bottom.
- Use fresh salmon: Salmon is like ground beef in that it taste best made right after you buy it. I’ve found that cooking it after sitting in the freezer for 2 weeks diminishes its goodness. So yea… go new and fresh!
- A good skillet: Use a high-quality non sticking pan to avoid losing all this deliciousness to a cheap pan, this of course is if you decide to fry the salmon in a skillet.
- The Best Cooking Utensils: If you decide to cook the Salmon over a skillet, use 2 spatulas to easily flip the tender salmon so it doesn’t break apart.
- Ensure doneness: Use a instant food thermometer if you’re new to cooking and want to check for doneness without making a mess. This will guarantee your salmon is cooked all way through.
Frequently asked questions
Can you cover the salmon with aluminum foil? I get this question a lot and the answer is yes if you must, but trust me it’s not needed at all because the cooking time is very short, only 17-18 minutes so you dont have to worry about it drying it.
Plus salmon if you didn’t know is a very tender meat so you dont need to cover it with aluminum foil or brine it to get it tender, it’s already very tender unless you do something to make it not tender. Lol!
How to store the salmon? Simply cover it fully in aluminum foil or seal it tightly in a ziploc bag or tupperware bowl and place it in the refrigerator. That’s all, if it’s covered and sealed well, it’ll stay fresh for a while.
How to rewarm salmon and garlic hearb sauce? Ok so you can reheat the salmon in the microwave and no, it wont dry out.
Thats why it’s important not to cook it long so that it can be saved. I always tell people if you cook your salmon well done, its going to be even drier if you try to reheat it.
This is why cooking it medium well is the way to go because when you reheat it it wont dry out since you never cooked it completely. Now when it comes to the garlic herb sauce…
It’s probably stiffened which happens to sauce as the cool air hit it while sitting in the refrigerator. Just add it to a bowl or small skillet, stir in a little broth or water, just a little, and warm it up over low heat.
Make sure you stir it as it’s warming up to prevent it from sticking and to remove any lumps that may have formed while chillin’ in the frig. Use a whisk to stir it with.
Make sure to print this recipe and save it to your Pinterest!
Alright yall I’m all wrapped out and ready to grub and I’m sure yall are ready to cook now that you have all the information you need. Please like the recipe if you enjoy it.
And subscribe so everytime I post a new recipe, you’ll be notified by email. That way you wont miss out on any of these delicious recipes I have in stored.
Enjoy, later
PBJ~
Print
Juicy Tender Salmon And Creamy Garlic Herb Sauce
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 30 Mins
- Yield: 6
- Category: Fish & Seafood
- Method: Soul Food
- Cuisine: American
Description
Juicy tender salmon seasoned to perfect than topped with a creamy finger licking white sauce made of heavy cream, cooking wine, and parmesan cheese.
Ingredients
2 Lbs Salmon
1 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbs Butter
2 Tsps Paprika
1-1/2 Tsp Adobo
1 Tsp Garlic
1/2 Tsp Black Pepper
For the sauce
1/2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1/3 Cup Shaved Parmesan Cheese
1/4 Cup White Cooking Wine
1/4 Cup Chicken Broth
1 Tbs Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1 Tbs Butter
1/4 Tsp Italian Seasoning
1/4 Parsley Flakes
Instructions
1. Clean, scale (optional), then slice salmon into 5 to 6 portions.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Melt butter, then combine with olive oil and brush it on both sides of the salmon.
4. Combine the seasonings into a bowl, then sprinkle it onto both sides of the salmon.
5. For Frying in a skillet: Add 2-3 tbs oil to a skillet and place it over medium high heat.
Once it’s hot or after 2 minutes, add in the salmon flesh side down and cook for 4 minutes, then flip and cook on the other side for 3-4 minutes.
For baking: Bake on 350 for 17 minutes then remove.
6. For the creamy garlic herb sauce: Place a small skillet or saucepan over medium heat.
7. Add in the butter and minced garlic and stir for 2 minutes.
8. Pour in the white wine and simmer for 3 minutes.
9. Pour in the heavy cream, broth, parmesan cheese, and cream cheese, and simmer for 5 minutes.
10. Sprinkle in the Italian seasonings and parsley flakes.
Notes
Want a thicker sauce? Give it a few minutes, the sauce thickens as it chills.
by