Creamy Salmon Florentine Recipe
You don’t need to go all the way to Florence, Italy for this luscious and fabulous Italian-inspired salmon Florentine recipe. Tender flaky salmon is bathed in a cream sauce made with heavy cream, garlic, white wine, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and butter. Along with that all that decadence, there’s fresh spinach and baby portobello mushrooms to add texture, flavor, and lighten things up a bit. However, make no mistake this is more of what I would call comfort food rather than lighter fare. As a bonus salmon Florentine comes together in 20 minutes on the stove, in one skillet, and is naturally gluten-free. If you’re trying to go meat-free or are observing meat-free Fridays in Lent, this is a gem of a fish recipe to try!
Ingredients in Salmon Florentine
For this Italian-inspired white wine salmon with spinach and mushrooms, you’ll need the following easy-to-find fridge and pantry ingredients:
Olive oilSalmonMushroomsGarlicHeavy creamWhite wineLemon juiceParmesan cheeseUnsalted butter, optionalSaltPepperFresh spinachRed pepper flakes, optional
How to Make Salmon Florentine in 20 Minutes
Even though this white wine salmon may look tricky to make, I promise it’s not and comes together quickly and easily. That’s the nice thing about most all fish is that it cooks fast! Follow these straightforward steps to make salmon Florentine: Step 1: Cook the salmon in olive oil and then remove it from the skillet. Step 2: Add a bit more olive oil and saute the mushrooms and then the garlic. Step 3: Make the creamy spinach sauce for the salmon by adding heavy cream, wine, lemon juice, Parmesan, and simmer. Step 4: Optionally add butter and salt and pepper to taste. Step 5: Add the spinach and allow it to wilt before adding the salmon back in and optionally sprinkling with red pepper flakes before serving.
What to Serve with Salmon Florentine
Serve the creamy Florentine spinach salmon with one or more of the following:
RiceButtered noodlesSlow cooker baked potatoes Mashed potatoesBalsamic roasted broccoliSuperfoods saladSummer ravioli saladKale caesar salad
Storage Instructions
Salmon and most fish dishes for me always taste best when served fresh and hot. I am not terribly fond of fish leftovers. However, if you do have extra salmon Florentine, it will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 3 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months. Always reheat anything with a cream sauce carefully so the cream doesn’t separate, or “break.” Apart from that you don’t want the salmon to become dried out, overcooked, or rubbery.
Tips for the Best Salmon Florentine
Even though this is a basic dish, I have a few tips to make sure your salmon Florentine comes out absolutely perfectly for you! Use a heavy-bottomed skillet like cast iron so the salmon forms a nice little crust. I wouldn’t use a nonstick pan or a lightweight skillet because you just won’t get the same sear on the salmon as you will with a heavier duty skillet. Don’t overcook the salmon. At most, it will cook in 6 minutes with the skin on, and about 4 minutes without skin. There is nothing worse than overcooked fish which is dry and potentially rubbery. Err on the side of undercooking it since it will continue to cook even after you take it out of the pan due to the internal heat and carryover cooking. Salmon that’s a little pink in the center (or a lot pink for me) is not only fine, it’s actually preferred by most and how most restaurants serve it unless otherwise specified. Whenever you’re making a cream-based sauce, it’s always important that you don’t overheat the cream. High heat or simmering it at too high of a heat for too long or too rapidly will cause the cream to break, or separate. While it will taste fine, it’s ugly to look at and you won’t feel proud serving it and will want to start over so easy does it with the heat. While the tablespoon of butter at the end is optional, it adds even more richness to the cream sauce and I encourage you to add it. Fresh spinach as opposed to frozen is the way to go for the best salmon Florentine.
More Easy Salmon Recipes:
Sheet Pan Lemon Garlic Butter Salmon — Juicy salmon at home in 30 minutes that’s EASY and tastes BETTER than from a restaurant! The butter is infused with lemon and garlic and adds so much FLAVOR! Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes! Honey Lemon Salmon — This baked honey lemon salmon is ready in under 30 minutes! It’s impossible to wind up with dry salmon when making this recipe, it’s just that good! All you need is one sheet pan and 30 minutes and dinner is served! Easy Salmon and Potato Foil Packets — Juicy, moist salmon that’s loaded with flavor! Ready in 30 minutes, zero cleanup, and a foolproof way to cook salmon and look like a gourmet cook! Baked Lemon Pepper Salmon — Juicy baked salmon at home in 20 minutes that’s so EASY and tastes BETTER than from a fancy restaurant!! The lemons, lemon pepper, and Dijon add so much rich FLAVOR to this FOOLPROOF sheet pan salmon!! Sheet Pan Asian Salmon and Broccoli — An EASY recipe that only uses 7 ingredients, is ready in 20 minutes, and tastes way BETTER than salmon you’d get in a fancy restaurant!! IMPRESS your family and friends with this FOOLPROOF recipe!! Foil Pack Lime Cilantro Salmon – Tender, juicy, and bursting with Mexican-inspired flavors that everyone LOVES!! Honey Dijon Salmon – EASY, ready in 20 minutes, juicy, tender, and so FLAVORFUL from the honey, Dijon, and lemon juice!! If you’re trying to incorporate more fish in your diet, this is THE RECIPE to make!! Lemon Dill Salmon with Vegetables in Parchment — An easy, healthy dinner with virtually no cleanup that’s ready in 20 minutes. The salmon is tender, juicy, and boldly flavored with lemon and dill. 10-Minute Sheet Pan Dijon Salmon and Vegetables — Juicy salmon and crisp-tender vegetables coated with a buttery Dijon honey lemon sauce for an explosion of FLAVOR!! So EASY and ready so FAST!!
