Tuscan Butter Salmon Recipe

This Tuscan butter salmon recipe will help you recreate a dreamy, restaurant-quality dish in your own home.

Are you looking for salmon fillets bathed in rich spinach-cream sauce that absolutely melt in your mouth? If so, our Tuscan butter salmon recipe is just what you need.

Not only that, but the whole meal comes together quickly. Four servings of rich salmon with crisp salad and fresh juice can be ready in 45 minutes (or even quicker with pre-prepped ingredients).

If you’re in a hurry, click here to get the full ingredient list. Or, spend some time and get to know this savory Italian staple.

What Is “Tuscan”?

Most people know about Italian food, but there’s actually more to it. Italy hasn’t always been unified, so its regions offer a lot of individuality.

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Therefore, each region in Italy has its own specialty cuisines, and the people in Tuscany are no exception.

Tuscan culinary philosophy is based on the idea of “cucina poverta”, or “poor cooking.” It means Tuscan meals are built upon inexpensive ingredients and can be created following simple steps.

This philosophy also influences the spice choices. Tuscan cuisine limits itself to only a few spices, so they need to be as fresh and high-quality as possible.

We tried to keep this spirit alive in our Tuscan butter salmon recipe by using just a few ingredients and keeping things simple. After the final tasting, we were all satisfied and full; no one held back!

Is Tuscan Butter Salmon Healthy?

Tuscan butter salmon is one of those dishes that is actually quite healthy if done right, even though it doesn’t look the part.

First of all, our version is neither too salty nor too fatty. We took it easy on the salt, and kept our eyes on the butter and milk so the saturated fat doesn’t exceed what’s allowed.

Specifically, each serving of this Tuscan butter salmon recipe has less than 500mg sodium and 8g saturated fat. These come in at about 21.7% and 34%, respectively, of the USDA healthy eating guideline’s daily recommendation on these nutrients.

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Not only does this dish maintain reasonable levels of saturated fat and sodium, it also provides omega 3 from the salmon. Omega 3 fatty acids are highly recommended by experts, as they help to build a healthy body.

Also, cooked into the cream sauce is a handful of spinach, which packs immune-supporting vitamins C, and A, plus plenty of minerals.

Finally, we chose to pair the dish with a salad and a glass of juice, giving you nothing but necessary nutrients.

If you fancy salmon and its impressive health benefits, here are a few of our suggestions to include in your meal plan:

• Salmon meuniere: a fancy French staple that includes flaky salmon drenched in a glossy sauce, alongside well-seasoned potatoes.
• Broiled salmon: a super meal with tender salmon served on a bed of fragrant quinoa.
• Salmon Teriyaki: both a Japanese take on salmon and a “salmonized” take on the Japanese staple. Each fillet is coated in a fragrant, tantalizing sauce.

How Do You Know if Salmon Is Done?

We have cooked plenty of salmon fillets, as you can tell from the list of recipes above. Ending up with a perfectly cooked fillet is actually quite easy.

Here are the basic rules our chefs swear by:

• Number one, either get fresh salmon or fully thaw your frozen fillets before cooking. It allows the salmon to cook evenly and helps you avoid a cooked-exterior-cold-center situation.
• Number two, sear the salmon skin first, then flip if necessary. This crisps up the skin, which makes it a lot more pleasing to eat. (If the dish doesn’t require searing, it’s best to remove the skin before cooking.)
• Number three, cook the fillets at 350-360°F in the oven or over medium heat on the skillet. Measure the inner temperature after about 10 minutes. Salmon fillets of different thicknesses cook differently, so this is the only way to be sure.

We don’t mention rule #3 in our salmon recipe because we tried enough and knew exactly how long salmon needs to cook. When following our recipes, you need nothing but a timer.

Cooking Salmon Fillets Without Thawing

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Sometimes, you don’t have the time to thaw the fillets (or you simply forgot), and that’s okay. There’s still a work-around.

First, crank the oven to 400°F and take out your trusty baking dish. Place the frozen fillets in, cover the dish in foil to lock the moisture in, and bake for about 10 minutes.

The fillets will come out thawed or partially cooked, depending on their thickness. At this point, they’re ready to be cooked however you want— sear, broil, bake, etc.

If you have a meat thermometer, stick it in the middle to make sure the temperature reaches 145°F as you cook. This is the safe temperature to which salmon needs to be cooked, according to the FDA.

What to Serve with

Since the dish is filled with fats, we want a tangy, crisp salad to cut the richness. Nothing’s easier and quicker to make than our Greek salad.

When the meal’s done, round it all out with a refreshing glass of juice. Celery’s been all the rage for packing antioxidants, so we mixed it with pineapple juice. They taste like they’re just meant to be.

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How Long Does It Last?

The USDA states that cooked fish can last for up to 4 days in the fridge, and 2 months in the freezer. We encourage you to wrap everything tightly before refrigerating, so no bioaerosol-carrying air can get in, maximizing the food’s lifespan.

For more delicious salmon recipes, check out our top healthy salmon roundup.

Tuscan Butter Salmon Recipe

5 from 3 votes

This Tuscan butter salmon recipe will help you make a tasty meal in just a few simple steps. It's also quick to make, too.

- by Tuyet Pham, Luna Regina, 2021-03-16

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• cook TIME 20 mins
• prep TIME 10 mins
• total TIME 30 mins

• COURSE Main Course
• CUISINE Italian
• SERVINGS
  4

  servings
• CALORIES 491 kcal

Tuscan Butter Salmon Recipe

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INGREDIENTS

1x2x3x

• 20 oz boneless salmon (4 fillets)
• 13.5 oz cooked rotini (from around 2 cups dry rotini)
• 4 oz cherry tomatoes (finely chopped)
• 2 oz spinach
• 0.5 oz parmesan cheese (grated)
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt (divided)
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper (divided)
• 2 tsp garlic (minced)
• 2 tbsp basil (sliced)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp parsley (minced)

INSTRUCTIONS

Image instructions

Prep

1

Slice the head off 2 cloves of garlic. Press them down the cutting board with a knife and remove the peel. Mince and measure out 2 tsp.

2

Take a handful of spinach and slice away the stem. Put the stem away. Measure out 2 oz of spinach leaves.

3

Half 4 oz cherry tomatoes.

4

Slice a handful of basil and measure out 2 tbsp.

5

Grate 0.5 oz parmesan.

6

Half a lemon and put one half away. Squeeze half a lemon and measure out 1 tsp.

7

Cook 2 cups dry rotini according to the package instructions (about 5 minutes for al-dente, 7 minutes for well-done). Measure out 13.5 oz.

8

Chop a handful of parsley and measure out 1 tbsp.

Cook

1

Rub 20 oz of salmon fillets with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.

2

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet. Sear the salmon fillets skin-side down for 2 minutes, then flip and cook for another 2 minutes. Take the fillets out of the skillet and set them aside on a dish.

3

Place 1 tbsp butter and 2 tsp garlic in the skillet and cook until fragrant. Then add 2 oz spinach and cook for another 2 minutes.

4

Add 1/2 cup milk, 1/4 cup heavy cream, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 0.5 oz parmesan. Stir around.

5

Add 4 oz chopped tomatoes, 2 tbsp basil, and stir around.

6

Add the seared fillets back in and simmer for 5 minutes. Drizzle in 1 tsp lemon juice for the last minute of cooking. We don’t add lemon juice in too soon because cooking it for a long time makes it bitter.

7

Sprinkle with 1 tbsp parsley.

8

Serve with 13.5 oz cooked rotini and enjoy.

NUTRITION

Nutrition Facts

Tuscan Butter Salmon Recipe

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 491Calories from Fat 189

% Daily Value*

Fat 21g

32%

Saturated Fat 8g

50%

Polyunsaturated Fat 3g

Monounsaturated Fat 7g

Cholesterol 103mg

34%

Sodium 498mg

22%

Potassium 783mg

22%

Carbohydrate 34g

11%

Fiber 2g

8%

Sugar 3g

3%

Protein 40g

80%

Vitamin A 1893IU

38%

Vitamin C 13mg

16%

Calcium 118mg

12%

Iron 2mg

11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keywords: how to make tuscan butter salmon, tuscan butter salmon, tuscan butter salmon recipe