Creamy Mushroom & Spinach Salmon

I’ve seen this recipe in my Facebook reels multiple times in slightly different variations and wanted to try it for a long time but never had all the ingredients for it. Yesterday, I finally did. So here it is, shared for your pleasure.

Ingredients:

- 2 salmon fillets (6 oz each)

- 2 tablespoons butter or ghee

- 2 tablespoons olive oil

- 2 cups fresh spinach

- 1/2 cup red peppers, chopped

- 2 cups fresh mushrooms, chopped (I used baby bella and they worked out perfectly)

- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 1 cup heavy cream

- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

- 1 teaspoon Italian herbs

- 1/2 teaspoon paprika

- Salt and pepper to taste

Steps to prepare:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter or ghee (I like using ghee, I think it gives dishes a stronger flavor and taste) in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Sear salmon fillets for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden and cooked through. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

2. In the same skillet, add half the olive oil and sauté garlic until fragrant. Stir in red peppers and sauté until half done.

3. Add remaining olive oil, mushrooms and spinach, cooking until the spinach is wilted.

4. Reduce heat and add heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, Italian herbs, paprika, salt, and pepper. Stir until the sauce is creamy and smooth.

5. Add cherry tomatoes and cook for another 2-3 min.

6. Return the salmon fillets to the skillet, spooning the sauce over the top. Simmer for 2-3 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

7. Serve warm with extra sauce drizzled over the salmon and garnish with fresh herbs if desired.

This is a good meal on its own but I’ve decided to serve it on a bed of what my son calls “hipster pasta” - chickpea rotini pasta by Barilla. It turned out really good and so filling that I couldn’t finish more than a half of one fillet.

So next time I will cut the recipe in half to cook for one. Or invite a guest. In any case, with this portioning I was set for today’s lunch as well. And tomorrow’s lunch at work.

For the variations of this, I’ve seen people do the following:

- not use cherry tomatoes, just use mushrooms and spinach

- exclude mushrooms and tomatoes

- use roasted pepper instead of the fresh peppers

- use sun-dried tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes

- use half & half instead of heavy cream; but then you’ll have to add some cheese (Mozzarella works fine, apparently) to make the sauce thicker

- use Dijon mustard to add some spice. I’m not a big fan of mustard so I decided to do without.

I would also think this would work fine with chicken breasts for meat eaters. Just add a little more cooking time for chicken. I’ll try it next time. The more I think about it, the more appealing it seems.

Vegetarians will enjoy it without any animal-based protein as well, just substitute dairy ingredients with the suitable non-dairy products (cashew milk apparently works well as a substitute for half & half). I understand there are good non-dairy cheesy substitutes now available as well.

Overall, it took me 15 min prep time and another 15 min to cook what you see in the cover picture.

For those who count calories, the original recipe claims it’s a total of 500 kcal per serving, without the pasta.

Let me know if you decide to try it and even better, how it came out. Happy cooking!