HOW TO MAKE TUSCAN SALMON

1. Pat salmon filets dry and season with spices on all sides.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over MED-HIGH heat.
3. Add salmon, skin side up, and cook 5 minutes.  Flip and cook another 5 minutes.
4. Remove salmon to a plate.  Add butter to same skillet.
5. Add onion and cook until soft.  Add garlic and sun-dried tomatoes and cook 30 seconds or so.
6. Pour in chicken broth, scraping the bottom of the pan.
7. Pour in cream and cook a few minutes.  Stir in seasonings and cheese.
8. Add kale and cook until wilted.  Add salmon back to the skillet and spoon some sauce over top of the filets.

COOKING TIPS FOR THIS SALMON RECIPE

• BUY GOOD SALMON – I prefer to buy fresh salmon from the seafood counter of my grocery store, instead of frozen filets in bags, since those tend to be very thin.  Cooking Light has a great article on how to pick the best salmon at the grocery store.
• USE IT QUICKLY – Salmon can go “off” or bad pretty quickly, so I prefer to buy my salmon no more than 1 day ahead of time.
• TO SKIN OR NOT TO SKIN – I usually leave the skin on, but this is totally up to you.  The skin provides a layer of protection against the hot pan, and it’s a lot easier to slide a spatula underneath crispy skin than underneath tender flesh.
• DON’T OVERCOOK – Salmon is prone to overcooking, and the line between not done enough and dry and overdone is pretty fine.  The USDA recommends salmon be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 F degrees.  However, different people prefer their salmon to be more rare or more well-done, like a steak.  To be on the safe-side though, I stick to the USDA’s recommendation.

VARIATIONS OF THIS RECIPE

• OTHER PROTEIN – this sauce would go really well with chicken breasts (or thighs), pork chops or shrimp!
• OTHER GREENS – most Tuscan recipes use spinach, which will totally work in this recipe if you’d rather use that instead of kale.
• THICKER SAUCE – if you prefer a thicker sauce, whisk together 1 Tbsp cornstarch with 2 Tbsp water (in a separate bowl) until smooth, then whisk into sauce and cook until thickened to your liking.

MAKING TUSCAN SALMON AHEAD OF TIME

I think this recipe tastes best when made right before eating, but you can do the prep-work ahead of time if you’d like.

• Chop the sun-dried tomatoes
• Chop the kale
• Chop the onion and garlic
• Measure out the seasonings
• Measure out the Parmesan cheese

Ingredients

SALMON

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 (6 oz each) salmon filets
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning

TUSCAN CREAM SAUCE

• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 small yellow onion minced
• 2 Tbsp finely minced garlic
• 5 oz jar sun-dried tomatoes in oil drained and chopped
• 1 1/3 cups chicken broth reduced sodium
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese fresh is best
• 1 – 2 cups chopped fresh kale

Instructions

1. Pat salmon dry, then season with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Add olive oil to large skillet and heat over MED-HIGH heat until hot. Add salmon, skin-side UP (if using skin-on filets), and cook for 4-5 minutes. Try not to move the salmon around as it cooks. This is what creates a great golden brown crust.
2. Carefully flip salmon over and cook on the other side for another 5 minutes, until opaque throughout and flakes easily. Remove to a plate and set aside.
3. Don’t wipe out the skillet, but add butter to pan drippings. Add onion and cook 4 minutes, until softened. Add sun-dried tomatoes and garlic and cook another 30 seconds or so.
4. Pour in chicken broth and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, then stir in cream.
5. Let cook for 2-4 minutes, stirring often, then stir in pepper and Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese.
6. Add kale and cook another minute or two until wilted. Return salmon to the skillet, nestling them down into the sauce and spooning sauce over the top of the filets.