Marry Me Salmon
Salmon so delicious, everyone will be falling in love! This Marry Me salmon features beautifully seasoned salmon and a gorgeous creamy sun-dried tomato sauce. It is simple enough for a quick weeknight meal but also impressive enough to serve at your fanciest dinner party. This is one of those recipes you’ll keep coming back to again and again because it’s just SO GOOD.
Erica’s ramblings on the recipe:
Okay so I’ve heard of ‘marry me chicken’ and ‘marry me meatballs’ before. And I got to thinking… what exactly does a ‘marry me’ recipe entail? Are there certain ingredients that have to be included? So I asked Chat GPT and its response:
“The term ‘marry me’ in relation to a recipe is often used to describe a dish that is so delicious and impressive that it could prompt someone to propose marriage after tasting it.”
I mean, that checks out.
And I’ll tell you right now, was I not already married to my husband, he probably would have been convinced to ask me after trying this salmon.
From what I can tell, ‘marry me’ recipes do seem to follow a common theme of cream, sun-dried tomatoes and parmesan. It seems impossible to make anything bad with heavy whipping cream and sun-dried tomatoes, so I guess that’s why they are oft included!
My version of Marry Me Salmon features salmon seasoned with smoked paprika and Italian seasoning, pan-seared in olive oil for a few minutes per side. Then the cream sauce is made with a knob of butter, lots of fresh garlic, a few tablespoons of flour, cream, broth, dried tomatoes and freshly grated parmesan.
I love to serve this up with a rustic mash and some sauteéd kale but you can really serve with any sides you love. Soft potatoes soaking up that thick creamy sauce? MMMM. And then I toss the kale with some extra chopped sun-dried tomatoes and garlic for a light and nutrient-dense addition to the meal.
I have made this dinner three times in the past two weeks and look forward to it (and the leftovers!) every single time. I hope you love it as much as we do!
What you’ll need to make marry me salmon:
Salmon fillets: I use wild-caught Alaskan salmon (from Costco). It comes in a big fillet that I slice into individual fillets, I use four for this recipe and freeze the rest. You can use skinless salmon fillets or skin-on salmon.
Olive oil: the cooking oil for brushing on the salmon to get the seasonings to stick and for searing the salmon in a frying pan.
Seasonings: smoked paprika, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper make a wonderfully flavorful seasoning mix for the outside of the salmon.
Garlic: use whole fresh garlic cloves if you can. I like to roughly chop with a knife or you can use a garlic press. Alternatively, you could use a heaping tsp garlic granules (from the jar).
Butter: butter is used mostly for flavor and to sauté the garlic.
Flour: when combined with butter, flour makes a roux that helps thicken the sauce beautifully.
Chicken broth: I usually opt for low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth so I can more accurately control the seasonings/salt added. Bonus points if you have homemade stock!
Heavy cream: also called double cream or whipping cream, this is found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store next to the milk.
Sun-dried tomatoes: sun-dried tomatoes are ripe tomatoes that have been dehydrated to remove most of their water content. They are intensely flavorful and chewy. You can buy them packed in oil or simply dried. I recommend the packed in oil kind for this recipe. You can find them in most grocery stores by the other tomato products like tomato paste, pasta sauce, etc.
Parmesan cheese: freshly grated parmesan cheese provides an amazing salty finish to the sauce.
Lemon: lemon juice and zest are another lovely finishing touch to brighten up the sauce and provide a little acidity to balance the rich cream.
Basil: optional garnish, basil adds a pop of freshness and color!
How to make Marry Me Salmon:
Salmon
Pat the salmon fillets dry with a paper towel. Drizzle ½ tablespoon olive oil on the salmon fillets and use your hands or a pastry brush to make sure the salmon is evenly coated. Season with the salt and pepper first, then the smoked paprika and Italian seasoning. Press the seasonings into the salmon, it should seep into the oil. Heat a large cast iron skillet or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add the remaining two tablespoons oil. When the oil is hot, add the salmon, seasoned side down (skin side up) and sear for three minutes until golden brown. Flip the salmon and cook another 2-3 minutes until the salmon is just cooked through and registers 145 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Place salmon on a plate.
Sauce
Reduce the heat to low and to the same pan add the butter and garlic and sauté for 60-90 seconds, until fragrant. Add the flour and whisk until smooth and well combined, cook for 1-2 minutes. Pour in ¾ cup veggie stock (or chicken broth), cream and tomatoes and whisk until the sauce is cohesive. Simmer for a minute or two until it starts to thicken. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice (about the amount from half the lemon) and parmesan. Stir. Taste and adjust with a pinch more salt and pepper, if needed. If you use salted butter and salty broth, you may not need the extra seasoning, taste and see!
Finish it up
Return the salmon to the sauce and any juices that accumulated on the plate. Serve the salmon with the sauce spooned over top, extra parmesan and lots of fresh basil. Muah! Marry me salmon. 🥰😚
Rustic mash: add 10oz whole baby gold potatoes (I don’t peel them!) to boiling water and boil until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain and add 2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons heavy cream and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Use a potato masher to mash until mostly smooth.
Sauteed kale: remove the leaves from the ribs of one bunch of kale. Thinly slice the kale into ribbons. Heat a swish of olive oil in a skillet and add some of your chopped garlic, sautéing for 30 seconds or so. Add kale and a couple tablespoons of chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Sauté for 3-4 minutes, or until kale is softened and tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Expert tips and variation ideas:
- Be sure to use a paper towel to pat the salmon fillets dry and to squeeze out most of the moisture/oil in the tomatoes.
- Make creamy Tuscan salmon pasta by breaking the salmon into chunks and tossing the salmon and sauce with spaghetti noodles or pasta of choice.
- Add extra veggies! You can stir in a handful spinach or kale into the sauce or sauté shallots of sweet onion with the garlic.
- Be sure to wait until you have a hot pan before adding the salmon. This ensures a nice sear on the salmon filets. Because we are cooking the salmon on the stovetop it takes less time than in the oven, so take care not to overcook!
- Serve this flaky salmon over mashed potatoes (see notes section in the recipe card for what I do!), pearl couscous, orzo, pasta or rice. It pairs beautifully with nearly any vegetable but I recommend kale, broccoli, asparagus or green beans.
- Add a little heat to the sauce with a pinch of red pepper flakes!
FAQs
Use 1:1 gluten-free flour instead of all-purpose flour.
I cannot promise equitable results but I think the best substitutions would be a butter alternative like Earth Balance and coconut cream or full-fat coconut milk instead of heavy cream. Omit the parmesan cheese.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. The sauce will get pretty thick as it cools but will thin out when warmed. You can always adjust the consistency of the sauce with a splash more broth.
No, I don’t recommend it. Fresh tomatoes do not have the same, deep flavor and sun-dried tomatoes. If you don’t have sun-dried tomatoes use 2-3 tablespoons tomato paste or sun-dried tomato pesto.
This recipe would be delicious with thin chicken breasts or chicken thighs.
If you love this Marry Me salmon recipe, you’ll love my other salmon dinners:
Watch how to make:
GIMME A BITE.
If you try and like this recipe please don’t forget to leave a comment and star rating down below! If you love more lifestyle, behind the scenes and ‘eating in real life’ type of content come find me over on Instagram, @itsaflavorfullife, I love connecting with you all there!
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Marry Me Salmon Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Sauté
- Cuisine: American
Description
Do you take this salmon to be your lawfully delicious weeknight comfort food? Yes, yes I do.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 lb salmon (cut into 4 fillets)
- 2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon each kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 lemon, 1/2 teaspoon zest and 1 tablespoon juice
- Fresh basil, for serving
Instructions
Salmon: pat the salmon fillets dry with a paper towel. Drizzle ½ tablespoon olive oil on the salmon fillets and use your hands or a pastry brush to make sure the salmon is evenly coated. Season with the salt and pepper first, then the smoked paprika and Italian seasoning. Press the seasonings into the salmon, it should seep into the oil. Heat a large cast iron skillet or nonstick skillet over medium high heat and add remaining two tablespoons oil. When the oil is hot, add the salmon, seasoned side down (skin side up) and sear for three minutes. Flip the salmon and cook another 2-3 minutes until the salmon is just cooked through. Cooking time will vary slightly based on the thickness of your fillet but it cooks quickly! Take care not to overcook friends. Remove the salmon to a plate.
Sauce: reduce the heat to low and to the same pan add the butter and garlic and sauté for 60-90 seconds, until fragrant. Add the flour and whisk until smooth and well combined, cook for 1-2 minutes. Use a paper towel to press out most of the oil in the chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Pour in the broth, cream and tomatoes and whisk until the sauce is cohesive. Simmer for a minute or two until it starts to thicken. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice (about the amount from half the lemon) and parmesan. Stir. Taste and adjust with a pinch more salt and pepper, if needed. If you use salted butter and salty broth, you may not need the extra seasoning, taste and see!
Finish it up: return the salmon to the sauce and any juices that accumulated on the plate. I usually remove the skin before adding the salmon back to the sauce. Serve the salmon with the sauce spooned over top, extra parmesan and lots of fresh basil.
Then tune into the joyful chorus of MARRY ME PLEASE to whomever you serve this to.
Notes
Rustic mash: add 10oz whole baby potatoes (I don’t peel them!) to boiling water and boil until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain and add 2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons heavy cream and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Use a potato masher to mash until mostly smooth. (I used tricolor potatoes which made my mash look rather sus 🤨😅 but it still tasted great. Use all gold potatoes to avoid this problem.)
Sauteéd kale: remove the leaves from the ribs of one bunch of kale. Thinly slice the kale into ribbons. Heat a swish of olive oil in a skillet and add some of your chopped garlic, sautéing for 30 seconds or so. Add kale and a couple tablespoons of chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Sauté for 3-4 minutes, or until kale is softened and tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 recipe
- Calories: 419
- Sugar: 0.9 g
- Sodium: 484.1 mg
- Fat: 27.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 7.9 g
- Fiber: 1.3 g
- Protein: 37.4 g
- Cholesterol: 112.8 mg
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Took me about 45 minutes to make and the whole family loved it. My husband said it was something you’d get at a nice restaurant. So yummy!!
Woohoo!! Thank you Janet! Thanks for sharing how long it took you, I’m sure that’s helpful for others!
I made this tonight and put the salmon and sauce over angel hair pasta. It was easy to make and delicious. I will definitely make again.
This is phenomenal! Possibly my favorite salmon recipe ever! Thank you!
Huzzah! So happy you love it Brittni, thanks for trying 🙂
Your rendition of the “marry me” sauce was very easy to make and came together quickly. Definitely going to bring this one into our dinner repertoire. It was delish!
Hooray! Thanks Michelle! So happy you tried this and liked it 🙂 And thank you for your review!
OMG !
This was amazing ! Hubby licked his plate 😉
The sun dried tomatoes sauce is perfection
I served the fish with the rustic potatoes, yummi, and brocoli.
This is definitely a keeper 🥰
Hooray!! Super happy you loved this one 🙂 (WE DO TOO!!)
My husband isn’t the biggest fan of salmon, but he really enjoyed this recipe! I also wanted to say that I’ve made two of “It’s a Flavorful Life” recipes – this one and the chicken soup – and they both were absolutely easy to make and delish! Can’t wait to try more recipes!
I was hesitant to make this at first because I’m so used to seeing this type of sauce made with chicken, but it was SO good and flavorful. We definitely will be making it again! Thank you!
Hooray!! So happy to hear this Rachel! Thanks for trying and for your review!
I’ve made this dish twice in the past week because it’s so delicious! The recipe is easy to follow and is quick to make. It’s perfect for a weeknight meal.
Thank you so much Kait! For making the recipe and for your review 😉
This is a really lovely recipe. I had to use twice the amount of chicken broth because the sauce was really thick, maybe because my APF is gluten free, but this was not evident in the flavor or texture. Delicious and balanced with the lemon zest and juice. I served with leftover rice from the night before but will use linguini next time. The sauce is perfect for pasta.
Hooray I’m so glad you enjoyed! Your flour could’ve played a role and the sauce does thicken the longer it sits, so an extra splash of broth is the perfect remedy!
Normally I make your chili/brown sugar rubbed salmon but decided to try this and it was a hit! Delicious sauce.
This was delicious! My dinner companion and I absolutely loved this dish. 👌
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing Paul, I’m glad you loved it 🙂