This is, by far, my favourite fish dish, and it can be easily made in one pan. Serve with roast potatoes for a really decadent and delicious weeknight meal.

I absolutely adore fish. I try and eat it in moderation because I am trying to cut down on how much I eat it for environmental reasons, but when I do treat myself I have this dish. When me and my girfriend were in Spain, there was only some rubbish frozen fish so we didn’t actually eat much of it. So I was really looking forward to cooking this as soon as I got back into the UK.

I found this recipe from a well-known online food site, but I’ve made a couple of additions. On their website, they call it a ‘Tuscan’ salmon, which is why I call it a Tuscan salmon. I asked my Italian flatmate and she said it had nothing to do with Tuscany, so who knows. It makes it sound nice though, so I decided to keep it.

This is a really, really easy dish to make. There are a few ingredients but none are complicated to cook. The sauce is the most amazing part of this. Sweet sundried tomatoes with flavourful garlic and cream adds such a rich touch. I usually eat this with veggies and roast potatoes because the crunch of the spud goes so well with the soft salmon and smooth sauce. But, this dish would go really well with either pasta or rice.

How to pan-fry salmon

The trick to cooking any fish is to start with a medium-hot pan and hot oil. To cook the salmon, place it skin-down in a frying pan and cook until the skin is lovely brown and crisp. Try not to move the fish around too much while you are cooking as this will cause it to break apart. Once the skin is cooked, gently flip the salmon onto one side and cook until that side is starting to brown, then repeat until all of the sides are cooked. I usually take my salmon off once all sides of cooked and let it rest till the sauce is made. This usually leaves the middle of the salmon just slightly pink, which I really like. If you like your salmon well-done, keep cooking until the fish is firm and flakes away easily.

Alternatives to salmon

If you don’t like fish, this recipe would work just as well with chicken. If you want juicy and crispy chicken, be sure to check out this recipe where I show you how to pan fry chicken to perfection.

If you are vegetarian, omit the salmon and instead turn this into an amazing pasta dish. If you don’t want pasta, consider using Quorn or seitan, or just pour the sauce directly over roasties, it’s so good.

You could also substitute the butter, cream and cheese for vegan substitutes. I’ve never tried this before, so if it works let me know!

I really hope you love this recipe like I do. I’ve made it for both my family and my girlfriend and everyone loved it.

Tuscan salmon recipe

Servings: 2

Preperation time: 5 mins

Cooking time: 25-30 mins

Ingredients

• Two sustainably-sourced fillets of salmon.
• 1 tsp olive oil, seasoning.
• 1tbsp butter.
• 1/2 a white onion, finely diced.
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped.
• 1/2 glass of white wine.
• 2/3 of a jar of sun-dried tomatoes.
• 200ml single or double cream.
• 2-3 large handfuls of spinach or curly kale.
• Lemon juice.
• Handful of cheddar cheese.
• Handful of freshly chopped parsley.
• Optional: 1 tsp cornflour (this is to use if the cream doesn’t thicken enough).

How to make creamy tuscan salmon

1. Begin by cooking the salmon. Heat a large frying pan at a medium-high temperature and add the tbsp of oil. Once the oil is hot, season the two salmon fillets and place in the pan with the skin touching the pan. Cook the skin until it is crisp and golden brown, making sure that you don’t regulalry turn the salmon to check as this will cause it to break.
2. Once the salmon skin is cooked, gently turn the salmon onto its side and cook until the side is turning golden. Repeat this until all sides are cooked. The salmon is cooked when it flakes apart easily but is still tender and not dry. I like to leave my salmon just slightly pink, because it will cook more while it rests and will cook a bit more when you heat it up in the sauce.
3. Once the salmon is cooked, place it on a chopping board and leave to rest. Turn the heat down to medium and add the diced onion. Cook slowly for around 5 minutes, or until the onions are softening. Next, add the garlic and cook for a few minutes, being sure not to let it burn.
4. When the garlic and onion are soft and fragrant, add the kale (if using. If you are using spinach, add a bit later). Cook until starting to soften.
5. Add the white wine and simmer until it has reduced by half. Next, add the sun-dried tomatoes (I usually cut mine in half). Cook for a minute to allow the sun-dried tomatoes to release their flavours. If using the spinach, add it now and cook until wilted.
6. Now, reduce the heat down to low and add the cream. Season well with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. Add a handful of cheddar cheese and allow to melt into the sauce. If you want a thick sauce, mix a tsp of cornflour with a little water and add to the mixture. Stir well until thick.
7. Add the salmon back into the pan and warm up. Just before you serve, add the chopped parsley.
8. Serve with roast potatoes or pasta.

Tip: best served with crunchy roast potatoes (you can find a recipe for the perfect roasties here) and peas. If you don’t want to spend the time cooking roasts,