Salmon With Herb Garlic Cream Sauce

Creamy Herb & Garlic Salmon Sauce

Here’s a lovely way to serve the world’s most popular fish – smothered in a cream sauce that’s lifted with a good hit of fresh herbs. The luscious sauce is a sensational match with the rich, oily flesh of the salmon. And the best part? You’ll be done in 15 minutes flat!

What you need for this Creamy Salmon Sauce

The trick to making simple sauces taste incredible is to use ingredients that add complexity and savoury depth. In this creamy salmon sauce, these flavour adding ingredients are: white wine, parmesan and stock/broth.

Salmon – skinless is the go-to here, but if you want to make this with a Crispy Skin Salmon, bonus points for you! Use a very shallow bowl-type serving dish, spoon in sauce, then top with salmon skin-side up (ie don’t pour the sauce over the crispy skin, it softens super fast); Oil & butter – oil for the pan sear, then we add butter towards the end for a little bit of extra flavour. Never pan-sear fish in butter over high heat – it just burns! White wine – to add extra complexity to this otherwise simple sauce. Anything that’s dry-ish and not overly sweet, fruity or woody will be just fine here – A mild sauvignon blanc is my drinking staple so that’s what I typically opt for. Other suggestions: Riesling, pinot gris/grigio, semillon, chardonnay (not too woody), verdelho. Even rosé will work – it won’t discolour the sauce.Non-alcoholic sub: More chicken stock/broth; Cream – use thickened / heavy cream, the sauce will thicken faster and also it’s got additives that helps stop the cream from curdling when simmering on the stove; Chicken stock/broth – yep, I know it looks out of place for a salmon sauce but chicken broth is actually quite neutral when mixed with other flavours and works a treat to add depth to this otherwise simple sauce. Without it, the sauce does lack flavour. Sub: vegetable stock; Parmesan – this doesn’t make the sauce taste of parmesan. It’s used to add salt into the sauce as well as depth of flavour and umami. It also thickens the sauce;IMPORTANT: You must finely grate your own parmesan to ensure it melts properly into the sauce. Store bought pre-shredded won’t melt properly, and you’ll complain to me that your sauce was gritty! Garlic – because it makes everything better (and also because we’re making a Herb & Garlic Sauce here 😉);

Fresh herbs – the sauce by itself already has enough flavour in it to serve it plain, but adding fresh herbs really lifts it. I wanted to give this salmon sauce a fine dining bent, so I opted for a tarragon and chervil combination for the base recipe. Both these herbs are commonly used in French cuisine, and it lends the sauce a “sophisticated” flavour. Tarragon has a mild aniseed / vanilla flavour, and chervil (also known as French parsley), is like a more delicate version of everyday parsley with a very subtle aniseed note.And just to keep us grounded, I added a bit of normal parsley too … 😉Here are a couple of alternatives herb flavourings you can use in this sauce: Dill – A classic pairing with salmon. A fresh squirt of lemon would also elevate it; or Chives – For a light onion-y freshness.

How to make Creamy Herb & Garlic Sauce for Salmon

This recipe has a nice flow to it so you’ll have it on the table in 15 minutes – and that includes the prep time! Get the salmon on the stove then while it’s cooking, you can measure out the other ingredients. Low-stress cooking with high returns is the name of the game here! Other suggestions: Riesling, pinot gris/grigio, semillon, chardonnay (not too woody), verdelho. Even rosé will work – it won’t discolour the sauce. Non-alcoholic sub: More chicken stock/broth; IMPORTANT: You must finely grate your own parmesan to ensure it melts properly into the sauce. Store bought pre-shredded won’t melt properly, and you’ll complain to me that your sauce was gritty! I wanted to give this salmon sauce a fine dining bent, so I opted for a tarragon and chervil combination for the base recipe. Both these herbs are commonly used in French cuisine, and it lends the sauce a “sophisticated” flavour. Tarragon has a mild aniseed / vanilla flavour, and chervil (also known as French parsley), is like a more delicate version of everyday parsley with a very subtle aniseed note. And just to keep us grounded, I added a bit of normal parsley too … 😉 Here are a couple of alternatives herb flavourings you can use in this sauce: Now, Creamy Salmon Sauce time:

What to serve with Creamy Salmon

Something to soak up all that sauce is pretty essential here!

Creamy Mashed Potato is the obvious choice. If you’re feeling it, consider upgrading to Paris Mash; Creamy Mashed Cauliflower – low-carb alternative. Don’t diss it until you’ve tried it! It’s certainly become the darling of the fine dining world in recent years (although they opt for a fancy little smear, a stark contrast to the large dollop I dish out); Mashed sweet potato or pumpkin (please remind me to share these); Rice – white, brown, jasmine, basmati (low-carb option – cauliflower rice); Bread for mopping – try this crusty Artisan bread (super easy) or these soft dinner rolls; and Though perhaps a bit left field, couscous is always an excellent low effort option for sauce soaking!

As for something green:

French Bistro Salad – keeping in the French(ish) flavour profile of this salmon! This is an excellent light, clean salad to serve alongside rich foods. You find similar salads in bistros all across France; Spring Salad – filled with spring’s bounty of vegetables: Asparagus, snow peas, green peas and cos lettuce (romaine), with a fresh lemon dressing. Elegant, pretty and refreshing! (PS. The recipe also has goat’s cheese, but I suggest skipping it if serving alongside this salmon); Green Bean Salad topped with chopped tomatoes and red onion; Cucumber Salad with Herb & Garlic Vinaigrette – a really good refreshing option; or A big bowl of leafy greens or any garden vegetables you have, tossed with a French Vinaigrette.

Having just written all that though, to be honest I think a pile of plain steamed vegetables (tossed in a little olive oil with a sprinkle of salt) is really the perfect accompaniment to offset the rich fish and sauce. And there’s plenty of sauce regardless to make any veg infinitely more delicious! – Nagi x