Pan-Seared Salmon With Creamy Mushroom Sauce Recipe

Often served with a lemon and herbs, sweet chili, or honey mustard sauce, pan-fried salmon is a fuss-free dinner staple that offers endless opportunities for customization. One less common but game-changing way to served this tender, flaky fish, is with a creamy mushroom sauce. It's true that this sauce is more typically spooned over chicken or pork chops, or tossed with al dente pasta, but it is in fact a remarkably delicious addition to a simple salmon dinner. This recipe, brought to us by Catherine Brookes, shows us how to craft that rich, flavorful sauce and pan-fry the salmon to perfection, before bringing the two together.

The creamy mushroom sauce starts with sliced cremini mushrooms and garlic, sauteed in butter until tender. A splash of white wine adds acidity and a hint of sophistication, while vegetable broth amps up the savory depth, and heavy cream delivers that all-important richness. Once simmered until thick and luscious, the sauce is poured all over the delicate, flaky salmon, creating the most incredible medley of flavors. Serve it up with your favorite sides, and you've got a wonderfully elegant yet satisfying meal.

As well as the two salmon fillets, you'll need some olive oil for frying, plus a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Then, for the creamy mushroom sauce, there's butter, sliced cremini mushrooms, minced garlic, white wine, vegetable broth, heavy cream, and more salt and pepper.

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat.

Add the mushrooms and garlic and saute for 5 minutes.

Pour in the wine and let it bubble for 2 minutes.

Add the broth, cream, and some salt and black pepper to taste. Stir well.

Reduce the heat to low and let the sauce simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes.

Sprinkle the salmon fillets with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the oil to a separate skillet over medium heat.

Pan-fry the salmon for about 4 minutes per side, or to your desired level of doneness.

Transfer salmon to plate. Spoon the sauce over the salmon to serve.

To balance out the richness of the salmon and sauce, serving this dish alongside some veggies is a great idea. We love to add some steamed broccoli, asparagus, or green beans to the plate, but there are plenty of other options to consider. Try tossing some sliced bell peppers, zucchini, butternut squash, or red onion with a little olive oil and salt, before spreading them out on a baking sheet and roasting them in the oven. Or, pair the fish with a fresh side salad. Lettuce, arugula, radishes, cherry tomatoes, and avocados would all work brilliantly.

Adding a carb element to the dish is also a great way to build a well-rounded, complete meal. Cooked grains such as brown rice, quinoa, or couscous all make fantastic pairings. You could also serve it with mashed or roasted potatoes, or even boiled baby potatoes, for a more comforting feel. Another idea is to flake the salmon over a bowl of cooked pasta, before stirring through the creamy sauce.

When it comes to cooking salmon, there are several methods to choose from that'll all yield delicious results. A popular technique is to poach the salmon. This can be done in a mixture of water and wine, with a few herbs and aromatics tossed into the poaching liquid for extra flavor. The fish should be cooked through in around 10 minutes. Another simple, hands-off method is to bake the salmon in the oven. Just coat the raw fillets in a little olive oil, salt, pepper, and any additional seasonings of your choice, then pop them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. They'll need around 10 to 15 minutes of baking at 350 F.

If you have an air-fryer, this can absolutely be put to use here, too. The cooking time should be fairly similar to the oven-baking method, with perhaps a minute or two shaved off, so check the fillets after around 8 minutes of cooking. Finally, grilling salmon is an excellent way to introduce some delicious caramelized flavor to the fish. For this method, start by heating up your grill and oiling the grates. Then, place the seasoned salmon fillets onto the grill, flesh-side down, and close the lid. They will take around 6 to 8 minutes to cook, and make sure to flip them over half way through.