Pan-Seared Salmon with Garlic Butter Cream Sauce

pansearedsalmongarlicbuttercreamsauce This is a restaurant-worthy, 20-minute pan-seared salmon smothered in a rich and creamy garlic butter sauce. Pair it with mashed potatoes, white rice, or crusty bread to soak up of all that garlic butter sauce.

4 (5-8 oz) salmon fillets, boneless
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. butter
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup dry white wine, optional
½ cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

Season both sides of the salmon fillets with salt and pepper.

Over medium-high heat in a skillet, pan-fry the salmon in olive oil until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of your salmon. Drain some of the excess oil from the pan, leaving a little to sauté the garlic.

Melt butter in the pan, tilt the pan towards you and spoon the butter generously over the salmon fillets. Remove salmon from the pan. Sauté the garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add wine and simmer for 2 minutes or until the wine evaporates.

Reduce heat to medium-low and pour in the chicken stock and heavy cream.

Add the Parmesan cheese and stir to melt the cheese into the sauce. Season with parsley, salt and pepper to taste.

Simmer for 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens. Add the salmon back to the pan and simmer for a few more minutes until the salmon is warmed through.

Spoon the sauce over the salmon, top with more parsley. Serve hot.

Makes 4 servings.

Variations:

Herbs: Switch up the parsley with some thyme or dill.
Flavour Boost: Sauté some diced shallots or onions with the garlic for more flavour, or season the salmon fillets with garlic and onion powder before searing.
Add Some Zest: Add some capers for some zest or you can add lemon slices directly to the cream sauce while it simmers. You can also marinate the salmon in lemon juice for 15-30 minutes or just drizzle lemon juice over the salmon before serving.
Add Some Heat: Add a few dashes of red pepper flakes for some heat.
Spinach: You can also add some baby spinach to the cream sauce for more substance.