Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside Marry Me Salmon in a rich creamy sun-dried tomato sauce. Pair this flavorful dish with rice or mashed potatoes and a salad or roasted vegetables for a restaurant-quality meal.
If you made my Marry Me Chicken Pasta, you may find yourself interested in this Marry Me Salmon too!
Loaded with rich rustic flavors from the creamy sun-dried tomato sauce, this easy main dish might just be your new favorite way of eating salmon, or any kind of fish for that matter!
Simple enough to prepare on any busy weeknight, yet fancy enough to serve guests for a special occasion, this delicious salmon recipe is here to impress.
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for Marry Me Salmon. The great news is you can find the full list of ingredients at any grocery store.
Ingredients for Marry Me Salmon:
Fresh Salmon: The main ingredients here! Choose your favorite kind of salmon fillets. My personal favorite is wild-caught King salmon or Atlantic salmon because I prefer the fattier cuts. Nevertheless, sockeye salmon, coho salmon, and trout works great too.
Yellow Onion and Fresh Garlic: Providing a big burst of flavor, we need fresh onion and garlic cloves. You can adjust the amount according to your personal taste.
Full-Fat Canned Coconut Milk: Taking the place of half & half or heavy cream, I use full-fat canned coconut milk for a dairy-free version.
Can you taste the coconut milk? No. The big bold flavors from the other ingredients help mask the flavor so that we’re left with a creamy sauce without any hint of coconut.
Rice Vinegar: Provides the slightest tang and a hint of acidity to mimic the flavor of dairy. You can also use fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar here.
Sun-Dried Tomatoes: The star of the show that brings big rustic flavor to this salmon recipe. I prefer using sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil because they have more flavor, but sun-dried tomatoes that aren’t packed in oil work too.
Fresh Lemon Zest: I like adding lemon zest to bring a citrus undertone to the creamy sun-dried tomato sauce. You can skip it if you don’t have fresh lemon on hand.
Baby Spinach: Adding an infusion of Vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and iron, spinach cooks down to a nearly undetectable level while providing nutrients.
Fresh Basil: A lovely herbal addition. Scale the amount up or down as desired.
Green Onion: Chopped green onions finish the dish off with fresh flavor.
Red Pepper Flakes, Sea Salt, and Black Pepper: Season the dish to taste with red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. If you don’t enjoy spicy food, skip the red pepper flakes, or only use a little.
Avocado Oil: For searing the fish and sautéing the onion. I recommend sticking with a high-temperature cooking oil like avocado oil over using olive oil, which burns at a relatively low temperature.
Recipe Customizations:
- Add 1/4 cup of white wine such as sauvignon blanc to the sauce if you love cooking with wine.
- For more tomato flavor, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of tomato paste.
- If you do dairy, replace the can of coconut milk with 1 and 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream.
- Add fresh herbs like fresh parsley or thyme if you enjoy them.
How to Make Marry Me Salmon:
Remove the salmon from its packaging and pat off any excess moisture with paper towels. Season salmon with sea salt and pepper.
Heat the avocado oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Allow it to heat up for several minutes. Carefully place the salmon filets on the hot skillet skin side up (flesh side down).
Sear for 6 minutes, flip, then sear for another 6 minutes on the flesh side, or until the salmon reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F and both sides have a good sear.
To take the temperature, insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the fish.
Transfer the salmon fillets to a plate and set aside.
Place the skillet back on the stove top and add the chopped yellow onion. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened and begins turning golden brown, about 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and sauté for another couple of minutes.
Pour the whole can of full-fat coconut milk into the skillet. Add in the paprika, lemon zest, rice vinegar, and drained sun-dried tomatoes. Bring the mixture to a full boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened, about 8-10 minutes.
Add in the chopped baby spinach and continue cooking for another 1-2 minutes until the spinach has wilted. Stir in the fresh basil, chopped green onions, and red pepper flakes. Taste the sauce for flavor and add sea salt and black pepper to your personal taste.
Serve the cooked salmon with creamy marry me sauce all over it.
I like to transfer the cooked salmon back into the skillet with the sauce and spoon it over the fillets. Serve salmon over rice, cauliflower rice, your favorite pasta, or mashed potatoes with a side salad or roasted vegetables and a side of crusty bread.
If you do dairy, grate parmesan cheese or pecorino romano over everything.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
The next time you’re craving a rich and flavorful main dish, whip up this amazing sun-dried tomato salmon!
If you love cooking fish, also try out some of my other favorite fish recipes.
More Fish Recipes:
- Mediterranean Salmon in Parchment Paper
- Coconut Lime Fish Soup
- Mediterranean Pan-Fried Cod
- Hot Honey Salmon
- Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Cod
- Chili Lime Baked Cod
Enjoy this creamy salmon dish!
Marry Me Salmon Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1.5 to 2 lbs salmon cut into individual filets
- Sea salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- 1 cup yellow onion finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 (15-oz) can full-fat coconut milk
- ½ tsp paprika
- 1 lemon zested (about 1 tsp zest)
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 (8.5-oz) jar sun-dried tomatoes drained and chopped*
- 4 cups baby spinach chopped
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves optional
- 3 stalks green onion chopped
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes to taste, optional
Instructions
- Remove the salmon from its packaging and pat off any excess moisture with paper towels. Season salmon with sea salt and pepper.
- Heat the avocado oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Allow it to heat up for several minutes. Carefully place the salmon filets on the hot skillet skin side down. Sear for 6 minutes, flip, then sear for another 6 minutes on the flesh side, or until the salmon reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F and both sides have a good sear. To take the temperature, insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the fish. Transfer the salmon fillets to a plate and set aside.
- Place the skillet back on the stove top and add the chopped yellow onion. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened and begins turning golden brown, about 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and sauté for another couple of minutes.
- Pour the whole can of full-fat coconut milk into the skillet. Add in the paprika, lemon zest, rice vinegar, and drained sun-dried tomatoes. Bring the mixture to a full boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened, about 8-10 minutes.
- Add in the chopped baby spinach and continue cooking for another 1-2 minutes until the spinach has wilted.
- Stir in the fresh basil, chopped green onions, and red pepper flakes. Taste the sauce for flavor and add sea salt and black pepper to your personal taste. Serve the cooked salmon with creamy marry me sauce all over it. I like to transfer the cooked salmon back into the skillet with the sauce and spoon it over the fillets. Serve salmon over rice, cauliflower rice, your favorite pasta, or mashed potatoes with a side salad or roasted vegetables and a side of crusty bread. If you do dairy, grate parmesan cheese over everything.
