Try this restaurant-worthy, 20-minute creamy garlic butter salmon with pan-seared salmon smothered in a rich and smooth cream sauce. Pair it with mashed potatoes, white rice, or crusty bread to soak up of all that creamy garlic butter sauce.
Today we’re making some creamy garlic butter salmon that’s great for date nights or when you just feel like indulging a little. The salmon is pan-seared to get a nice, golden crust and then basted generously with melted butter to get it into every crack and crevice for maximum buttery flavor. Then we make the garlic white wine cream sauce that’s infused with Parmesan cheese and topped with fresh parsley.
Since there’s a ton of good sauce to go around, your sides should be something that can soak it all up like mashed potatoes, white rice, or some crusty bread. It’s a nice change from light, lemony salmon recipes like light lemon garlic pasta with salmon, lemon and Parmesan-crusted salmon or salmon piccata. If you’re craving more creamy salmon recipes instead, try out this creamy salmon pasta with spinach next! Let’s start cooking.
How To Make Creamy Garlic Butter Salmon (1 Min Video)
Ingredients in Creamy Garlic Butter Salmon
CREAMY GARLIC BUTTER SALMON RECIPE TIPS
- Butter – I like using Land O Lakes brand of half butter sticks which measure out the tablespoons for you.
- Garlic – Fresh garlic works best for the best flavor but in a pinch, you could substitute it with garlic powder. The flavor won’t be as great but it will work as a substitution.
- Salt – I like using coarse sea salt for my cooking because it’s more forgiving than regular table salt.
- Wine – Use a dry white wine like pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc since you want the wine to add acidity and not sweetness. The white wine is optional in this recipe though so if you’re skipping it, you don’t have to substitute the liquid with anything else.
- Chicken broth – Since only half a cup of broth is needed, it feels like a waste to buy canned broth or broth in a carton unless you plan to use it up soon. I like to use Better than Bouillon chicken and mix it with water as needed. One teaspoon is about one bouillon cube which is about one cup of broth.
- Heavy cream – You can substitute heavy cream with half and half instead, but you’ll need to simmer it over low heat so the sauce doesn’t curdle. Some people have reported success substituting heavy cream with evaporated milk.
- Parmesan cheese – Try to use freshly grated Parmesan cheese so it will melt smoothly into the sauce. If you’re short on time or don’t like grating, the grated Parmesan brand I use that melts pretty well is BelGioioso natural freshly grated Parmesan.
- Parsley – I used fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley but curly parsley will work just as well. If you don’t have any fresh parsley on hand, you can also try dried parsley flakes.
What to Serve with Creamy Garlic Butter Salmon
Try pairing this with something to soak up all that cream sauce, like mashed potatoes, rice, pasta, or even some crusty bread. Add some veggies on the side like green beans, broccoli, or asparagus for a balanced meal.
Customize It!
- Herbs – Switch up the parsley with some thyme or dill.
- Add more flavor – Saute some diced shallots or onions with the garlic for more flavor, or season the salmon fillets with garlic and onion powder before searing.
- Zest it up – 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.
And that’s about it! Enjoy your creamy salmon and happy eating 🙂 Let me know of any substitutions you made, what you paired it with and how you liked it in the comments below!
MORE SALMON RECIPES TO TRY
- Creamy Salmon Pasta with Spinach
- Light Lemon Garlic Pasta with Salmon
- Salmon in Creamy Dill Sauce
- Lemon and Parmesan Crusted Salmon
- Salmon Piccata
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Creamy Garlic Butter Salmon
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Try this restaurant-worthy, 20-minute creamy garlic butter salmon with pan-seared salmon smothered in a rich and smooth cream sauce.
Ingredients
- 4 salmon fillets (5–8 oz. each)
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3–4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (optional)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- 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 saute 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.
- [Optional step] Add wine and simmer for 2 minutes or until the wine evaporates.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and pour in chicken stock and heavy cream.
- Add Parmesan cheese and stir to melt the cheese into the sauce. Season with parsley and salt and pepper to taste.
- Simmer for 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens. Add 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 then dish and serve hot.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Herbs – Switch up the fresh parsley with some thyme or dill.
- Add more flavor – Saute some diced shallots or onions with the garlic for more flavor, or season the salmon fillets with garlic and onion powder before searing.
- Zest it up – 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.
- Scroll up to RECIPE TIPS for more useful tips, suggestions and ingredient substitutions.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
Comments & Reviews
Beautiful & tasty dish. I used all the recommended extras. I will be making as a regular dinner item.
★★★★★
Glad to have helped you find a new staple! I’m betting it tasted great with the added capers and spinach – salmon, lemon juice and capers go so well together. I used the combination in this light salmon pasta recipe and it’s such a fresh flavor!
One of the best tasting salmon dishes I have had. The cream sauce and the salmon were both so creamy, this was perfect. My husband ,who doesn’t really like salmon, told me repeatedly how amazing it was. He said keep that recipe!!! It was just as easy to make as it was good to eat.
★★★★★
That’s a great compliment! It’s always a win to hear a recipe helped convert someone to salmon. Enjoy the food the next time you make it 🙂
We eat salmon once a week. Made this last night and we loved it! I’m putting it in my “make it again” file!
★★★★★
That’s great to hear, Scottee! I really do appreciate you coming back and trying different salmon recipes.
Made this tonight with mashed potatoes and roasted brussel sprouts. O M G it was sooo yummy and creamy! The fam loved it as well, even had seconds. I followed some of the tips and definitely used white wine (Prosecco actually since that’s what I had) used freshly grated parmesan, threw some crushed peppers in there, and finally sprinkled some lemon juice over the salmon at the end. It was just amazing, I couldn’t get enough. Thank you so much for this amazing recipe, it’s a keeper for sure!
★★★★★
Thanks for sharing and I’m glad the tips helped! Adding a bit of lemon juice and red pepper flakes will really brighten up the cream sauce. Pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc are other great dry white wines that work beautifully with the sauce.