Salmon Florentine — You don’t need to go to Florence, Italy to enjoy this FAST and EASY Italian-inspired salmon recipe at home! Tender flaky salmon is bathed in a decadent cream sauce made with heavy cream, wine, Parmesan cheese, and more! Fresh spinach and mushrooms add extra texture and flavor to this super flavorful fish dish!
Creamy Salmon Florentine Recipe
You don’t need to go all the way to Florence, Italy for this luscious and fabulous Italian-inspired salmon Florentine recipe.
Tender flaky salmon is bathed in a cream sauce made with heavy cream, garlic, white wine, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and butter.
Along with that all that decadence, there’s fresh spinach and baby portobello mushrooms to add texture, flavor, and lighten things up a bit.
However, make no mistake this is more of what I would call comfort food rather than lighter fare.
As a bonus salmon Florentine comes together in 20 minutes on the stove, in one skillet, and is naturally gluten-free.
If you’re trying to go meat-free or are observing meat-free Fridays in Lent, this is a gem of a fish recipe to try!
Ingredients in Salmon Florentine
For this Italian-inspired white wine salmon with spinach and mushrooms, you’ll need the following easy-to-find fridge and pantry ingredients:
- Olive oil
- Salmon
- Mushrooms
- Garlic
- Heavy cream
- White wine
- Lemon juice
- Parmesan cheese
- Unsalted butter, optional
- Salt
- Pepper
- Fresh spinach
- Red pepper flakes, optional
How to Make Salmon Florentine in 20 Minutes
Even though this white wine salmon may look tricky to make, I promise it’s not and comes together quickly and easily. That’s the nice thing about most all fish is that it cooks fast!
Follow these straightforward steps to make salmon Florentine:
Step 1: Cook the salmon in olive oil and then remove it from the skillet.
Step 2: Add a bit more olive oil and saute the mushrooms and then the garlic.
Step 3: Make the creamy spinach sauce for the salmon by adding heavy cream, wine, lemon juice, Parmesan, and simmer.
Step 4: Optionally add butter and salt and pepper to taste.
Step 5: Add the spinach and allow it to wilt before adding the salmon back in and optionally sprinkling with red pepper flakes before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
It can sometimes be daunting selecting the proper cut of fish or even beef if you don’t often buy it or are buying something that is new-to-you.
To take the stress out of shopping for your salmon, I recommend going to the butcher case in your local supermarket and buying four salmon filets. They usually come with the skin on and are about 6 to 8 ounces each.
Many times they will have been previously frozen, flown in, and they thaw as they sit in the butcher case.
If you want to buy organic, wild, or farmed salmon — and with or without skin — the choice is up to you.
Salmon can be pricey so buy what you feel is a good choice for you and based on how it looks.
I like salmon filets that are quite thick in the center (center cuts) and try to avoid the thinner edge pieces.
Although, you can also just buy one very large slab of salmon (like I use in Honey Lemon Salmon) rather than filets and butcher it into 4 pieces yourself. Or ask the butcher to do it for you.
This can often be cheaper than buying four center cut filets.
You don’t technically have to use white wine in salmon Florentine but I highly recommend it.Â
The actual alcohol cooks off and what you’re left with is the richness and depth of flavor that the wine imparts.
Plus, it’s only one-half cup for the entire dish and you’re not going to be drinking the sauce down to the last drop. Well, maybe you will. It’s that good!Â
If you’re not going to use wine, use a good quality chicken broth. But if you have wine on hand, definitely make the white wine sauce for the salmon — it’s so good!
I suggest using a dry white wine when making the white wine sauce for the salmon.
Try one of the following varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, or Sauvignon Blanc.
My advice is don’t use whole milk, half-and-half, or other plant-based milk products if you want optimal results. Feel free to test them but my vote is on heavy cream for this salmon recipe.
What to Serve with Salmon Florentine
Serve the creamy Florentine spinach salmon with one or more of the following:
- Rice
- Buttered noodles
- Slow cooker baked potatoes
- Mashed potatoes
- Balsamic roasted broccoli
- Superfoods salad
- Summer ravioli salad
- Kale caesar salad
Storage Instructions
Salmon and most fish dishes for me always taste best when served fresh and hot. I am not terribly fond of fish leftovers.
However, if you do have extra salmon Florentine, it will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 3 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Always reheat anything with a cream sauce carefully so the cream doesn’t separate, or “break.” Apart from that you don’t want the salmon to become dried out, overcooked, or rubbery.
Tips for the Best Salmon Florentine
Even though this is a basic dish, I have a few tips to make sure your salmon Florentine comes out absolutely perfectly for you!
Use a heavy-bottomed skillet like cast iron so the salmon forms a nice little crust. I wouldn’t use a nonstick pan or a lightweight skillet because you just won’t get the same sear on the salmon as you will with a heavier duty skillet.
Don’t overcook the salmon. At most, it will cook in 6 minutes with the skin on, and about 4 minutes without skin. There is nothing worse than overcooked fish which is dry and potentially rubbery.
Err on the side of undercooking it since it will continue to cook even after you take it out of the pan due to the internal heat and carryover cooking.
Salmon that’s a little pink in the center (or a lot pink for me) is not only fine, it’s actually preferred by most and how most restaurants serve it unless otherwise specified.
Whenever you’re making a cream-based sauce, it’s always important that you don’t overheat the cream. High heat or simmering it at too high of a heat for too long or too rapidly will cause the cream to break, or separate.
While it will taste fine, it’s ugly to look at and you won’t feel proud serving it and will want to start over so easy does it with the heat.
While the tablespoon of butter at the end is optional, it adds even more richness to the cream sauce and I encourage you to add it.
Fresh spinach as opposed to frozen is the way to go for the best salmon Florentine.
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Salmon Florentine
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 4 salmon filets, 6 to 8 ounces each* (See Notes)
- 1 cup sliced baby portobello mushrooms, white mushrooms may be substituted
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- ½ cup dry white wine, such as chardonnay, pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc; or sub with good quality chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, optional
- 2 cups fresh spinach, or to taste
- Salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Red pepper flakes, optional for garnishing
Instructions
- To a large, heavy-bottomed skillet (such as cast iron), add half the olive oil, salmon (skin side down if it has skin), and sear over medium heat for about 4 minutes (no skin) and 6 minutes (with skin) or until the salmon forms a nice little crust.
- Flip it and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, or until cooked through and as done as desired; remove it from the skillet and set aside on a plate. Tip - Do not overcook it. The salmon will also continue to cook from the internal heat and carryover cooking even after you remove it from the skillet so take this into account.
- Add the remaining oil, mushrooms, and cook for about 4 minutes or until they're beginning to soften; stir frequently.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant; stir nearly constantly.
- Add the heavy cream, wine, lemon juice, Parmesan, and simmer for 3 minutes; stir intermittently.
- Optionally add the butter and allow it to melt (recommended because it adds great richness) and add the salt and pepper to taste, and stir to combine.
- Add the spinach, turn the heat to low, cover the skillet with a lid, and allow the spinach to wilt, about 3 minutes.
- Optionally sprinkle with red pepper flakes and serve immediately. Salmon is best warm and fresh but extra will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months; reheat gently and slowly to avoid breaking the cream sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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great
I tried this last time. It was so delicious!! Thanks for sharing this :))
I tried this last time. It was so delicious!! Thanks for sharing this :))
The cream on the salmon makes it taste amazing! I made this recipe last night, and it was gone in a couple of minutes! Totally recommend, please continue publishing amazing recipes!
The cream on the salmon makes it taste amazing! I made this recipe last night, and it was gone in a couple of minutes! Totally recommend, please continue publishing amazing recipes!
The cream on the salmon makes it taste amazing! I made this recipe last night, and it was gone in a couple of minutes! Totally recommend, please continue publishing amazing recipes!
great
We had the Salmon Florentine, made as the recipe says, and it was delicious. We don’t eat rice, so there was sauce left over which I added to a meatloaf the following day. It was all great!
We had the Salmon Florentine, made as the recipe says, and it was delicious. We don’t eat rice, so there was sauce left over which I added to a meatloaf the following day. It was all great!
Thanks for the 5 star review and this was delish and you were able to repurpose the extra sauce for some meatloaf the next day, too!
great