Easy Baked Salmon Recipe with Creamy Sauce

I just can't stop thinking about our dinner last night... Mmmm... We had this delicious, juicy, flakey baked salmon with a creamy sauce. The whole family enjoyed it and I was calm and relaxed because it was so easy to prepare with minimal washing up. Nourishing, scrumptious, and easy to make? Definitely my kind of midweek dinner. And I am sure it will be yours too! Don't forget to pin it!

What will you need to make the baked salmon recipe:

Salmon. Fresh or frozen.
Garlic
Fresh cream, organic if possible
Cherry tomatoes
Spinach
Salt and pepper to season

baked salmon fillet served with roasted tomatoes and spinach with a white frying pan in the background

Which salmon should I use for this recipe?

There is a lot of talk about wild salmon being the best. There is no doubt it is. However, many people forget that wild salmon comes with a big price tag. Here in Australia, it is double the price of fresh farmed salmon from the fish shop and three times more than the supermarket variety. The question is, should you avoid eating salmon if you can't afford the wild variety? Absolutely not. Go for any fresh salmon you can afford, the benefits are still way greater than not consuming any at all. If you are on a tight budget, look for salmon in the frozen section, this fish is frozen straight after it was caught and tastes delicious too.

Health benefits of eating salmon

Salmon is a beautiful and delicious source of many nutrients that our bodies requires. As you have probably heard before, salmon is extremely rich in Omega 3s. There are oceans of research show that omega 3 fats:

Make you smarter
Lower the incidents of Alzheimer's disease
Lessen age-related cognitive decline
Stabilize your mood, including lowering anxiety and depression
Prevent strokes
Lower high blood pressure
Prevent heart attacks
Reduce IBS
Reduce risk of colon cancer
Improve immunity and many many more benefits.

How to defrost salmon before baking it

If you have frozen salmon at home, simply take it out of the freezer the night before and let it defrost naturally in the fridge overnight. But do not stress if you forgot to do so, you can also place your salmon in a sealed plastic bag in warm (not hot) water. It will take about an hour for the fish to thaw.

How long to cook salmon in the oven

Salmon is very easy to prepare and is delicious, juicy, and flakey when cooked right. To ensure you don't end up with dry and tasteless fish you have to watch the time. The time will vary a little depending on your oven and the thickness of your fish. But as a rule of thumb, I recommend baking salmon at 190'C (370'F) for 10 to 15 minutes depending on the thickness of your fish. You know your salmon is cooked when it flakes easily. Just push on the top of the fish lightly with a fork, if it is cooked it will kind of split, flake.

If your salmon is very high quality and very fresh, you might reduce the cooking time by 2 minutes and enjoy the slightly under-done fish. I love my salmon a little pink in the middle.

2 baked salmon fillets in creamy sacue ina white frying pan served with cherry tomatoes and spinach

How to make the easy baked salmon with creamy sauce

Start by preheating the oven to 190'C (370'F)

Next, heat the olive oil in an oven-proof frying pan on medium heat and sear the salmon fillets, skin down for 1 to 2 minutes. You need to sear one side only. Do not turn the salmon.

Next add crushed garlic cloves, skin on, and let it fry for another minuter.

Add fresh cream into the frying pan.

cooking step photo: 2 salmon fillets in creamy sauce and fried garlic cloves in a white frying pan

Add cherry toamtos and transfer the fish into the preheated oven.

hot to step: 2 salmon fillets in creamy sauce with garlic cloves and cherry tomatoes

Bake for approximately 10 minutes. Take the frying pan out and add spinach. Don't worry if it looks like it is a lot of spinach, it will wilt in no time. Bake for another 2 minutes. Your baked salmon with the most delicious creamy sauce is ready to be enjoyed.

What to serve with baked salmon and the creamy sauce?

This baked slamon dish is so versatile. You can serve it with basmati rice and some steamed broccoli. Pasta will go perfectly with the creamty sauce. You could also add some zuccinis and red pepper into the pan to bake it with salmon to make your meal low carb.

How to store the baked salmon with creamy sauce

Any leftovers after dinner? Simply put it in an air-tight container and refrigerate it for up to 3 days. Reheat it in the frying pan with a splash of water until salmon is heated throughly.

The baked salmon can be frozen in an air-tight container for up to 3 months, but honestly, I usually don't freeze cooked fish. I find it to be a bit mushy after defrosting. However if you have a tip how to freeze fish, please let me know in comments below.