Wild Salmon with Spinach-Cream Sauce

Recipe sponsored by Walleye Direct.

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 salmon portions
- Olive oil
- 4 tablespoons of shallot, finely chopped
- 2 clove of garlic, minced
- 4 handfuls of fresh spinach
- Sun-dried tomatoes in oil, to taste
- Splash of white wine or vermouth
- 2 cups of heavy whipping cream
- Fresh lemon juice, to taste
- Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Take salmon out of the refrigerator 1 hour prior to cooking. When you’re ready to cook, pat fish dry with paper towels and season it with salt and pepper. 

2. Coat a non-stick pan with olive oil and heat over medium-high. When the oil starts shimmering, add the salmon skin-side up, allowing plenty of room in between the pieces. Cook this first side until golden and crusty. (Cook skin side down first if you like crispy fish skin. Make sure to remove scales first.)

3. Flip the fish over and cook it the rest of the way on the skin side. Take the fish off when the thickest part of the salmon reaches 125 degrees. Set the fish aside and loosely tent with foil to rest – finishing temperature should be 130-135 degrees. Wild salmon is lean and temperatures beyond 135 will yield dry meat. 

 4. In the same pan, add more oil and lower heat to medium/medium-low. Add shallot and sauté until softened, about 2-3 minutes. Add the spinach and sauté until wilted, stirring often. Add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in a pinch of salt. 

5. Add a splash of white wine to the pan, enough to cover the bottom and allow it to bubble and evaporate. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. 

6. Over low heat, pour in cream and simmer until heated through and thickened. Season to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Serve the spinach sauce with warm salmon and your favorite starchy side dish, such as rice, orzo or couscous.