Marry Me Salmon

My family is BIG on salmon – we eat it at least once a week. So when I saw the viral ‘marry me chicken’ trend, you bet I had to put my spin on it using my favorite fish. Let me show you how to infuse flaky, tender salmon with irresistible ‘marry me’ flavors.

This is my take on the wildly popular marry me chicken recipes that have been everywhere lately — except I swapped the chicken for salmon, because we’re firmly a salmon-loving household. The flavors translate beautifully, and honestly, I might like this version even more.

The salmon gets seasoned and quickly seared, then it takes a swim in the most luscious creamy sauce made with sun-dried tomatoes and parmesan. I finish it with a generous handful of fresh basil and usually serve it over garlic butter pasta for full-on Italian-American comfort vibes. It feels a little fancy, but it’s very much weeknight-doable.

What I love most is how simple everything is. The salmon uses basic pantry seasonings and cooks in butter and olive oil, while the sauce comes together with garlic, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, white wine, chicken stock, cream, and parmesan. It’s rich, cozy, and completely swoon-worthy — the kind of sauce that makes everyone at the table very happy they showed up for dinner.

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Marry Me Salmon Pasta Recipe

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 10 minutes mins

Total: 20 minutes mins

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Tender, juicy salmon in a creamy sun-dried tomato garlic sauce with handfuls of fresh basil is one of the best dinners you'll ever make. I love Marry Me Salmon with pasta and a salad – it's just so good.

4

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 portions salmon (see notes)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon EACH: garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper
• ▢ 1 tablespoon EACH: butter and olive oil (see notes)
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ▢ ½ cup EACH: white wine and chicken stock (see notes)
• ▢ ¾ cup whipping cream
• ▢ ½ cup chopped sun dried tomatoes (see notes)
• ▢ ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• ▢ Fresh basil (to serve)

Instructions 

• Dry the salmon with a paper towel and then sprinkle the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper evenly over both sides.
  4 portions salmon, ½ teaspoon EACH: garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper
  
• Heat the butter and oil in a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the salmon, top side down, and sear until it has turned golden, about 4 minutes. Remove it from the pan.
  1 tablespoon EACH: butter and olive oil
  
• Add the Italian seasoning and garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Pour the wine and chicken stock into the pan and bring it to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any stuck-on bits. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the whipping cream, and bring to a simmer. Let it simmer until the sauce begins to thicken, about 4 minutes.
  4 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, ½ cup EACH: white wine and chicken stock, ¾ cup whipping cream
  
• Stir in the sun dried tomatoes and parmesan cheese and then return the salmon, seared side facing up. Let it simmer for 3-4 minutes, until the salmon is fully cooked. Serve with fresh basil sprinkled over the top.
  ½ cup chopped sun dried tomatoes, ½ cup grated parmesan cheese, Fresh basil
  

Notes

Salmon skin: I like to remove the salmon skin before cooking this recipe. If you’d rather, you can leave it on and peel it off after the salmon is cooked. To learn how to remove it, see my guide on removing salmon skin. 

Sun-dried tomatoes: I like to use the oil in the jar to give this recipe even more flavor. Make sure to keep any remaining sun-dried tomatoes covered with oil by pouring olive oil into the jar. I find that sun-dried tomatoes can vary in flavor—some are very strong, while others are mild. If you’re unsure and don’t want to go overboard, use less and add more to taste. If you’re a big fan, add up to 1 cup. 

Wine: If you don’t want to use wine, you can substitute chicken stock. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1 piece of salmon with ¼ of the sauce, Calories: 548kcal (27%), Carbohydrates: 14g (5%), Protein: 42g (84%), Fat: 34g (52%), Saturated Fat: 16g (100%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 163mg (54%), Sodium: 679mg (30%), Potassium: 1442mg (41%), Fiber: 2g (8%), Sugar: 7g (8%), Vitamin A: 1049IU (21%), Vitamin C: 7mg (8%), Calcium: 194mg (19%), Iron: 3mg (17%)

© Author Kristen Stevens

We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.

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