Calling this dish marry me salmon may seem a little silly, but this creamy sauce (which you might also know from our delicious Marry Me Chicken and Marry Me Chicken Pasta) really is that good! No one can resist this salmon, covered in a rich cream sauce seasoned with garlic and savory sun-dried tomatoes. It’s easy to imagine that once you’ve had a taste, you really would want to marry the person who cooked it for you so that you could keep tasting all that deliciousness for the rest of your days. Quick, easy, and just maybe delicious enough to make you want to pop the question, make this one tonight! And if you still want salmon for dinner, but don’t want a proposal just yet, try our simple, yummy Baked Salmon instead.
Ingredients For THE BEST ‘Marry Me’ Sauce
- Cream: Heavy cream makes this sauce so rich and creamy, it’s pretty hard to sub in anything else and we don’t recommend it.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: We forget about these dense little flavor bombs sometimes and when we remember they exist it’s just so exciting. Sweet, savory and so rich, they are the star of this sauce.
- Garlic: Heaps of fresh garlic makes everything yummy.
- Parmesan cheese: You know we want you to grate this fresh! It’s the only way it’ll melt properly into the cream sauce.
- Italian seasoning: Just a hint of herby flavor.
- Fresh basil: Fragrant fresh basil takes this dish into fancy dinner territory, without really any extra effort.
- Chicken stock and chicken bouillon: You could also use veggie stock and bouillon, if you prefer.
How To Buy The Best Salmon
- Wild VS Farmed. If you can afford wild salmon, it's really delicious, meaty and lean. Farmed salmon is also completely fine to use, especially in a recipe like this where there are a lot of big flavors vying for attention.
- Color. Different varieties of salmon have slightly different shades of pink, but whether the fish is light or dark pink, the color should be clear and vibrant, not dull or greying at all.
- Scent: If you have the chance to give the salmon a sniff (it's OK to ask the fish monger to smell it, if you have any concerns about the freshness) fresh fish shouldn't smell fishy. It should smell like the ocean, perhaps a little salty or briny. But not full on fishy.
- Frozen fish is fine to buy! All fish is frozen when it is caught, so there's nothing wrong with buying frozen salmon. Just be sure to look for a high quality fish that doesn't have any preservatives or additives (you can check for these on the ingredient label).
How To Make Marry Me Salmon
- Season the salmon. We are pretty aggressive with the seasonings here, because we’re going for broke! It’s called MARRY ME salmon, it’s got to go big.
- Bake the salmon. It’s done when it flakes apart easily when you poke it with a fork. We recommend checking the thickest part of the fillet.
- While the salmon bakes, make the ‘marry me’ cream sauce. Simmer it very gently, because cream does not like high heat.
- Bring it all together! To serve it: Spoon the sauce over the salmon fillets, or if you want to make a nice presentation, you can place the salmon fillets in the cream sauce and serve it that way.
What To Serve It With
- Pasta! We usually serve this dish over pasta, because we want to dredge noodles through every last drop of the creamy sauce that’s left in the bowl. Most any pasta shape would work well, or you can always make things really snazzy and serve it with Homemade Pappardelle.
- Over Mashed Potatoes. Cozy, hearty, and always a kid favorite, you could just as easily serve this salmon over Mashed Potatoes for a gluten-free way to bulk the saucy salmon up.
- On its own, with some crusty bread and a big salad. Rustic and easy, that’s a meal you could definitely serve to company for a low-key dinner party that everyone will remember.
More Out-Of-The-Box Salmon Dinners
What’s Next?
For more recipe inspiration, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest or order our cookbook. We love when you share your meals. Tag us on Instagram using #themodernproper, and we’d love to hear what you think of this recipe in the comments below. Happy cooking!
