Paleo Tuscan Salmon
Wonderfully flavorful, this creamy hearty dish is the perfect meal year round!
If you love salmon, this paleo tuscan salmon dish is for you. It's absolutely one of my favorite meals! It consists of a wonderful variety of flavors and textures. And this paleo twist on this classic entree is perfect for those with reactions to dairy.
This meal has all the right elements. Salmon, vegetables, cream, garlic and fresh herbs. In a traditional Tuscan salmon dish, whole cream or half and half would be used, along with parmesan cheese. This paleo version uses nut cream and nutritional yeast as dairy replacements.
Nut cream
Homemade almond cream works and tastes the best. The recipe can be found here. Store bought nut creamer also works, such as the brand Nutpods. When using store bought, please note that it could potentially separate or slightly curdle. There are ways to minimize this, such as shaking the container very well before use. Additionally, gently heating the cream with the broth in a separate pot, then adding it to the skillet, can be effective in preventing separation. Notes on this are in the recipe.
Nutritional Yeast
Nutritional yeast can be found in many stores as well as online. It basically is a dried yeast in a light, flaky form. Its natural flavor is similar to cheese so works well as a replacement.
Some people eliminate cows milk dairy but still can handle goat or sheep milk. If you're one of those people, manchego cheese is a great option rather than the nutritional yeast. The amount can be increased to 1/4 cup. Notes on this are also available on the recipe card.
Sun-dried Tomatoes
The sun-dried tomatoes for this recipe should be mixed with oil in a jar. You'll want to drain the oil as much as possible to only get the tomatoes, otherwise the cream base and get too oily. Sun-dried tomatoes sometimes contain sulfites, but there are brands that eliminate this ingredient. Finding a brand without sulfites is ideal.
How to Make Paleo Tuscan Salmon
This may look like a complicated dish, but each step goes quickly. This is traditionally served over pasta or rice, but for the paleo version, serving over spaghetti squash is a nice option. If you choose this, bake the spaghetti squash in the oven first for about 40 minutes. There are details in the recipe notes.
Then gather all your ingredients. Each ingredient will be added one or two at a time. The first step is to heat olive oil and cook the salmon on each side, then remove from the skillet and set aside. The ghee (or grass fed butter if you can eat this) and garlic will be added next. When adding the garlic, be aware of the oil temperature to keep from burning the garlic. Once you add the tomatoes, you'll need to stir occasionally and allow them to burst as they get hot.
The sun-dried tomatoes and spinach go in next, then the broth and cream. If you use nutritional yeast, simmer the cream a little before adding. If you use manchego cheese, you can add it right away with the broth and cream. Let simmer until thick.
The fresh herbs are added at the end, along with adding back the salmon to heat through. Once the salmon has reheated, it is ready to serve!
Plate your paleo tuscan salmon immediately while still warm. You can eat as is or serve over the spaghetti squash. Either option is delicious! Enjoy!
Paleo Tuscan Salmon
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 4-6 ounce salmon fillets
- 2 tbsp ghee or grass fed butter if you tolerate
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped or pressed
- 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cup oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond creamer homemade or store bought, see notes
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast see notes
- 1/4 cup basil, chopped
- 1 tbsp rosemary, chopped
Instructions
- Lightly salt salmon flesh. Heat a large skillet on medium heat and add olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the salmon skin side down and cook for 6 minutes. Then flip each piece and cook an additional 4 minutes. Remove from the pan.
- Add ghee and melt, then add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add grape or cherry tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sun-dried tomatoes and spinach, then season with salt and pepper. Cook for another 1-2 minutes until spinach is wilted.
- Turn heat down slightly (one notch). Add the broth, then cream and stir. (see notes below on cream) Simmer 3-4 minutes until the cream has thickened. Add the nutritional yeast and stir until combined.
- Chop the fresh basil and rosemary and add to the skillet. Add the cooked salmon back to the pan and heat through.
- Serve over hot spaghetti squash. (see notes)