Name: Blackened Salmon with Mushroom Cream Sauce
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 filet of Salmon, cut into 4-6 oz. portions; 2 tablespoons Olive oil; 1 tablespoon Seasoning salt; 1/2 tablespoon Black pepper; 1/2 tablespoon Paprika; 1/2 tablespoon Garlic powder; 1/2 tablespoon Onion powder; 3 cups Spinach; 1 cup Mushrooms, sliced; 2 tablespoons Butter; 1 cup Heavy cream; 1 cup Chicken stock; 1/2 cup Red wine; 2 sprigs Fresh thyme

Blackened Salmon w/ mushroom cream sauce. Salmon is seasoned to perfection, then pan seared to create the ultimate blackening, and then nestled into a delicious mushroom cream sauce.

Checkout the secret ingredient to achieving the perfect sear for the blackened salmon. In part, salmon has amazing health benefits, but even better, it’s such a versatile protein.

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, we could go catch salmon in our own backyard. However, I didn’t like fish growing up. I know- I know, I’m insane right? Let’s fast forward several years, I can’t seem to get enough of it now!

The sad part of this is that we now live in south Florida, where seafood- especially salmon, is not in abundance. Therefore, it is pretty expensive! It’s okay though, a lot of stores offer the pre-packaged salmon at a decent cost.

So, with this salmon, I knew I wanted something savory, not just regular blackened salmon. That’s where the mushroom cream sauce came in at. Freshly sliced mushrooms, spinach, red wine (this is optional but HIGHLY recommended), heavy cream, and chicken stock created the most amazing creamy sauce to accompany the blackened salmon. Boy what a treat it was! Dinner was done in 20 minutes, and it was such a substantial meal.

How to make the blackened salmon w/ mushroom cream sauce:

Season the salmon liberally with all of the spices. With this blend, I adapted Jessica Gavin’s blackened salmon recipe and made it my own; and used what I had on hand! No need to season the skin side, as that will be peeled off when done cooking.
Add olive oil to a cast iron skillet and heat over medium high.
Once the olive oil is heated, add the salmon skin side down. Sear for 5 minutes, then flip it over. Sear for an additional 5 minutes. Remove the salmon from the skillet and set aside. Salmon should have a nice brown crust, but may not be cooked all the way through (cooking process will finish when it’s added back to the hot mushroom cream sauce).

Place butter into the pan, and then add the sliced mushrooms. Saute for 7-10 minutes, or until the mushrooms start to soften up.
Pour red wine into the pan and stir to get up all of the brown bits. Slowly add the heavy cream, chicken stock, and sprigs of thyme. Stir to combine.
Peel the skin off of the salmon, and nestle them back into the mushroom cream sauce and continue to simmer for 7-10 minutes.

What to serve with the blackened salmon w/ mushroom cream sauce:

Rice pilaf is an awesome side to serve with this dish. It is super simple to make, and really helps round out the meal. Moreover, another great side dish would be a great salad. Any type of salad that can be put together quickly, or made ahead of time would be a perfect solution. For another side dish idea, you could go with a quick potato mash. Boil up some potatoes, mash them and season well. The mushroom cream sauce would be delicious with mashed potatoes.

Nonetheless, even if your not the biggest fan of seafood, or fish, you may very well enjoy this dish!

Check out this pan seared mahi-mahi and garlic butter seafood boil for other seafood ideas.

Yield: 6 servings