Creamy Garlic Butter Salmon (2024)

Try this restaurant-worthy, 20-minute creamy garlic butter salmon with pan-seared salmon smothered in a rich and smooth cream sauce. Pair it with mashed potatoes, white rice, or crusty bread to soak up of all that creamy garlic butter sauce.

Today we’re making some creamy garlic butter salmon that’s great for date nights or when you just feel like indulging a little. The salmon is pan-seared to get a nice, golden crust and then basted generously with melted butter to get it into every crack and crevice for maximum buttery flavor. Then we make the garlic white wine cream sauce that’s infused with Parmesan cheese and topped with fresh parsley.

Since there’s a ton of good sauce to go around, your sides should be something that can soak it all up like mashed potatoes, white rice, or some crusty bread. It’s a nice change from light, lemony salmon recipes like light lemon garlic pasta with salmon, lemon and Parmesan-crusted salmon or salmon piccata. If you’re craving more creamy salmon recipes instead, try out this creamy salmon pasta with spinach next! Let’s start cooking.

How To Make Creamy Garlic Butter Salmon (1 Min Video)

Ingredients in Creamy Garlic Butter Salmon

CREAMY GARLIC BUTTER SALMON RECIPE TIPS

• Butter – I like using Land O Lakes brand of half butter sticks which measure out the tablespoons for you.
• Garlic – Fresh garlic works best for the best flavor but in a pinch, you could substitute it with garlic powder. The flavor won’t be as great but it will work as a substitution.
• Salt – I like using coarse sea salt for my cooking because it’s more forgiving than regular table salt.
• Wine – Use a dry white wine like pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc since you want the wine to add acidity and not sweetness. The white wine is optional in this recipe though so if you’re skipping it, you don’t have to substitute the liquid with anything else.
• Chicken broth – Since only half a cup of broth is needed, it feels like a waste to buy canned broth or broth in a carton unless you plan to use it up soon. I like to use Better than Bouillon chicken and mix it with water as needed. One teaspoon is about one bouillon cube which is about one cup of broth.

• Heavy cream – You can substitute heavy cream with half and half instead, but you’ll need to simmer it over low heat so the sauce doesn’t curdle. Some people have reported success substituting heavy cream with evaporated milk.
• Parmesan cheese – Try to use freshly grated Parmesan cheese so it will melt smoothly into the sauce. If you’re short on time or don’t like grating, the grated Parmesan brand I use that melts pretty well is BelGioioso natural freshly grated Parmesan.
• Parsley – I used fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley but curly parsley will work just as well. If you don’t have any fresh parsley on hand, you can also try dried parsley flakes.

What to Serve with Creamy Garlic Butter Salmon

Try pairing this with something to soak up all that cream sauce, like mashed potatoes, rice, pasta, or even some crusty bread. Add some veggies on the side like green beans, broccoli, or asparagus for a balanced meal.

And that’s about it! Enjoy your creamy salmon and happy eating 🙂 Let me know of any substitutions you made, what you paired it with and how you liked it in the comments below!

MORE SALMON RECIPES TO TRY

• Creamy Salmon Pasta with Spinach
• Light Lemon Garlic Pasta with Salmon
• Salmon in Creamy Dill Sauce
• Lemon and Parmesan Crusted Salmon
• Salmon Piccata

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