Creamy Salmon Florentine (Paleo, Whole30, Keto)
This creamy salmon florentine is a comforting and nourishing one-pan meal. It’s dairy-free, paleo, and can be modified to be whole30, AIP and keto.
What is salmon florentine?
Salmon Florentine is a baked salmon paired with a creamy Florentine sauce that’s traditionally made with heavy cream and white wine. I studied abroad in Florence in college, and of course, I saw my fair share of dishes with tomato sauce, but creamy sauces and savory mushrooms and spinach were also very common in Tuscan cooking!
This version of Salmon Florentine is made dairy-free with coconut milk instead of heavy cream and is paired with onion, mushroom, and spinach to round out the dish. This dish is gluten and dairy-free, paleo and can easily be made keto, whole30 and AIP!
How to make salmon florentine
- Prep the sauce: Whisk together the coconut milk, white wine, lemon juice, and arrowroot starch until the arrowroot is dissolved and fully combined. Set aside.
- Bake the salmon: Pat the salmon dry and remove any bones. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Add the salmon to the oven-safe skillet and top with the oil. Transfer to the oven and allow to cook for 13-14 minutes or until the salmon easily flakes. Set the salmon aside and allow the skillet to cool slightly.
- Cook the vegetables: Set the skillet over medium heat and add more oil if needed to saute the onions. Saute for 4-5 minutes or until translucent. Add the mushrooms and saute until tender. Add the garlic and spinach to the skillet and cook until the garlic is fragrant and the spinach has wilted.
- Cook the sauce & combine: Pour in the sauce and the remainder of the salt, pepper, and parsley. Stir for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Add the salmon back to the skillet and baste in the sauce, allowing to reheat for about a minute. Season further to taste and serve fresh.
Can you make this with a protein other than salmon?
For sure! I most often see this recipe with chicken, so you can easily use the same sauce over baked chicken breast or thighs.
Can you make this coconut free?
This sauce is intended to be thick and creamy, and full-fat coconut milk is the best dairy-free option. However, if you do tolerate dairy, you can try to use heavy cream instead.
What should you serve with this recipe?
- Zucchini noodles
- Gluten-free pasta (if tolerated)
- Cauliflower rice (or regular rice if tolerated)
- Cauliflower gnocchi
Tips & Tricks for this Recipe
Use salmon filets that are a similar thickness
Some pieces of salmon may be a bit thinner if they’re closer to the tail. If you get a few thinner parts, it’s not that big of a deal, but try and keep the bulk of the salmon as a similar cut so it cooks evenly.
Use full-fat coconut milk
The goal is to keep this sauce really nice and creamy, so full-fat coconut milk is best.
The Ingredients for This Recipe
Salmon
I like using wild-caught sockeye salmon. You can either buy salmon that’s already sliced into filets or slice it at home.
You can leave the skin on or off… totally up to your personal preference!
Coconut milk & white wine
You can easily swap out the wine for broth or more coconut milk.
Arrowroot starch
This helps to thicken the sauce. You can leave it out and just reduce the sauce for longer if desired.
Mushrooms, spinach, and onion
These help to round out the salmon to a more complete dish.
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PrintSalmon Florentine
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This creamy salmon florentine is a comforting and nourishing one-pan meal. It’s dairy-free, paleo, and can be modified to be whole30, AIP and keto.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup full fat coconut milk
- 1/4 cup white wine (see notes for AIP, sub broth or more coconut milk for whole30 or keto)
- Juice of one lemon (plus lemon wedges to serve)
- 1 tsp arrowroot starch (see notes for keto/low carb)
- 1 lb salmon (sliced into 3–4 filets)
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper (omit for AIP)
- 3 tbsp olive oil, divided (sub avocado oil)
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 2 cups baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups spinach
- 1 tbsp parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F and set aside an oven-safe skillet (or a parchment lined sheet pan) that’s lightly greased with oil.
- Whisk together the coconut milk, white wine, lemon juice, and arrowroot starch until the arrowroot is dissolved and fully combined. Set aside to use later.
- Pat the salmon dry and remove any bones. Lightly season with salt and pepper.
- Add the salmon to the oven-safe skillet (or parchment lined baking sheet) and top with about 1 tbsp of oil and lightly season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the oven and allow to cook for 13-14 minutes or until the salmon easily flakes and is cooked through. Set the cooked salmon aside and allow the skillet to cool slightly.
- Set the skillet over medium heat and add the remainder of the oil. Saute the onions for 4-5 minutes or until translucent.
- Add the mushrooms and saute for 4-5 minutes or until tender.
- Add the garlic and spinach to the skillet and cook until the garlic is fragrant and the spinach has wilted.
- Pour in the sauce and the remainder of the salt, pepper, and parsley. Stir for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
- Add the salmon back to the skillet and baste in the sauce, allowing to reheat for about a minute.
- Season further to taste and serve fresh.
Notes
Alcohol does cook off when cooked, however you can easily use coconut milk or broth instead.
The arrowroot starch adds a small amount of carbs. If desired, omit this ingredient and simply cook the sauce longer to reduce and thicken.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 25
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: One Pan
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 362
- Fat: 25.2g
- Carbohydrates: 10.2g
- Fiber: 1.3g
- Protein: 28.2g
Keywords: salmon florentine
Could I make this in a regular casserole dish and transfer to a skillet? My stove is glass top so I can’t use a cast iron. Or I could transfer from the cast iron to a regular for the stove top portion. What are your thoughts?
Totally! You can also just use a sheet pan 🙂
Do you think I could get away with using frozen spinach? (Trying to clean out my freezer LOL)
And do you think this would freeze okay? Trying to get some “TV Dinners” I can eat on those nights when I’m not up to cooking and the rest of the bunch is having pizza or something…
Totally would work with frozen! Not sure if it would freeze well… haven’t tried. But check out this post 🙂
Wow. This is outstanding! It’s tangy, creamy, savory… This will be one of my go-to dishes for when I have guests and want to impress the hell out of them. I’m looking forward to trying more of your recipes. .
★★★★★