With spring in full bloom and summer right around the corner, there’s never been a better time of year for a decadent salmon-based meal. Thankfully with this easy-to-make recipe from the Gimme Some Oven food blog for Salmon Set in Burst Tomato Sauce, you’ll be enjoying a wonderful garlic-infused tomato basil cream sauce with your fresh salmon in no time at all!

Ingredients:

• 4 fresh salmon fillets
• 2 pounds of either cherry or grape tomatoes
• ½ cup of roughly-torn fresh basil leaves, packed
• 4 cloves of garlic, either pressed or finely minced
• 1 ounce of freshly-grated Parmesan cheese, reserving an additional amount for sprinkling
• ⅓ to ½ cup of heavy cream
• ⅓ cup of olive oil, divided
• ½ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 tablespoons of fine sea salt
• 2 tablespoons of freshly-cracked black pepper

Directions:

1. You’ll start this recipe by seasoning your four salmon fillets generously with fine sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper. Nearby, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Once you spread the oil around the inner surface of the skillet, you’ll place the salmon onto the skillet face-down. Sear the salmon, undisturbed for about 2-3 minutes or until the salmon is golden. Then, flip the salmon over and cook the reverse side for 2 additional minutes until it’s nearly cooked through. Once it is, transfer the salmon to a clean plate and set it aside.
2. With the skillet emptied, you’ll go ahead and add in your remaining olive oil and reduce the burner’s heat from medium-high to simply medium. Add the tomatoes, minced garlic cloves, and crushed red pepper flakes to the pan and toss all the ingredients gently until everything’s gently coated in olive oil. Cook the contents of the pan for about 10-15 minutes while stirring occasionally just until all of the tomatoes have burst and their juices have reduced to a fairly thick sauce.
3. At this point, you can use a spoon to gently smash some of the tomatoes to release more of their juices after a few minutes of cooking, but you can retain the texture and chunkiness of the cause by leaving several of the tomatoes still intact if you’d like.
4. With the tomatoes properly burst and the salmon already seared, you’re well on your way to the finished sauce. The next step is for you to gently stir in your heavy cream, basil leaves, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt, and a few twists of the freshly-cracked black pepper into the sauce until it’s all combined.
5. Nestle your salmon fillets into the sauce and continue cooking it all for an additional 1-2 minutes or until the salmon is cooked through to your particular liking. Taste and season the sauce with extra salt, pepper, and/or crushed red pepper flakes as needed.
6. When serving and plating your fillets and sauce, garnish your fillets with extra basil and Parmesan cheese.Consider serving this dish with crusty bread, pasta, or rice. Additionally, the texture of the salmon pairs really nicely with a citrus-based vegetable medley or light side salad, so consider also tossing some arugula leaveswith lemon juice, olive oil, Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Enjoy!

Note:

If you’re looking for a little extra flavor or texture with this dish, you’re in luck. The above recipe is highly customizable and flexible, so feel free to add some spinach in the final minutes of cooking for a richer, more colorful presentation. Additionally, substituting your favorite Italian herbs in place of the basil or even putting in burrata in place of the heavy cream are both excellent ways to make this recipe your very own. Let your taste buds and flavor-seeking instincts guide your hand, and enjoy what you discover.

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