Salmon Florentine

July 22, 2022

Time to diversity salmon cooking! After all, two most common ways I cook salmon are nothing surprising: raw as sashimi or poke bowl, cooked as baked / air-fried. Finding Florentine recipe, my main concern is would this be too… creamy and greasy? and cover the fresh taste of salmon? Luckily I found a recipe that use coconut cream and vegetable broth; coconut cream indeed made me feel like eating “healthier” and added extra fragrance, flavor. As I have never had salmon Florentine before, I finally experience what the Great British Bake Off bakers feel like in their technical challenge: what on earth am I making and what is it supposed to taste like?? Truth is, we like it and we will try it in restaurant, or all the way, in France.

Florentine sauce is usually spinach-based, made with wine, cream and butter. The last three ingredients hit all my “red flags”. I personally do not know how to enjoy drinking wine, and did not learn how to leverage wine to add flavor to dishes yet, I followed a recipe without wine. And I have been trying to avoid heavy whipping cream, butter if possible in dishes as I am saving the cream & butter quota for pastries 😉

QUICK TAKEAWAYS

when marinating salmon, do not rub too much salt and pepper on the skin and surface, as they will remain in the dish and turn out saltier
do not move salmon around, flip and check the bottom while cooking, might make it dissemble
I wonder if it is possible to air-fry salmon? even garlic, mushroom and sauce cannot intake the fish oil.. or I can pour over whatever is left from air-frying salmon next time!
PROPER amount of mushroom, spinach, do not be greedy like me, as the star is technically salmon/protein, not the veggies.
bathe cooked salmon back in Florentine in short time and serve, to get both soft and crispy texture

RECIPE

salmon fillet (1 large or 2-3 small)
~100g or 5oz spinach
~100g or 5-6oz mushroom (used baby bella mushroom this time, will try others next time)
a few cloves of garlic
1/4 cup vegetable broth
3/4 – 1 cup coconut cream

STEP 1: dry salmon fillet, marinate surface with salt and pepper overnight in fridge

STEP 2: chop 100g spinach, 100g mushroom of choice, smash or mince a few cloves of garlic

STEP 3: heat pan over medium heat, add 1tbsp oil, and pan-fry salmon with skin UP for 4-6mins, till you can see from the side almost half of salmon is cooked (color change from brighter orange to light pink)

STEP 4: flip salmon gently with a tong, pan-fry the other side for 4-6mins. If cooking a larger, thicker piece salmon like mine, also cook the two sides for 1-2mins. Remove from pan and rest on plate.

STEP 5: in the same pan with fish oil, over medium heat, cook garlic till fragrance comes out. Then add in mushrooms, cook till golden

STEP 6: add in 1/4 cup of vegetable broth, 3/4 – 1 cup coconut cream, mix well. Add salt and pepper as needed. After it starts to simmer, turn down heat. Cook till sauce thickens (when drawing line with spatula, sauce does not come together right away, as if leaving “milky way” in between)