Cajun Salmon with Creamy Parmesan Sauce is wonderfully spiced and covered in a rich sauce. Usually I like salmon cooked lighter but sometimes a rich creamy sauce just can’t be beat.
How To Serve Cajun Salmon with Creamy Parmesan Sauce
This is a really rich dish. It can be served over pasta or mashed potatoes for an even heavier meal or with steamed vegetables and a salad with Creamy Italian Dressing to lighten it up some. Sauteed spinach is also a great side.
Type Of Seasoning To Use
You can use store-bought Cajun seasoning or a homemade cajun seasoning. Creole seasoning is very similar and can be used instead. I love using Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning.
Change The Spice Level
To make this dish less spicy, reduce or leave out the crushed red pepper flakes. For additional heat, serve with hot sauce.
Add More Flavor
For extra flavor, you can easily add sliced sun-dried tomatoes, fresh baby spinach, or sauteed mushrooms to the sauce. A little crabmeat or some cooked baby shrimp would be a very decadent addition.
Thicken The Sauce
I like a super thick sauce so I add a cornstarch slurry at the end. Just mix 1 to 2 teaspoons of cornstarch with an equal part of cold water and stir into the sauce. Let simmer for a minute or two to thicken.
Recipe Tips
For even cooking, let the salmon sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before cooking. If you don’t have time to do this, no worries.
Pat salmon dry with paper towels to get a nice sear on it.
Remove the salmon from the pan when it is slightly undercooked. It will cook a little more as it sits from residual heat and still a little more when you return it to the sauce.
More Salmon Recipes
- Honey BBQ Salmon
- Firecracker Baked Salmon
- Baked Parmesan Salmon
- Creamy Tuscan Salmon
- Salmon with Bourbon-Pecan Glaze
Cajun Salmon with Creamy Parmesan Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 salmon fillets
- 2 teaspoons cajun or creole seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 cup finely diced onion
- 1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon Cajun or creole seasoning
- 1 to 2 teaspoons cornstarch, optional
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Pat salmon dry with paper towels and sprinkle with cajun seasoning and smoked paprika.
- Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add salmon skin side up and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.Flip over and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes or until desired degree of doneness.Remove salmon from skillet and set aside.
- Add the butter to the skillet. When melted, add onion and bell pepper and cook for 4 minutes to soften.Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Add chicken broth, heavy cream, crushed red pepper flakes, black pepper, and Cajun seasoning.Bring mixture to a simmer. Simer 3 to 5 minutes to thicken.Note: If you want the sauce thicker, mix 1 to 2 teaspoons of cornstarch with an equal amount of cold water and add to sauce. Simmer 1 minute.
- Turn heat to low and stir in lemon juice and Parmesan cheese. Return salmon to skillet.Sprinkle with green onion and parsley.
