Roasted Salmon Bites with Creamy Garlic Sauce
This roasted salmon bite bowl has garlic butter cream sauce poured over and served over a bed of mashed cauliflower or potatoes and sautéed spinach. The salmon is crisp on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside.
Servings: 4 servings
Equipment
- cheeesecloth ideal for straining cauliflower
Ingredients
Mashed Cauliflower
- 2 heads cauliflower florets
- 1/4-1/3 cup half and half
- 1/4 cup cream cheese
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan
- salt and pepper to taste
Roasted Salmon Bites
- 1.5 pounds salmon filets even thickness
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons cajun seasoning see recipe notes for homemade version**
Creamy Garlic Sauce
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 cup half and half
- 2 teaspoons cajun seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan
Sauteed Spinach
- olive oil
- 3 cups baby spinach leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Roasted Salmon Bites
- Take the salmon out of the fridge for 15 minutes before cooking to take the chill off the salmon. Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Pat the salmon filets dry, then cut into 2″ cubes then place into a bowl and toss with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle over 2 tablespoons of the homemade cajun seasoning (recipe below) and toss to coat. Add more seasoning if needed.
- Spread out the salmon cubes onto a parchment lined 9×13 baking dish. Roast for 12 minutes. Switch the heat to broil and broil for 2 minutes or until the tops crisp up and brown.
Creamy Garlic Sauce
- Melt the butter and garlic, whisking until garlic is fragrant — about one minute to prevent burning while allowing the garlic to release flavor.
- Add the half and half, cajun seasoning and allow it to come to a low boil for about 5 minutes to thicken. To the cream sauce, add lemon juice, chopped parsley and parmesan. Set aside until ready to serve.
Mashed Cauliflower
- Broil a large pot of water over high heat. Salt the water with a tablespoon of salt. Add in the cauliflower florets and cook until soft and easy to pierce with a fork, about 10 minutes.
- Strain cauliflower in a strainer. Allow to cool (this is when I put the salmon in the oven). Then when it's cooled enough to handle, use cheese cloth to strain ALL the excess liquid from the cauliflower. Place back into the pot.
- To the cauliflower, add the all the ingredients and mash by hand until smooth. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
Saute Spinach
- Once you are ready to serve this dish, quickly make the spinach - it only takes 3-4 minutes. In a saute pan over medium heat, add a drizzle of olive oil and once the pan is hot, add spinach and saute until mostly wilted, just a few minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- To serve this dish, place a few scoops of mashed cauliflower as the base of the bowl. Add sauteed spinach and salmon bites, then drizzle the entire bowl with the creamy garlic sauce.
Notes
Homemade Cajun Seasoning:
• 1 tablespoon mild paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder, add more if you like heat
• 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/2-3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, add more if you like heat