This speedy recipe for roasted salmon with tomato sauce is delicious, creamy and dinner party worthy! Just don’t tell them it took you only 30 minutes to whip up.

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Why we love this recipe
We try for seafood at least once a week in our house, because of the whole good and good for you thing, and whenever I am short on menu ideas I always end up with a couple pieces of salmon in my shopping cart.
It’s delicious. It’s pretty much always available. IT’S A POWER FOOD.
And there are about one million ways to make salmon, but the one I keep coming back to again and again is roasting it, because it is fast, 100% reliable, and then you can fancy it up however you want to.
In this case, with a creamy, dreamy, silky sauce that is full of sweet cherry tomatoes and a splash of white wine and just the right amount of cream to make it luxurious without being too naughty.
Did I mention it takes only a half hour from start to finish?
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Salmon: You want boneless salmon fillets, about four to six ounces per person, which is pretty readily available at the seafood counter of your supermarket.
- Cherry Tomatoes: We love how handy and tasty these little guys are for this sauce, but in tomato season you can also use full size tomatoes cut into bite-sized chunks.
- Cream: Yes, you can use light cream instead of heavy cream, but the sauce won’t be as, well, creamy. There’s only two tablespoons of cream per serving, so I say go for it!
How to make this recipe
STEP 1: You’re gonna start with my fool-proof roasted salmon method, which is as easy as this: crank your oven up to 450 and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or non-stick foil.
STEP 2: Now nestle your salmon filets on the pan, skin-side down, and if they have one skinny end tuck it underneath (this will keep it from cooking faster than the rest of the salmon and drying out).
Brush the salmon with a little olive oil, sprinkle them with sea salt and pepper and pop them in the oven for 15 minutes.
While the salmon is roasting, make the sauce!
STEP 3: Melt up a little butter in a skillet and add some chopped sweet onion. Stir it around just until the onion is softening up.
STEP 4: Toss in some halved cherry tomatoes and white wine and let it all simmer until the tomatoes start to soften and break down. Swirl in the teeniest amount of cream. (Things are getting very tasty in your kitchen by now!)
Ladle a puddle of that amazing sauce onto each dinner plate.
STEP 5: At this point your salmon will be cooked perfectly, so use your handy fish spatula (trust me, this is one of the best kitchen tools you will ever own, so if you don’t have one you need one!) to slide it off the pan and onto each puddle of sauce.
Spoon the rest of the sauce over the top of the salmon – don’t leave a drop behind! – and if you are feeling extra fancy you can sprinkle some chopped parsley over the whole glorious thing.
Recipe FAQs
I know, there are SO many choices! The best kind is wild-caught, and ideally from the Pacific Ocean, although Atlantic wild-caught is the next best choice.
You want it to be cooked but still tender and flaky – I find that 15 minutes in a 450 degree oven is perfect, but if you want to test it, poke a fork into it and see if it flakes easily. If it does, it’s done!
I’m not going to fib…I will cook with whatever I happen to have open. But if you have a choice, pinot Grigio and sauvignon blanc are excellent cooking wines.
This recipe works out to two tablespoons of cream per serving, so I would go for it! But if you really want to lighten it up, you can swap in half and half…the sauce will be a little lighter in consistency.
Pop your question in the comments section below and I will answer pronto!
And there you have it…a dinner party level salmon supper in less time than it takes to set the table!
Want to round out your meal?
We love adding to the veggie part of this salmon supper by adding some whipped cauliflower. You also might want some grilled flatbread to mop up every drop of that dreamy sauce.
And for dessert, we are thinking some upside down peach cake!
Other salmon recipes we love!
Looking for more seafood inspiration? Here is our complete collection of seafood recipes!
Could you leave us a review?
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section.
PrintSalmon with Tomato Sauce
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5 from 2 reviews
This speedy recipe for roasted salmon with tomato sauce is delicious, creamy and dinner party worthy! Just don’t tell them it took you only 30 minutes to whip up.
- Author: Kate Morgan Jackson
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven, Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 boneless six ounce salmon filets
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ sweet onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¼ cup white wine
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick foil.
- Place the salmon filets skin side down on the baking sheet, and if they have one thin end, tuck it underneath. Brush the salmon filets with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Pop them in the oven to roast for 15 minutes.
- While the salmon is roasting, prepare the sauce: put the butter in a medium sized skillet over medium high heat. When it is melted, add the onion and sauté for about 3 minutes or until the onion starts to soften.
- Add the tomatoes and wine and simmer until the tomatoes just start to break down, another 3-5 minutes or so. Stir in the cream.
- Ladle a puddle of sauce on each plate, place a salmon filet on top and ladle more sauce over the top. Sprinkle on some parsley and serve!
Notes
-
- Salmon: You want boneless salmon fillets, about four to six ounces per person, which is pretty readily available at the seafood counter of your supermarket.
-
- Cherry Tomatoes: We love how handy and tasty these little guys are for this sauce, but in tomato season you can also use full size tomatoes cut into bite-sized chunks.
-
- Cream: Yes, you can use light cream instead of heavy cream, but the sauce won’t be as, well, creamy. There’s only two tablespoons of cream per serving, so I say go for it!
Cat says
I fixed this last night. I’m a basic salmon gal. Herbs, butter and bake on high temp. But this is definitely a winner. Thanks.
Cat, thank you so much! I’m with you on the basic salmon but I do love this version when I am feeling fancy. Happy holidays to you and yours!
Barbara says
It’s a winner! Very simple and elegant dish that is quick to make. Everyone loved it! The recipe is delicious as is. The only change I made was to use fresh basil instead of parsley.
Hi Barbara and thank you for this nice note! And I also use basil in everything I can think of until it peters out – my basil here in North Carolina is still hanging on! :)
Sally says
This was the perfect recipe for a dinner that you want to look and taste fancy, but not use a fancy amount of time. Simple, but elegant!
I’m so glad! Salmon always delivers. :)