Baked salmon is a nutritious, delicious meal on its own, but it’s even better with a dreamy, creamy roasted red pepper sauce on top! This one-pan salmon recipe is the perfect dinner to make again and again! Great for holidays, date night in, family gatherings, or any occasion!
It’s a quick, 20 minute low carb/keto dinner that is also gluten free, sugar free, and there’s a paleo-friendly option, too. Great for any occasion, or to help you start off eating right in the new year. Either way, it’s a keeper!
This post is sponsored by KitchenAid. These folks know how to do kitchen appliances right!
I eat a LOT of salmon, and when it comes to cooking salmon, versatility always wins! This is probably not a secret to those of you who hang out in our Cotter Crunch Facebook Community. I have recipes on this site for jerk salmon, salmon salad, and pan seared salmon, to name a few. But, you guys. Nothing comes close to tasting as good as this amazing pan baked salmon with pepper sauce!
The secret to the BEST baked salmon
The secret is the creamy pepper sauce. I’m serious! It will make even non fish/salmon lovers ADORE salmon. I have proof from 2 non fish-eating friends. Plus, the sauce is super easy to make, and it’s budget friendly. The key is getting the ingredients blended evenly, so the result is a sauce that is creamy and smooth. My KitchenAid K400 Blender is my new must-have tool to get this job done!
Blender Recipes – KitchenAid Style
Being someone who uses a blender on a very regular basis, I am officially impressed by the new KitchenAid K400 Blender. Its asymmetric blades can tackle those tough ingredients, like the almonds used in this pepper sauce, and the 5-speed variable speed dial actually lets you control taste and texture to fit your personal preference. Take it from me, being able to adjust the speed as you blend ingredients makes a HUGE difference in blender recipes like blender soups, sauces and emulsions (hollandaise sauce and homemade mayo, for example).
When you first place ingredients into a blender, you need to start with a low and slow speed, then adjust from there to create desired texture.
And, for example, when you make the roasted red pepper sauce for this baked salmon recipe, you definitely want variable speed. You need a low speed to grind the nuts, but then you increase the speed with a touch of a button and everything blends into a perfectly smooth sauce.
IGTV recipe video for proof! The secret’s in the sauce. 😉
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It’s beyond easy, and fair warning: You may want to pour the sauce over everything. Or drink it through a straw.
Ingredients you Need for the Pepper Sauce
Ya’ll, these ingredients will blow your mind. Why? Because they truly are so basic, yet tasty together!
- Roasted bell peppers (we buy the kind in the jars!)
- Roasted nuts
- Tomato
- Garlic
- Seasoning
- Non dairy milk/cream or heavy cream.
Yep, that’s it! Now, that being said, let’s talk about the fish!
My trick for cooking salmon fillets
Since we’re cooking the saucy baked salmon dish all in one pan, I like to use an oven safe skillet and quickly sear/pan sear the salmon first. That creates a crispy and buttery texture for the salmon, a flavor that even non fish eaters will love!
We then pour the pepper sauce on top and bake it to finish it off.
OMG —> DIVINE!
Can you freeze baked salmon?
Yes, yes you can freeze baked salmon! As a matter of fact, you can even buy frozen salmon, thaw and cook it, then freeze the cooked salmon. Now that’s what I call the perfect meal prep. If you plan to freeze it, be sure to place it into an airtight container. It should keep well frozen for 3 to 4 months.
You can freeze the sauce too. But keep in mind that the cream may separate from the rest of the sauce. It’s not a problem, though. Just stir it back together when you reheat it.
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Baked Salmon with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 16 minutes
- Total Time: 26 minutes
- Yield: 3 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Baked salmon is a nutritious, delicious meal, but it’s even better with a creamy roasted red pepper sauce on top! This one-pan salmon recipe is perfect for Christmas dinner.
Ingredients
For Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
- 1/2 cup Jarred roasted red peppers (see notes if using fresh peppers)
- 1/4 cup smoked nuts (almonds and/or cashews)
- 1 plum tomato, chopped
- 2 tbsp Red wine vinegar or Sherry cooking wine
- 1 garlic clove
- Pinch of paprika
- 1/4 tsp Crushed red pepper
- 1/3 cup or 3–4 ounces heavy cream (or non dairy unsweetened creamer/milk)
- Fine kosher salt and pepper to taste
(printable sauce recipe can be found here)
For Baked Salmon
- 3 fillets or 15–18 ounces of salmon, skin removed
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, ghee, or other hot smoke point oil
- 1/2 lemon, cut into slices
- 1 Tbsp fresh oregano
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
- Blend all sauce ingredients except for cream.
- Add sauce to small saucepan over low heat and stir in cream. Stir on low heat until warm, smooth, and combined. 2-4 minutes. Set aside.
Baked Salmon
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in oven safe pan over medium-high heat.
- Sear one side in hot oil for 2 minutes, then flip salmon over and sear other side for 2 minutes.
- Add prepared roasted pepper sauce to pan with salmon. Heat for 2 minutes, then transfer pan to oven.
- Bake at 400F for 10 minutes, or until salmon is no longer pink.
- Garnish with sliced lemon, oregano. Season with sea salt and pepper, to taste.
Notes
If you don’t have jarred peppers, you may use fresh red peppers. Roast 1 large or 2 small red bell peppers, remove skin, slice and remove seeds. Adjust sauce consistency with cream.
- Category: Main
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6 oz.
- Calories: 351
- Sugar: 3.5 g
- Sodium: 177.3 mg
- Fat: 20.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 6.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 8.2 g
- Fiber: 2.5 g
- Protein: 35.7 g
- Cholesterol: 90.8 mg
Keywords: baked salmon, oven baked salmon, roasted red peppers, blender recipe, pepper sauce
Alright my friends, let me know if you have any questions about this dish. Oh and for sure let me know if you make the sauce and/or salmon! I think it will be a keeper. 😉
Cheers,
LC!
MORE HOMEMADE GLUTEN FREE SAUCES HERE!
This recipe is part of our Go-To Homemade Gluten Free Sauces collection. Check it out!
