Baked Salmon with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

by Lindsay Cotter · 12/22/2019

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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A post shared by Lindsay || Cotter Crunch (@cottercrunch) on Dec 22, 2019 at 5:39pm PST

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

overhead image of roasted red pepper sauce in a blender

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.