Creole Cream Sauce with Air Fryer Salmon

This post is all about the best sauce!  I turn to this sauce all the time, it is just so versatile.

It has all that creamy goodness that makes sauces pleasing for everyone in the family.  It has the best little kick without being overwhelming.  And it even has veggies in it, to make it kind of healthy!  And it comes together in minutes, with pretty well pantry staples. 

You can serve this sauce over baked, or grilled meats of all kinds.  I serve it over salmon, grilled chicken breast or leftover rotisserie chicken, poached or baked shrimp, even canned tuna!  Jim loves the sauce so much that he doesn’t even notice he is eating fish (he isn’t the biggest fan).

What Goes Into This Sauce?

You are going to love that the ingredients are all ones you may have in the fridge and pantry right now. Aromatics: onion and garlic.  Seasoning: Creole or Cajun spice blend (I am sharing my homemade Creole Spice blend below, it is just so versatile) Then you will need cream, broth, parmesan cheese, tomato paste and white wine for the actual sauce (you can replace the white wine with a splash of white wine or champagne vinegar if you don’t have any white wine in the house)  The veggies will be chopped sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, and chopped red bell pepper.

Method

Start by sautéing the onion and garlic in olive oil.  Once softened, the sun-dried tomatoes, red bell pepper and Creole seasoning are stirred in.  Then add the tomato paste. Once everything is combined, the wine is added to deglaze the pan.  Stir for a minute, and then pour in the cream and broth.  Stir well, then fold in the parmesan cheese.  Allow everything to cook over medium-low till thickened to your favoured consistency.  Now you have a sauce that can be poured over pasta or rice, or your favourite protein. 

Air Fryer Salmon with Crispy Skin

Here’s my favourite way to get salmon on the table.  It will work as filets, with sauce poured over it, or flaked into the sauce once cooked.  I love Crispy Skin Salmon.  Use this recipe for just an easy way to prepare salmon even if you aren’t going to use this Creole Cream sauce.

Remove any pins from the meat, and then you will rub the salmon filet(s) with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and your favourite seasoning: Creole, Cajun, Italian, Paprika, etc.  Place onto the the air fryer tray, skin side up, and put into a 400F pre-heated air fryer.  Cook for 10 or so minutes, depending on the size and thickness of the salmon you are using.  Check half way through to see how it is going.  When the skin is crispy, the edges are golden and the meat is opaque and flakey, it is ready.  You know your air fryer, adjust the heat down to 375F if necessary, to not char the exterior before the interior is cooked through.  And everything I just described will work great with Steelhead Trout, equally healthy and flavourful, and even looks similar to salmon.

Other Meats to Prep for this Sauce

Use my method for Garlic Butter Chicken Breast, or Baked Shrimp for the perfect lean protein to serve with this sauce.  And if you want a quick way to poach Shrimp, here you go:

Poached Shrimp for Two, double for Four

1/2 lb large Shrimp, peeled and de-veined

Bring to boil:

• 2.5 cups of water
• 6 peppercorns
• 6 sprigs parsley
• 1 lemon juiced and cut into quarters
• 1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 bay leaf

Once fully boiling, add the shrimp, cover with the lid, and remove the pot from the heat.  Let the shrimp poach till pink and just cooked through, about five minutes.  They are now ready for anything. I will prep a bunch at the beginning of the week, whether to top a salad, in tacos, etc.

Vegetarian Option 

This Creole Cream Sauce is so good, why not add a jar of Cannellini beans to it and stir through till warmed!?  Eat as is with crusty bread, or serve this over brown basmati rice. If you want to keep the meal vegetarian, you will need to swap out the chicken broth for vegetable broth.

And if you want to add some greens to this meal, add two handfuls of baby spinach or baby kale to the sauce and stir through till wilted, it will be ready in no time.  Add it after stirring the parmesan cheese through the sauce.  Feel free to chop the leaves to make it easier to eat.

Serving

This sauce takes about 10 minutes to make, from start to finish, so make sure you have your protein and pasta or starch already started, for a quick meal.  If not, you can keep the sauce warm on low while you finish up the other components of your meal.

Serve this sauce with the protein of your choice over pasta, rice or even polenta or mashed potatoes. I’m showing it here over linguini, but truly, you can use your favourite pasta shape. 

You can re-warm the meat by slicing it into bite sized pieced and stirring it through the warm sauce. Finish with more parmesan cheese and freshly chopped parsley.

You can make extra sauce (I always make the full recipe even if it is just the two of us) It will store in the fridge in a sealed container for a few days.  It may thicken or firm up, so just thin it out with cream, milk or broth, depending on your mood, while warming it back up over low heat.  Serve this dish with a salad, or steamed or grilled broccoli, asparagus, etc.

If you make this Creole Cream Sauce, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! It’s always lovely to hear from you guys, and I always do my best to respond to each comment or question. And of course, if you do make this recipe, and you post it on Instagram, don’t forget to also tag me so I can see! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is such a treat.

Love Jen

5 from 1 vote

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Creole Cream Sauce with Air Fryer Salmon

This rich and flavourful sauce is a perfect sauce for salmon, grilled chicken, shrimp or even Cannellini beans. Serve it all over your favourite pasta or rice.

Course Main Course

Cuisine North American

Keyword air fryer salmon, creole cream sauce, creole seasoning

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

Creole Cream Sauce, for four

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic finely diced
• 1/3 cup (65g) finely chopped sun-dried tomato, packed in olive oil
• 2/3 cup (100g) finely chopped red bell pepper
• 1 tbsp Creole seasoning see Notes
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream, at room temp
• 1/2 cup (120ml) Chicken Stock, alternatively you can use Vegetable stock
• 1/4 cup (60ml) Dry White Wine, or 1 tbsp white wine vinegar (or apple cider or champagne vinegar)
• 1/3 cup (30g) freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for finishing
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley.

Serve over:

• cooked pasta, start with 2 oz dry pasta per person, or rice, polenta, mashed potatoes etc

Air Fryer Salmon, for four

• 24 oz (680g) salmon fillet, wild Pacific or Atlantic
• 1 tbsp olive oil, or more if needed to coat all sides
• salt
• pepper
• Creole seasoning or other favourite seasoning

Instructions

Creole Cream Sauce

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and then drizzle in the olive oil. Add the onion and sauté until it begins to soften/turn golden, about 5 minutes. Then add garlic and cook for another minute.

2. Add in sun dried tomatoes, red bell pepper and cajun seasoning, sauté for a minute to soften. Add the tomato paste and stir through everything.
3. Add the wine and use a wooden spoon to deglaze the pan. Allow the wine to reduce by half, then pour in stock and cream.
4. Add the parmesan and stir through, then turn heat down to medium-low. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes or so until the the sauce begins to thicken, stirring occasionally.
5. Add the salmon fillets whole or flaked and nestle into the sauce.

6. You can actually prepare the carb and protein before starting the sauce, since the sauce takes only about 12 minutes. Just drain your pasta, and let the meat rest. Folding the flaked fish or nestling the chicken or shrimp into the warm sauce will bring it up to the correct temperature.

7. Finish with generous sprinkling of parmesan cheese, and chopped fresh parsley.
8. See blog post for more details and suggestions.

Air Fryer Salmon

1. Make sure you have similarly sized salmon pieces, so that they will cook evenly.

2. Preheat your air fryer at 5 minutes to 400F, see below

3. Pat your salmon fillet dry with paper towel very well.
4. Drizzle the olive oil over the salmon, and brush all over so that oil lightly coats the salmon.
5. Sprinkle the salmon with salt and pepper and any favourite spice blend such as this Creole seasoning.

6. Place salmon in the air fryer basket, skin side up, this will ensure the skin crisps up. Cook for 7-10 minutes until salmon is done and flakes easily.

   *Depending on your air fryer, and if your salmon is on the thicker side, you may want to drop the temperature to 375F, and cook a bit longer, just so that the outside isn't charred before the inside is cooked through. You know your air fryer.

7. Remove from air fryer and serve. Season with additional salt and pepper as needed.

   To check, the internal temperature in the thickest part of the salmon should be 125-130F for medium cooked salmon.

8. Cooking time will depend on your air fryer and how thick your piece of salmon is.

Recipe Notes

Creole Seasoning, makes 3/4 cup
3 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp white pepper
4 tsp dried oregano
4 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp dried basil
Combine well and store in a sealed container in a dark place.

If you desire, add two large handfuls of trimmed baby spinach or baby kale (chopped if you wish) after you have stirred the parmesan cheese through the sauce. Let it soften as the sauce thickens.
If using frozen salmon, thaw in the fridge overnight. Alternatively you can thaw the salmon in a bowl of cold water. You want to remove packaging and place the salmon a new resealable plastic or freezer bag.
Fill a bowl with cold water and submerge the salmon in the water. Replace the water every 30 minutes to prevent bacteria growth. Once salmon is thawed, store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Do not use hot water, as the cold water preserves the freshness of the salmon and prevents bacteria growth.
If you actually don't want to eat the skin, it is usually very easy to remove after cooking.