Baked Salmon with Herb Cream Sauce

This simple salmon with herb cream sauce is a French-inspired dish that feels elegant enough for company, yet easy enough for a quick weeknight dinner. Tender baked salmon fillets are finished with a creamy herb sauce made with shallots, Parmesan, and fresh herbs for a beautiful meal that's ready in about 30 minutes.

If you loved easy seafood meals, this baked fish with vegetables is a reader favorite too.

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A French-Inspired Herb Cream Sauce

This baked salmon is tender, simple, and beautifully flavored with shallots, butter, and a creamy herb sauce. The sauce is made with a little of the salmon's cooking liquid, cream, Parmesan, and fresh herbs, giving it a delicate, savory flavor that complements the salmon without overpowering it.

It's a dinner that feels special but is still wonderfully doable on a weeknight. Serve it with rice, roasted potatoes, asparagus, or a simple green vegetable for an easy, elegant meal.

Key Ingredients

• Salmon Fillets: Skinless salmon fillets work best for this recipe. If your fillets have skin, it's easy to remove with a thin, flexible knife before baking.
• Shallots: Finely diced shallots add delicate flavor to both the salmon and the cooking liquid that becomes part of the sauce.
• Cream: Heavy cream or heavy whipping cream gives the sauce the best texture and consistency.
• Stock or Broth: Fish stock, vegetable stock, or chicken stock all work well in the sauce. Use what you have on hand. Water is used to gently bake the salmon, while stock adds flavor to the cream sauce.
• Parmesan: Freshly grated Parmesan melts more smoothly into the sauce than pre-shredded Parmesan and adds savory depth while helping the sauce thicken slightly.
• Fresh Herbs: Parsley, tarragon, and chervil give the sauce its French-inspired flavor. If chervil is hard to find, use additional parsley. If you love tarragon, it's especially delicious with salmon.

The French Connection

Because I dearly love a French-inspired meal, I used a combination of fresh herbs often found in French cooking: parsley, tarragon, and chervil. Together, they bring a delicate, elegant flavor to the cream sauce. Tarragon adds a gentle anise note, while chervil is soft and fresh, almost like a more delicate parsley.

If chervil is difficult to find, don't let that stop you from making the recipe. Extra parsley works beautifully, and the tarragon will still give the sauce its distinctive flavor.

How This Salmon Recipe Is Different

If you've made my Irish Baked Salmon and Cream Sauce, this recipe has a slightly different flavor profile and method. The Irish salmon is baked in a foil packet and served with a dill cream sauce, while this salmon is gently baked with shallots and butter, then finished with a French-inspired herb cream sauce made with parsley, tarragon, chervil, Parmesan, and cream.

Both are simple and elegant salmon dinners, but this version leans more toward a creamy French herb sauce, perfect for serving with rice, potatoes, or asparagus.

Why Bake Salmon Under Parchment?

Covering the salmon with parchment as it bakes creates a gentle steaming effect that helps keep the fillets moist and tender. It's similar in spirit to the French method of cooking fish en papillote, where fish is enclosed in parchment and steamed with its own juices.

In this recipe, the parchment isn't sealed into packets, but it still helps protect the salmon from drying out while allowing the shallots, butter, and cooking liquid to flavor the fish. If you love this method, you might also enjoy my Easy Steamed Fish en Papillote, a lighter parchment-style fish recipe that's ready in minutes.

How to Make This Salmon with Herb Cream Sauce

1. Step 1: Add half of the diced shallots to the bottom of the prepared dish. Lay the fillets on top.

2. Step 2: Scatter the remaining shallots over the fish, season generously with salt and pepper, and tuck the butter between the fillets. Pour water around the fish until it reaches about ¾ of the way up the fillets.

3. Step 3: Cover the fish with parchment, leaving a small opening in the center for steam to escape. This gently steams the salmon as it bakes, helping keep the fillets moist and tender. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the fish is just cooked through. Remove from the oven, spoon juices over the fillets, and reserve ½ cup of the cooking liquid. Keep the fillets warm while making the cream sauce.

4. Step 4: Add the reserved cooking liquid to a skillet. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 minute. Add the stock and cream, then bring back to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until slightly reduced and thickened. Stir in the Parmesan and herbs. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

What to Serve with Salmon and Herb Cream Sauce

This creamy herb salmon is delicious with simple sides that can catch a little of the sauce. Serve it with steamed rice, couscous, quinoa, or roasted potatoes. For vegetables, asparagus, green beans, or a simple green salad are always good choices.

More Salmon Recipes to Try

If you love easy salmon dinners, you might also enjoy my Irish Baked Salmon and Cream Sauce, which has a dill cream sauce and a slightly different method. For quick weeknight meals, try Maple Glazed Wild King Salmon, Honey Glazed Salmon, Pan Seared Salmon with Greens, or this easy Honey Garlic Salmon.

For a special occasion meal, try this Salmon Wellington recipe that's easier to make than it looks.

More Seafood Recipes to Try