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FR Salmon with Sorrel Sauce
Salmon with sorrel is one of my favorite childhood memories – my mom used to make it for me on Fridays, and I loved it every time. The tangy sorrel and the rich, tender salmon come together in a creamy sauce that's simple, quick, and easy to make any night of the week. And if you don't have sorrel on hand, I'll also show you what to use instead.
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Salmon with sorrel sauce is the recipe my mom used to make for me on Fridays when I was little, and I loved it. What works so well in this recipe is the tartness of the sorrel and the richness of the salmon, all in a delicious cream sauce.
And you’ll see, this salmon with sorrel recipe is quick and easy, sperfect for a weeknight. And for those days when you don’t have sorrel on hand, I’ll tell you how to substitute it.
Salmon with Sorrel Sauce Recipe
Salmon with Sorrel Sauce
Ingredients
For the salmon
- 4 salmon fillets weighing about 5.5 oz each, with or without the skin
- 1 tbsp olive oil
For the sorrel sauce
- 7 oz sorrel leaves fresh
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 1 tbsp butter
- ⅞ cup dry white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc
- ⅞ cup fish stock
- 1½ cups heavy cream with at least 30% fat
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Pat the salmon fillets dry thoroughly with paper towels, then season both sides with salt.
- Meanwhile, wash the sorrel and dry it thoroughly. Remove the thick central stem from each leaf, roll the leaves together, and cut them into wide strips.
- Heat a drizzle of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the fillets skin side down for 4 minutes, then 2 minutes on the other side. Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil
- Add the butter to the same skillet without wiping it out, and cook the shallot over low heat for 2 minutes, until soft.
- Deglaze with white wine, add the fish stock, and reduce by half over high heat for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Pour in the cream and let it boil for 3 to 5 minutes, until it thickens.
- Add the sorrel, stir, and cook for 1 minute. Return the salmon to the sauce, season with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.
Notes
- Collect the juices that have pooled in the aluminum pan and pour them into the sauce.
- If your cream is likely to curdle (low-fat cream or very tart sorrel), turn off the heat before adding the sorrel rather than cooking it while the mixture is boiling vigorously. If it does curdle, whisk in a tablespoon of cold cream off the heat.
- No fish stock on hand? Replace it with a little brown miso diluted in water and a spoonful of fish sauce, or with chicken stock.
- No sorrel? Replace it with baby spinach and 2 tablespoons of lemon (or lime) juice and a little zest that you add after the cream has reduced.
Nutrition facts
Why Sorrel and Salmon Go So Well Together
Sorrel is a green plant that looks a bit like spinach. It has a very tart, lemony flavor — almost sharp — when you taste it raw.
That’s why the two go so well together: the tartness of the sorrel cuts through the richness of the salmon, and the richness of the salmon rounds out the tartness of the sorrel.
In fact, salmon with sorrel is one of the classics of French cuisine. The recipe is said to have been invented in 1962 by brothers Jean and Pierre Troisgros in Roanne.
Ingredients for Your Salmon with Sorrel
For this recipe, you’ll need very few ingredients:
- Sorrel: about 7 oz (200 g), fresh if possible. It seems like a lot, but it wilts pretty quickly, just like spinach.
- Salmon: 4 fillets weighing about 5.5 oz (150 g) each—with or without the skin, whichever you prefer!
- Heavy cream: Use full-fat heavy cream with 30% fat content. If you choose low-fat cream, be careful not to heat it too much, and you won’t be able to reduce it as much as the recipe calls for, because it might curdle.
- Shallot: one, finely chopped.
- White wine: Choose a dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc.
- Fish stock: Just a little to enhance the fish’s flavor. If you don’t have any, you can substitute it with a little brown miso diluted in water and a spoonful of fish sauce or chicken broth.
- Butter: a knob to sauté the shallot.
How can I substitute for sorrel? If you don’t have any sorrel on hand, you can substitute baby spinach leaves. In that case, add two generous tablespoons of lemon or lime juice after reducing the cream, along with a little zest. This will give you the tangy flavor of sorrel. You will find here all my tips about how to prepare and cook with sorrel.
How to Make Salmon with Sorrel (Step-by-Step)
You’ll see, it all comes together in a little over half an hour:
- Prepare the sorrel. Wash it and dry it thoroughly. Then remove the thick central vein from each leaf. Roll the leaves up together and cut them into wide strips.
- Cook the salmon. In a skillet, heat a drizzle of oil over medium-high heat and cook the salmon skin-side down for about 4 minutes, then 2 minutes on the other side. The center should remain slightly pink. More in how to pan-fry salmon. Set aside and cover with aluminum foil.
- Sauté the shallot in the same skillet with a knob of butter for 2 minutes.
- Deglaze with white wine, then pour in the fish stock and let it reduce by half over high heat. Allow 5 to 10 minutes.
- Pour in the cream and let it simmer for about 3 to 5 minutes, until it thickens.
- Add the sorrel just before serving, stir, and let it cook for 1 minute before returning the salmon fillets to the pan. Season with salt and pepper, then turn off the heat.
Note: The sorrel will quickly lose its bright green and turn olive — that’s completely normal!
What To Serve with Salmon and Sorrel?
You’ll need something to soak up the sauce, because there’s always some left on the plate:
- Plain white rice, it’s a classic, and it works really well.
- Boiled or steamed potatoes, to be mashed with a fork into the sauce.
- Tagliatelle, if you want to make it a heartier meal.
- Green asparagus in the spring, which comes out right around the same time as sorrel.
As for wine, stick with a dry, crisp white: the same one used in the sauce — it’s the easiest option.
FAQ About Salmon with Sorrel Sauce
Yes, no problem. It’s already melted, so you can just add it directly to the cream—you don’t even have to chop it up. Use about 150 g; it’s more concentrated than the fresh kind.
I recommend leaving it on while cooking, since it protects the flesh and keeps the salmon from drying out. Afterward, it’s up to you whether you leave it on the plate or not.
The sauce, yes, over very low heat. The salmon, on the other hand, doesn’t reheat as well because it can get dry. If you know you’ll have leftovers, prepare the sauce ahead of time and cook the fish at the last minute.
It will keep for two days in the refrigerator in a sealed container. The sorrel sauce will lose some of its color, but the flavor will remain.
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