Salmon Florentine

Salmon fillets on a bed of garlicky wilted spinach, blanketed in a creamy Gruyère Mornay sauce and baked until golden and bubbling. The sauce is rich and savoury, the spinach is silky underneath, and the salmon stays tender in the middle!

Prep10

Cook20

Total30

Servings

DifficultyEasy

Ingredients

For the salmon

4 salmon fillets (about 150g each), skin on
½ lemon
salt and black pepper

For the Mornay sauce

40 gr unsalted butter
40 gr plain flour
500 ml whole milk
80 gr Gruyère grated
1 pinch nutmeg
30 gr Parmesan cheese grated
salt and black pepper

For the spinach

500 gr spinach or 250g frozen, thawed
1 shallot finely chopped
2 cloves garlic
20 gr unsalted butter
salt and black pepper

Equipment

Instructions

Wilt the spinach

Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Soften the shallot for 3 minutes, add the garlic for 1 minute, then add the spinach in handfuls, wilting it down. Tip into a sieve and press hard (or squeeze in a tea towel) to remove all the water. Season and set aside.

Make the béchamel

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook 1 to 2 minutes to a pale roux. Off the heat, whisk in the milk gradually, then return to medium heat and whisk until thickened and coating the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Season with salt, white pepper and nutmeg.

Turn it into Mornay

Off the heat, stir in most of the Gruyère and Parmesan (keep some back for the top) until smooth and glossy.

Assemble

Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Spread the squeezed spinach in a baking dish. Nestle the salmon fillets on top, season, and squeeze over the lemon. Pour the Mornay over to blanket everything, then scatter with the reserved cheese.

Bake

Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until the salmon is just cooked through and the sauce is bubbling. Finish under a hot grill for 1 to 2 minutes for a golden top.

Serve

Rest 2 to 3 minutes. Serve with new potatoes, rice, or crusty bread and a green salad.

Notes

Squeeze the spinach dry, or the dish goes watery. This is the key step.
Add the cheese off the heat, or the sauce can go grainy.
Mornay = béchamel + cheese. Full béchamel method on the linked page.
Don't overcook the salmon: just opaque and flaking, since it keeps cooking in the hot sauce.
Make ahead: spinach and Mornay a day in advance; assemble with fresh salmon and bake.

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