Salmon with Champagne-Vanilla Cream Sauce

As you probably are aware, yesterday was Valentine's Day. A day filled with grand love-filled gestures, cliché red roses and romantic dinners. Nate and I decided this year for Valentine's Day we would do something low-key and since it did not fall on an ideal "going out" day I opted to make dinner at home.


I will forever associate champagne with romance. There are champagne toasts at weddings, champagne toasts at midnight on New Year's Eve right before/after/during your New Year's kiss, and it just makes me think of romance, decadence and luxury. That being said, there was a recipe in my Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Meals Get Togethers cookbook for Salmon with Champagne-Vanilla Cream Sauce that I just knew would be perfect for this special occasion.


Salmon with Champagne-Vanilla Cream Sauce


2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
2 6oz salmon fillets (I used 4 oz frozen fillets from Aldi)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 small shallots, finely diced
1 champagne split
1 whole vanilla bean (Or 1 Tsp vanilla extract)
1/2 C heavy cream


Season both sides of the salmon with salt and pepper.


Heat 1 Tsp olive oil in a high-walled skillet over medium-high heat and cook salmon 3 minutes per side. My fillets were a little on the thinner side so 3 minutes per side put them right about medium but if you prefer well-done fish I'd recommend 5 minutes per side. After the fish is cooked, remove to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.


Heat the remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil and sauté the shallots for 5 minutes. They will become tender and pick up any crispy remnants left from the fish (yummy!).


Add in the champagne split and the vanilla bean (if you got it like that) and allow to reduce by half. This took around 5 minutes I would've loved to use real bona fide vanilla beans but I cannot afford them. The cheapest whole vanilla bean at Harris Teeter was $10 for 3 beans. I cannot justify spending roughly $3 on a single ingredient for a dish when I have a whole bottle of vanilla extract sitting in my pantry. One day, when I've won the lottery or a billionaire relative I've never heard of wills me their fortune, I will make this recipe the way Rachael intends.


Now that your champagne is reduced, add in the heavy cream and simmer for 3 minutes.


The fish was tender and flaky and the sauce was oh-so delightful. It was like the best vanilla ice cream you've ever had with the dry bitterness of champagne. It was probably one of the best things I've cooked myself in quite some time.


I paired this delicious salmon with a fresh salad.


Fresh Salad


1 bag fresh spinach
1 Pink Lady apple, cored and diced
1 Clementine, peeled and sectioned
1/4 C chopped walnuts
1/4 C feta cheese
1/4 C Raspberry vinaigrette dressing


Toss all ingredients in a bowl and enjoy.


The fresh and bright ingredients of the salad were the perfect compliment to the creamy-fattiness of the salmon. Like I said, it was probably one of the best meals I've made in quite awhile.


I hope your Valentine's/Single's Awareness/Galentine's Day was fabulous and if it wasn't, well today all the unsold chocolate is 50% off so who's the real winner today? Enjoy your Wednesday, readers!