Since we’ve been home from our trip to Scotland, we’ve not only enjoyed drinking the Scotch whisky we brought back, but also cooking with it. My recipe for Salmon with Whisky Cream Sauce and Cheddar Mashed Cauliflower is the perfect tribute to Scotland and it’s fine Scotch whisky.
Creamy, smokey, Scottish
The base of the sauce is similar to that which would be used on a Steak Au Poivre, but I’ve slightly limited the pepper and replaced the brandy with a good Scotch whisky from the Speyside region. We love the Aberlour 12 year Scotch whisky from the town we stayed in, so that’s what I usually use in the whisky cream sauce, but feel free to experiment with your favorite. I’ve always wanted to try it with a smoky Lagavulin, so let me know if you opt to do so!
Eat the rainbow
This Salmon with Whisky Cream Sauce layers perfectly over creamy cauliflower, my favorite being the purple variety simply because it’s so pretty. Don’t worry if you can’t find purple cauliflower, it’s nearly indistinguishable in flavor from traditional white cauliflower so feel free to swap it out if needed.
A note for special diets
This recipe for Salmon with Whisky Cream Sauce and Cheddar Mashed Cauliflower is low-carb, grain-free, gluten-free, nightshade-free, and Keto-friendly. It’s particularly awesome for a night in with your hunny and a bottle of your favorite Scotch whisky.
Salmon with Whisky Cream Sauce and Cheddar Mashed Cauliflower
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 portions 1x
- Category: Mains
- Cuisine: Scottish
Ingredients
for the salmon:
- 4 (6oz) Sockeye salmon fillet
- 1 tsp good quality sea salt
- 2 tsp cracked black pepper
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter or ghee
for the sauce:
- 1/3 cup Scotch whisky (I like Aberlour 12 year)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter or ghee
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard (I like Edmond Fallot)
- 1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped (1 tsp reserved)
for the cauliflower:
- 1 head (about 4 cups) purple cauliflower, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter or ghee
- 3–4 tbsp heavy cream
- 2 cups sharp white cheddar, shredded
- 1/4 tsp salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 tsp of pepper, plus more to taste
Instructions
for the salmon:
- Melt butter in a 12 inch or larger cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- Season salmon fillets with salt and pepper.
- Add salmon fillets and turn heat down to medium, cooking for about 3-5 minutes on each side until the internal temperature has reached 145 degrees F (63 C) and the salmon flesh flakes when tested with a fork. Remove salmon from the pan with your fish spatula and set to the side.
for the sauce:
- Turn heat down to medium-low as the cast iron skillet should be piping hot at this point. If you opt to use a regular skillet, just under medium should be just where you want to be.
- Deglaze the skillet by adding the whisky to the pan and scraping up any bits of salmon and pepper. Allow the whisky to reduce by half.
- Add heavy cream to the pan and whisk to incorporate with the whisky.
- Add butter and dijon mustard and continue to whisk until the sauce begins to thicken.
- Stir in 2 tsp of the chopped chives. Reserving the remaining to top.
for the cauliflower:
- In a large, microwave-safe bowl combine chopped cauliflower, butter, and 2 tbsp of heavy cream.
- Microwave for 6 minutes. Remove from heat, stir, and microwave for an additional 5-6 minutes. The cauliflower should be easily speared with a fork at this point.
- Add cauliflower, the remaining 2 tbsp of heavy cream, and cheese to your food processor. Pulse until well-blended and creamy. If you do not have a food processor, this can be done in a blender or even with a hand mixer, though I find it turns out creamiest in a food processor.
- Add salt and pepper to taste, blending to incorporate.
assembly:
Portion the mashed cauliflower onto each plate and later with a salmon fillet. Spoon whisky cream sauce liberally over the top and garnish each plate with the remaining 1 tsp of chives.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 portion
- Calories: 952
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 1159 mg
- Fat: 72 g
- Saturated Fat: 39 g
- Carbohydrates: 10 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 54 g
- Cholesterol: 287 mg
Looks delicious! Cannot wait to try!
This looks tasty and I am jealous of your trip! I would certainly indulge in a bit of scotch while in Scotland.
Wow! This dinner is stunning on the plate, but I am imagining how incredibly flavorful it must be too. I get so bored with my salmon preparation so this is a definite must-make for me!
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What a beautiful dish! The sauce sounds especially fantastic!
This recipe looks not only delicious but extremely beautiful!! I’ve never been to Scotland but I’d love to go someday. And when I do, I’ll be bringing some scotch back 🙂 But until then, I’ll have to make do with the scotch I have to make your delicious recipe!
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I LOVE purple cauliflower, it always looks so pretty on the plate. This salmon dish sounds fantastic, and would be the perfect Christmas Eve dinner.
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I agree! It’s kind of a showstopper dish, so perfect for an impressive Christmas meal.
wow whiskey cream with salmon and cheddar mashed cauliflower! I really need to make this sometime, that just looks divine and I can imagine how the flavors go well together. Such a great recipe find!
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This sounds amazing, and the photos are beautiful! I can’t wait to try it.
I love steak au poivre and this salmon version sound so good! My son likes to make this and lights the pan when deglazing with the alcohol. One must he careful and have a lid nearby. Thanks for sharing!
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Stop! You are making me so hungry. This looks amazing, will defiantly have to try it!
Lee
I pinned this to my dinner board. I am so excited to try this recipe, it looks yummy!
That is some beautiful salmon! I’ve never thought to use whisky in a sauce for it. Sounds delicious!
I am a huge fan of salmon and whisky. Definitely need to try this recipe!
Krissy | https://www.thoughtfullyunraveled.com
Already putting this on my meal plan! Looks incredible; salmon is my fave!
I was not expecting this color combo based on the recipe title but now I’m intrigued!
We visited Scotland last May (Edinburgh and Glasgow) and we absolutely loved it – can’t wait to be back to do the Highlands and see more of Scotland’s nature. But anyways, this salmon looks incredible, just out of a restaurant’s kitchen. Love the sounds of the sauce and mashed cauliflower. Would love to have this for dinner right now!
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I love how everything in this dish comes together…It sounds marvelous and looks fantastic too. That cream sauce is divine!
This sounds amazing, I love the idea of using Whiskey Cream Sauce over Salmon. This would perfect for holiday dinners.
I’m a fan of whiskey, cauliflower, and salmon – this recipe is a home run for me!
My husband would love this! He adores salmon! My boys do too! Great recipe to try here!
i hardly cook or drink whisky but i absolutely love the way this sauce looks!!
Wow, this looks incredible! I love salmon and pretty much anything in cream sauce!! http://www.thedarlingdahlia.com
Oh my, my life has been changed! I had no idea there was purple cauliflower! Everything about this is perfect, i love the salmon.
This looks soooo delish!! I’m going to make it this weekend. I’ve actually been craving salmon all week. 🙂
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I am going to try to make this. Hopefully it turns out as good as yours.
The presentation is STUNNING on this! Might’ve drooled on my phone… idk… lol.
What a refined dish! Love purple cauliflower!
This looks incredibly delicious! My husband is super picky but I’m really sure he’d love this!
Cheddar Mashed Cauliflower?! I don’t usually go for Mashed Cauliflower as a sub for potatoes, but this sounds good!
I’m loving this whiskey cream sauce – I could use that on so many things!
This looks fabulous. I just saw purple cauliflower today for the first time in the grocery store. I’m definitely going to make this whiskey cream sauce. I think it would work great on a variety of things
My husband has been doing a keto diet since spring, and this dish is right up his alley! And it looks awesome for non-keto dieters, too! Totally swooning over that sauce, too! YUM!
What a great twist on salmon! I get so tired of eating it the same ol’ way. I can’t wait to try out your recipe and spice things up a bit!
Whisky and Salmon are two of my wife’s favorite things! I’m going to make this for her when she gets home from a work trip next week. Thanks for sharing!
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Scotland! How fun! I have a sister who is living there right now. I’d love to go for a visit! Such rich and delicious flavors going on here. Yum!
This sounds so delicious. I love having salmon for dinner. The whisky cream and cheddar mashed cauliflowers sounds like a real winner. Saving this for later.
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I love using purple cauliflower in my recipes. The contrast between the cauliflower and the salmon is beautiful. The whole dish sounds divine. I love how you suggest pairing it with more scotch whiskey. Great recipe!
I’m always happy to have another tasty salmon recipe, and this looks fabulous! I love the idea of cauliflower mash too. We always have bourbon on hand, and wondering if I might be able to substitute…
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Absolutely! We also always have bourbon on hand and it is lovely in this dish. The main difference is that bourbon often has sweeter flavor elements in it so you would be missing out on the smoky notes of the scotch. Using bourbon is a nice in-between a traditional au pouvre sauce (which uses brandy) and this cream sauce which is just a little smokier.
You have put such amazing flavors together in this recipe,just love salmon recipe.
I’m headed to Scottland in September and now I’m going to have to buy some whisky!!! This recipe looks and sounds so delish!! I love that you used purple cauliflower!! YUM!!
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What a unique dish! The combination of flavors must be outstanding, and that whiskey finish just really cought my eye .
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Sauce sounds amazing and dish looks so beautiful. Yum!
What a colorful meal! I can’t wait to make this for my family!
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I love purple cauliflower especially because it looks so attractive. This looks so good. Love Slamon and whiskey cream sauce sound delicious.
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I love this recipe it really sounds like something everyone here would love and great job on those photos!
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Love the colour of that purple cauliflower. Salmon is a great protein…and delicious too. We like to have it at least once a week. Perfect for an easy weeknight meal.
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Whiskey is my favorite type of alcohol, but I’ve never cooked with it! Can’t wait to try this sauce and I love the purple cauliflower with it all too – such good flavor combinations!!
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Wow, what an inviting dish that is. Whiskey cream sauce sounds exotic and delicious. Mashed cauliflower with cheese is the perfect base for this dish.
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Oh God, the recipe of this salmon looks so delicate and fragrant. Great idea for dinner. I really like the presentation of this recipe. This is really a great job. Very nice! Cannot wait to try this! Love! Thank you for sharing this great recipe.
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So traditional yet so modern! And never mind how pretty this is on the plate! I’ll bet it’s delicious…perfect for a date night supper for sure.
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What a beautiful meal. The pink of the salmon and the purple of the cabbage — truly inviting the eyes first to enjoy and then the mouth. I bet that sauce is simply amazing. We love our salmon and this recipe would be great the next time we fix it.
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The sauce and the cauliflower is a perfect combination for this salmon dinner…I’d love to try this and I know my family would absolutely love it too!
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i am super excited about this meal! from the cauliflower to salmon to the whiskey cream sauce! Amazing flavors that combine to a fantastic meal! I love sauces that use liquor,they tend to be the most flavorful! your scotch sauce is mouthwatering! Can’t wait to give this a go!
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That sauce sounds sooo good! I bet that scottish whiskey adds some great flavor, I wonder if it’s available online
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Love this purple mashed cauliflower looks salmon is perfect with Whisky cream sauce. I need to Get some Scottish Whiskey.
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You got me at cheddar mashed cauliflower. Really, how awesome and delicious that sound… AND looks! I’m such a huge fan of salmon. I can’t wait to make this. It’s super delicious!
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This recipe sounds so interesting and delicious. I love the fact that you have used whiskey in the recipe.