This is one of the most delicious and easiest salmon dinner recipes you could make. Pan-fried salmon fillets are paired with creamy dill sauce and served with potatoes and green beans. Salmon and dill go so well together. This creamy dill sauce is simple to make and very flavorful.
Ingredients:
For the salmon you’ll need:
- Salmon fillets – you can use regular or wild-caught salmon. You can also use frozen fillets. Thaw them overnight in the freezer or in a bowl of warm water (it should take about 30 mins, don’t leave them longer than 2 hours outside the fridge). I seasoned the salmon with just salt and pepper. The dill sauce is very flavorful so the salmon itself doesn’t need much. You can use skin-on or skinless salmon fillets. If you don’t want to eat the skin (the salmon’s skin is edible) you can remove it before cooking the fish or after. The skin is easier to remove after cooking the salmon.
- Flour – dredging the fish in flour results in a crispy coating and juicier fish.
- Frying oil – use high smoking point vegetable oil.
Ingredients for creamy dill sauce:
- dill – you can use fresh or frozen dill, I wouldn’t recommend dried dill
- butter – for more flavor
- cream – heavy whipping cream or heavy cream (30-36%)
- milk – lightens up the sauce a bit
- garlic – you can also add some dried garlic but fresh garlic has a better flavor
- broth – chicken or vegetable broth
- mustard, lemon juice – can be omitted but they add so much flavor to the sauce
- flour – thickens the sauce
How to make it step by step:
FIRST, COOK THE SALMON:
STEP 1: Check the salmon fillets for grates, season with salt and pepper and dredge in flour.
STEP 2: Heat the frying oil over high heat, then add the salmon fillets. Cook the salmon fillets for about 1-2 minutes per side (on all four sides). If your pan has a thin bottom you may need to reduce the heat to medium. The fillets are ready to be flipped when they don’t stick to the pan anymore. Make sure that the pan and oil are well-heated.
How do you know when the salmon is done? I usually cook the fillets like described above then cut 1 fillet in half to see if it changed its color from translucent to opaque pink. To be 100% you can use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the fillet and measure its temperature. According to USDA is should be 145°F/63°C. Since the salmon will be cooked by residual heat and we will be warming it up later in the sauce, so you can cook the salmon to 130°F/55°C and the residual heat will cook it through.
NEXT, MAKE THE CREAMY SAUCE FOR SALMON:
STEP 3: Pour off the remaining oil, and add the butter to the pan. When it’s melted, add finely chopped garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then whisk in the flour.
STEP 4: Add the broth, cream, milk, lemon juice and mustard. Cook for a couple of minutes until the sauce is thickened.
STEP 5: Take the pan off the heat, add the chopped dill, and season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste. Place the salmon fillets in the sauce to warm them up, if necessary. Enjoy!
Can you use the stems of dill? Small, tender stems can be chopped along with the leaves. You can use the thicker stems for flavoring broth, I usually freeze them and add them to a homemade broth as a seasoning.
This dish can be easily reheated.
How to serve it:
- I like it most with cooked potatoes and green beans, like in the photos.
- Broccoli/broccolini, asparagus, mashed potatoes would also be great.
- Rice or orzo pasta.
Other quick dinner recipes you may like:
- Prosciutto-wrapped chicken with peaches and balsamic glaze
- Greek chicken wrap with tzatziki
- Quick spaghetti with fresh tomato meat sauce
- Shrimp pesto pasta with zucchini
- Cranberry balsamic chicken
- Salmon with almonds and orange ginger sauce
Salmon with creamy dill sauce
Ingredients
for the salmon:
- 4 salmon fillets about 22 oz/600g
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 tablespoons frying oil
for the creamy dill sauce:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 3/4 cup heavy cream 30-36%
- 1/4 cup milk or cream
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- small bunch chopped dill
- salt pepper
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Instructions
- Check the salmon fillets for grates, season with salt and pepper on all sides, then dredge in flour.
- Heat the frying oil over high heat, then add the salmon fillets. Cook the salmon fillets for about 1-2 minutes per side (on all four sides). If your pan has a thin bottom you may need to reduce the heat to medium. The fillets are ready to be flipped when they don’t stick to the pan anymore. Make sure that the pan and oil are well-heated.
- Pour off the remaining oil, and add the butter to the pan. When it’s melted, add finely chopped garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then whisk in the flour.
- Add the broth, cream, milk, lemon juice, and mustard. Cook for a couple of minutes until the sauce is thickened.
- Take the pan off the heat, add the chopped dill, and season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Place the salmon fillets in the sauce to warm them up, if necessary.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- How do you know when the salmon is done? I usually cook the fillets like described above then cut 1 fillet in half to see if it changed its color from translucent to opaque pink. To be 100% you can use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the fillet and measure its temperature. According to USDA is should be 145°F/63°C. Since the salmon will be cooked by residual heat and we will be warming it up later in the sauce, so you can cook the salmon to 130°F/55°C and the residual heat will cook it through.
- Calories = 1 serving (1/4 of the recipe). This is just for the salmon and the sauce and doesn’t include potatoes and green beans. This is only an estimate!
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