Salmon with Dill Sauce
Flavorful, with a slight crunch, Salmon with Dill Sauce is healthy recipe that’s easy and casual. But still special!
Gotta love salmon. I mean how many foods are both healthy and indulgent! And don’t forget tasty!
Even better, salmon is a dish that’s easy to put over the top! Just add a small “extra” like this quick lemon dill sauce! It’s a perfect complement to a fish with a light crunch, courtesy of a quick pan fry (see Variations below for a baked alternative).
It’s like the best of both worlds. Mediterranean Diet meets Midwest Fish Fry. How good is that!
Why You’ll Love This!
Healthy. Salmon is a healthy protein source loaded with good fats. I lightly pan-fry in olive oil for more healthy fats, though this can be baked as well.
Tasty. Flouring and pan-frying gives the tasty salmon a delicate crunch and the creamy dill sauce is a perfect complement.
Easy. Simply mix a few ingredients for a tasty sauce, then flour and pan fry the fish. Easy-peasy!
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes
- Salmon. This is the main component of the dish.
- Flour. This adds a little crispness to the fish.
- Salt, pepper. These enhance flavor.
- Onion powder. This adds flavor to both the fish and the sauce.
- Olive oil. This is used to pan fry the fish. (You can bake if you prefer though)
- Sour cream. This forms the base for the dill sauce. You can also use a thick yogurt.
- Mayonnaise. This adds flavor to the sauce. I used a lite mayo.
- Dill, Lemon juice, Onion. These add flavor to the sauce. You can use a teaspoon of lemon zest instead of the juice if you prefer.
Special Tools
- No special tools required!
Step by Step Directions
Prepare dill sauce by combing sauce ingredients. Set aside.
Mix flour, salt, pepper & onion powder for fish.
Pat fish dry, then dredge in flour mixture.
Sauté in olive oil for a few minutes, then turn over and continue cooking until cooked to desired doneness (I used an instant read thermometer to test).
Optional: After flipping, place a slice of lemon on top of each piece of fish.
Serve with Dill Sauce
How to Serve
Serving salmon with a creamy dill sauce creates a fun and tasty entrée that is perfect for a casual dinner or lunch.
When I serve a less formal main dish like this, I love to include a casual side salad like coleslaw. My Apple Cranberry Coleslaw is a favorite or for a little kick go with Sweet and Spicy Jalapeno Coleslaw. Or go with a carrot slaw like Thai Carrot Slaw or Carrot Raisin Salad
Other tasty salad options include the Classic Broccoli Bacon Salad or delicious Butter Lettuce Strawberry Salad.
And don’t forget how good potatoes are with fish like baked or boiled potatoes, Dutch Farm Potato Salad or fun Truffle Fries!
Variations
Can I use a different fish? Salmon & Dill Sauce is a recreation of a dish from a class at the Clearing that was made with Lake Michigan Whitefish. So I know for sure you can change up the fish with delicious results. I switched to salmon since Whitefish was on the “only eat monthly” list at the time due to environmental contamination. And I knew I’d want to eat this tasty dish more often!
Can I bake the salmon? Yes, you can bake the salmon if you prefer. I pan fry because it’s super easy, I like the slight crunch and sometimes I don’t want to heat up the kitchen. But feel free to season, drizzle with olive oil and bake if you prefer. You can even add panko for the crunch!
And for details on one way to bake, see Baked Salmon in Foil (with Green Alternatives)
Leftovers
Leftovers should keep for 3-4 days sealed and refrigerated. I’d microwave the leftover fish just until warm, then add a dollop of the chilled sauce.
Tips & FAQs
When salmon comes up, people often wonder about the differences in farmed versus wild. I generally go with wild and you can read more about this decision in my post for Honey Pecan Crusted Salmon.
Salmon with Dill Sauce
Ingredients
Salmon
- 24 ounces salmon fillet divided into 4 6-ounce pieces
- 1/4 cup flour
- Pinch salt
- Pinch pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- Lemon optional
Dill Sauce (Makes a lot, but we liked it so much we dunked our potatoes in it too)
- 1/2 cup sour cream or Greek Yogurt
- 1/4 reduced fat mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon dill
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice or a teaspoon of lemon zest
- 2 Tablespoons finely minced onion
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare dill sauce by combing sauce ingredients. Set aside.
- Mix flour, salt, pepper & onion powder.
- Pat fish dry, then dredge in flour mixture.
- Sauté in olive oil for a few minutes, then turn over and continue cooking until cooked to desired doneness (I used an instant read thermometer to test).
- Optional: After flipping, place a slice of lemon on top of each piece of fish.
- Serve with Dill Sauce
Nutrition
Updated from the Mar 10, 2012 original.
This is a delightful combination of health and indulgence! Your description perfectly captures the essence of this dish – flavorful salmon with a subtle crunch, elevated by the zesty lemon dill sauce. Yum!
Simple and beautiful. What better pairing is there?
A great post Inger, and a great reminder about what we are doing to our planet! I was wondering what subtitute I could use, and there you gave it to me in Haddock. Well I’m home for a few days which means I can access some locally caught fresh fish, oh and the dill sauce sounds perfect!
Enjoy your visit home!
Such a shame isn’t it Inger. As a native Long Islander, I am more than aware of those Warning signs. What have we done??? Now living in PA with all this fracking going on, it’s only a matter of time…
I get so frustrated because I adore fish, any kind, and yet, all those warnings are scary. (if they had warnings like that on more meat products, I’m sure we would seek out safer food sources)
Dill and fish are such a wonderful marriage. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Can’t agree more…
Angela and YummyChunklet–I hope you both get a chance to enjoy this!
I am really excited about this one! I worked in a restaurant that served whitefish with an amazing dill sauce. This sounds just like it, thank you for posting!
Looks perfect for next Friday when I can’t eat meat!