Baked Salmon with Dill and Lemon Sauce (Printable)
Tender salmon fillets with a bright, creamy dill and lemon sauce. An elegant main course ready in just 28 minutes.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Fish
01 - 4 skinless salmon fillets, 6 oz each
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
04 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
→ Lemon Dill Sauce
05 - 1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
06 - 2 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped
07 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
08 - 1 teaspoon lemon zest
09 - 1 small garlic clove, minced
10 - 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
11 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
12 - 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
→ Garnish
13 - Lemon slices
14 - Fresh dill, optional
# How To Make It:
01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease with oil.
02 - Pat salmon fillets dry with paper towels. Rub both sides with olive oil and season with salt and black pepper.
03 - Place salmon fillets on prepared baking sheet, spacing them evenly apart.
04 - Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until salmon is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork.
05 - While salmon bakes, combine sour cream, dill, lemon juice, lemon zest, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl. Mix until smooth.
06 - Remove salmon from oven and transfer fillets to serving plates. Spoon dill and lemon sauce over each fillet.
07 - Top with lemon slices and fresh dill if desired. Serve immediately.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The sauce comes together in exactly the time it takes the salmon to bake, so you never feel rushed or like youre juggling too many elements at once.
- Even my seafood-skeptical brother requests this dish when he visits, scraping his plate clean with that look of surprised satisfaction every single time.
02 -
- The salmon continues cooking for about 2 minutes after removing from the oven, so I always pull it out when its just shy of my desired doneness after overcooking it repeatedly when I first started making this.
- Whisking a tiny splash of water into the sauce if its too thick creates that perfect pourable consistency without diluting the flavor, something I discovered during a panicked moment when my sauce was setting up too firmly.
03 -
- The perfect doneness temperature for salmon is 125°F for medium-rare or 135°F for medium, measured with an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part, a lesson I learned after years of cutting into fillets to check.
- Allow the salmon to rest on the counter for precisely 5 minutes before baking, as ice-cold fish straight from the refrigerator will cook unevenly and often seize up, causing that white protein to seep out.