Baked Salmon with Lemon Dill Sauce

Key Ingredients in This Recipe

• Salmon – While the most common type of salmon sold in stores is Atlantic salmon, there are many other varieties. Atlantic salmon is much fattier and thicker than sockeye salmon. The salmon is seasoned simply with salt and pepper before it’s roasted in the oven at a high heat until it’s just cooked through.
• Dill – While I love fresh dill, I feel using dried dill in the sauce is best because the bits of herb don’t stick together though I love garnishing with bits of fresh dill.
• Cream – I add heavy cream, the thick part of the milk that rises to the top due to its high fat content to create a rich, creamy sauce.

How to Make Lemon Dill Salmon

1. Make the lemon dill sauce. Add the wine, lemon juice, shallot and garlic to a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower the heat to medium-low then add the dried dill and simmer until the wine has reduced by just over half, about 10 minutes. 
2. Finish the sauce. Whisk in the cream and continue to simmer over medium-low heat until the sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the butter, one cube at a time until emulsified into the sauce. Season with salt, to taste.  
3. Add salmon to baking sheet. Heat oven to 425ºF (220ºC). Add the salmon fillets to a baking sheet, skin-side down.
4. Bake the salmon. Drizzle the salmon fillets with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast until just cooked through, about 12 to 15 minutes.
5. Serve. Add the salmon to plates and ladle the sauce over the top. Serve with rice and vegetables. 

Tips and Tricks for This Recipe

Best Temperature to Bake Salmon

This method of cooking salmon is extremely simple. Salmon doesn’t take long to cook, even when the fillets are thicker. Cooking salmon at 425ºF (220ºC) ensures the salmon cooks quickly giving it a buttery texture without drying it out. A good rule of thumb is to plan for about 6 minutes per half inch of thickness. Keep in mind it will continue to cook as the salmon cools. To check if the salmon is done, use a fork to flake a piece off the side.

Cooking tips

• I like baking sheets that offer nonstick qualities like these Williams Sonoma Goldtouch pans. If your baking sheets are not non-stick I recommend lining the baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil to prevent sticking and easier cleanup.
• While I use a baking sheet the salmon can also be cooked in a baking dish.

Serving suggestions

I like serving this creamy lemon dill sauce recipe over rice and green beans though it also pairs well with the following:

• Roasted potatoes
• Grilled asparagus
• Sautéed spinach

Other Recipes to Try

If you enjoy this baked salmon recipe, I recommend checking out some of these:

• Salmon Cakes with Chive Yogurt Sauce
• Olive Oil Slow-Poached Salmon with Fennel
• Baked Spicy Salmon Hand Rolls
• Roasted Orange Ginger Salmon
• Cedar Plank Salmon with Brown Sugar and Black Pepper