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Beautiful, easy Salmon with Creamy Lemon Dill Sauce is going to be your new signature dish. Tender, flaky, pan-fried salmon is so easy to make on the stovetop, not to mention its simple, but indulgent, lemon cream sauce with fresh dill! It’s a one pan recipe you’ll go to on busy weeknights and on special occasions!

You’ll also enjoy my one pan Creamy Lemon Chicken & Rice!

Pan fried salmon with creamy lemon dill sauce in a pan with lemon slices and fresh dill.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

#1 (and always most important), this salmon with creamy lemon dill sauce recipe tastes outrageously good! You are going to want to eat it and serve it all the time!
And while it is absolutely restaurant-quality delicious, it’s also EASY to make. Seriously. If you’ve ever cooked chicken or pork chops in a skillet, you’ve got this in the bag.
This dish looks fancy, but it is NO FUSS. You can have it on the table in less than 30 minutes.
It’s also a one pan recipe, so clean up is a breeze.
I know this is a salmon recipe, but let’s have a moment for the sauce. Creamy, lemony, a hint of dill… I won’t lie. I make this easy pan-fried salmon recipe for the sauce. Special and fabulous! I’m sure you’ll find other things to spoon this sauce over too.

Salmon with lemon dill cream sauce and lemon slices in a pan with a serving of salmon on a white plate.

What To Serve with Salmon & Creamy Lemon Dill Sauce

This salmon is genuinely one of our favorite easy dinners. My family loves it served with wild rice, brown rice or instant white rice. (And when the sauce is mixed in with it, the rice tastes almost like a yummy risotto!)

For a veggie, you can’t miss with Skillet Roasted Lemon Asparagus, Strawberry Asparagus Salad, Crunchy Broccoli Salad with Strawberries or roasted broccoli.

Skip the rice altogether and serve it with Southern Green Beans & New Potatoes for a complete meal!

Recipe Ingredients & Overview

All the ingredients needed to make pan seared salmon with lemon dill cream sauce labeled with a text overlay.

I’ll walk through an overview of ingredients & steps in these next sections along with helpful tips!

Look for specifics at the end of the post in t he recipe card.

salmon filets (with or without skin)
lemon juice & slices
fresh dill
heavy whipping cream
dijon mustard
chicken broth (or white wine)
Parmesan cheese
all purpose flour
butter
minced garlic
salt & pepper
olive oil (for pan frying)

Recipe Additions & Substitutions: Dried dill weed instead of fresh dill is just fine. Add 1-1.5 teaspoon to the sauce when you add the mustard and lemon juice to your sauce, not at the end of the recipe as you do with fresh dill. Dried herbs need more time to “bloom.”

Don’t sub out the heavy whipping cream for milk or half and half. Heavy cream best handles all the lemon juice we’re using without curdling.

Add some lemon zest before serving this creamy lemon dill salmon for extra color and flavor zing!

How to Pan-Fry Salmon

A 2-part collage showing salmon dredged in flour and salmon after being pan-fried.

Season and Dredge. Divide your salmon into 3-4 equal pieces. Pat it dry with a paper towel. Salt and pepper both sides of each piece. Dredge, or lightly coat, each piece of salmon on all sides with flour. (Discard the leftover flour.)

Pan-fry. Place the salmon pieces in the heated skillet and cook for 4 minutes on each side.

Remove the salmon from the skillet, place on a plate and set aside.

How To Know When Salmon is Done

Watch as the salmon starts to turn from a deep pink or red to a lighter opaque pink. It starts where the salmon is in contact with your pan and moves up to the center of the fish. When it reaches the center, it should be time to flip! This usually takes about 4 minutes.

Four more minutes on the second side should bring your salmon to an internal temperature of 140° F. I always double check mine with a good meat thermometer. Your salmon will also be firm to the touch.

How to Make Lemon Dill Cream Sauce

3-part collage showing the steps to making a lemon dill cream sauce to top pan seared salmon.

Make the Base. Wipe out your skillet and place it back on the stovetop. Melt the butter in the skillet. Add minced garlic and let brown for 1 minute. Whisk in 1 tablespoon of flour to make a paste.

Add Broth. Add ½ chicken broth and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the rest of the broth, whisking until smooth. Let simmer for 1 minute to thicken.

Finish the Sauce. Whisk in lemon juice and dijon mustard. Then slowly pour in the cream, whisking to incorporate. Add the Parmesan cheese, whisking until melted. Sprinkle in the chopped dill and give it all one final whisk.

Serve! Return the salmon to the pan, placing it in the sauce. Spoon a little sauce over each piece. Top with lemon slices and extra dill. Zest a little lemon peel over the top and serve.

What if My Salmon Sticks to the Pan?

If your salmon sticks to the pan when you start to flip it, stop, let it cook just a little bit longer and then flip it. It should release on its own when it’s ready.

More Recipe Tips

Don’t skip patting your salmon filets dry with a paper towel. Removing excess water and liquid from the fish helps it sear/fry instead of steam when cooking it.
If you don’t want to dredge your salmon in flour, simply skip that step and put your salmon straight in the pan after seasoning it. Personally, I just like how the light dusting of flour browns against the fish and goes so deliciously with the creamy lemon sauce.

A forkful of salmon and rice that shows texture of the fish and how it is eaten as a meal.

Storing & Reheating

Leftover fish and cream sauce can be stored together in the same airtight container in the refrigerator. They really should be eaten within a day or two.

To reheat, I’ve found the best method to be covering individual servings of salmon with a damp paper towel (to keep it from drying out) and microwaving for a few minutes

I don’t recommend making this dish ahead of time or freezing it.

More Seafood / Fish Recipes to Enjoy