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!
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!
- This dish looks fancy, but it is NO FUSS. You can have it on the table in less than 30 minutes.
- And while it is absolutely restaurant-quality delicious, it is EASY to make. Seriously. If you’ve ever cooked chicken or pork chops in a skillet, you’ve got this in the bag.
- 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.
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 or or my Tasty Roasted Broccoli recipe (a favorite on my You Tube channel). These salads are also winners- Strawberry Asparagus Salad, Crunchy Broccoli Salad with Strawberries!
Skip the rice altogether and serve it with Southern Green Beans & New Potatoes for a complete meal!
Recipe Ingredients & Overview
I’ll walk through an overview of ingredients & recipe steps in these next sections along with helpful tips!
Look for specifics at the end of the post in the 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!
Want more protein ideas to use with this creamy lemon dill sauce? Sub the salmon for responsibly sourced trout or, if you prefer a flaky white fish, a quality tilapia or cod.
How to Pan-Fry Salmon
- 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
- 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.
Storing & Reheating
Leftover fish and the lemon dill 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 & sauce 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
- Southern Salmon Patties
- Homemade Cornmeal Fish Fry Mix
- New Orlean BBQ Shrimp
- Best Louisiana Crab Cakes
- Louisiana Peel & Eat Shrimp
Watch How It’s Made
Salmon with Creamy Lemon Dill Sauce
Ingredients
- 1-1.25 pounds skinless salmon filets (Skin on is fine. I just remove it.)
- salt and pepper to taste
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Creamy Lemon Dill Sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic (3 cloves)
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- ½ cup chicken broth (or white wine)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons coarse ground dijon mustard
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup shaved Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (or 1 teaspoon dried dill weed)
- extra dill, lemon slices and lemon zest (garnishes)
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet on the stovetop over medium heat.
- Divide your salmon into 3-4 equal parts. 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 leftover flour.)
- Place salmon in heated skillet and cook for 4 minutes on each side. Salmon will turn from dark pink/red to a lighter opaque pink as it cooks. It is done when it's firm to the touch and has reached an internal temp of 140℉.
- Remove the salmon from the skillet, place on a plate and set aside.
Creamy Lemon Dill Sauce
- Wipe out skillet and place back on the stovetop. Melt the butter in the pan. Add garlic and let brown for 1 minute. Whisk in 1 tablespoon of flour to make a paste.
- 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.
- 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.
- Return the salmon to the pan, placing it down 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.
Nutrition
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