Baked Salmon Lemon Dill (Print View)
Tender, flaky baked salmon with a bright, creamy lemon dill topping for easy elegant meals.
# Ingredient List:
→ Salmon
01 - 4 salmon fillets, 6 ounces each, skinless or skin-on
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - 1 teaspoon salt
04 - ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
05 - 1 lemon, sliced
→ Lemon Dill Sauce
06 - ½ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
07 - 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
08 - 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
09 - 2 teaspoons lemon zest
10 - 2 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped or 2 teaspoons dried dill
11 - 1 small garlic clove, minced
12 - ¼ teaspoon salt
13 - ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
# How to Make:
01 - Set oven to 400°F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a light coating of nonstick spray.
02 - Arrange salmon fillets on the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, then season evenly with salt and pepper. Place a lemon slice on each fillet.
03 - Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the salmon flakes easily with a fork and reaches 145°F internal temperature.
04 - Whisk together sour cream (or Greek yogurt), mayonnaise, lemon juice, lemon zest, dill, garlic, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl until smooth.
05 - Remove salmon from oven, transfer to plates, and spoon the lemon dill sauce over each fillet or serve alongside.
06 - Optionally, garnish with additional fresh dill or lemon wedges before serving.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- Salmon cooks gently in the oven while you make the sauce, so everything finishes at exactly the right moment.
- The lemon dill sauce tastes fancy but comes together in one small bowl with no cooking required.
- It's the kind of dish that feels special enough for company but easy enough for a random Wednesday.
02 -
- Salmon continues cooking after it leaves the oven due to residual heat, so take it off the heat when it's still barely opaque in the center and the salmon will be perfect by the time you sit down.
- Don't skip making the sauce fresh; even a good store-bought dressing won't give you the brightness that homemade brings.
03 -
- Buy salmon that looks bright and smells like the ocean, not fishy; that's how you know it's fresh enough to deserve this sauce.
- If your salmon fillets are thick, start checking for doneness at 12 minutes; thin fillets might be done in 10, so trust what you see more than the clock.