Today’s recipe could be made for Passover, or any day of the year. This is my tried and true method for cooking salmon fillets, and it couldn’t be easier. The sauce is one of my favorites, but you can use any kind of sauce you like (tomato basil, Indian curry—get creative!). We eat this for dinner every couple of weeks, changing up the sauce for variety. This dish is gluten free (when you use a GF mayonnaise) and full of healthy omega-3.
The sauce for this salmon is really simple to make, and it tastes sooooo good! Use plain prepared horseradish, or grate it fresh. Don’t use the pink beet-colored stuff. I also recommend using a high quality organic mayonnaise, it will take the flavor to another level. If you’re preparing this for Passover and you keep kosher, make sure that all pre-packaged ingredients are certified Kosher for Passover.
To Make This Sauce Dairy-Free: Some Jews prefer not to mix milk with fish; while the majority of Jews consider fish pareve (neutral), certain Jewish traditions do not mix dairy with fish. You can make this sauce dairy-free (pareve) by subbing a non-dairy sour cream. Most dairy-free sour cream is not kosher for Passover– they usually contain soy, which is kitniyot– so if you’re worried about that, make sure you check the label. The dairy-free modification is also great for those who are lactose intolerant, or people who wish to serve this fish entree alongside a kosher meat meal.
I usually use skin-on salmon fillets because they tend to hold together better. Cooked salmon is flaky and delicate; the skin holds everything together till you’re ready to eat. If the skin bothers you, just peel it off before serving. You can, of course, use skinless fillets if you prefer.
This is a super-simple dinner that you can enjoy any day of the week. After preheating the oven, the whole entrée takes about 10 minutes from skillet to table. Serve with a simple side salad for a healthy dinner. Tastes like restaurant-quality salmon, and it couldn’t be easier!
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Seared Salmon with Creamy Dill Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 boneless salmon fillets
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Sauce Ingredients
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
- 2 teaspoons prepared or grated horseradish
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Fresh dill sprigs for garnish
NOTES
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Season fillets on both sides with salt and pepper.
- In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat till hot (not brown or smoking). Add the fillets to the skillet—if your fillets are skin-on, place the fillets skin side up, meat side down.
- Sear them on one side for 2-3 minutes till a golden brown crust forms on the meat.
- Without flipping the salmon, transfer the skillet to the oven and let it cook for 7-10 more minutes to desired doneness. Thick fillets will take longer.
- While salmon is cooking, mix sauce ingredients in a small mixing bowl till well blended. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Remove salmon from the oven. Use an oven mitt, that skillet handle will be HOT!
- Serve cooked salmon fillets topped with sauce and garnished with a sprig of fresh dill.
Nutrition
Very easy recipe and very delicious. It brought our everyday salmon dinner to a level of restaurant quality.
This was a very good sauce. I substituted plain yogurt for the sour cream and used low fat mayo and dried dill and doubled the lemon juice.
I have cooked salmon many times but I have never seared and baked. It was excellent! Thanks for a great recipe.
Made this last night and both the salmon and the sauce came out perfectly. Substituted spicy brown mustard for the horseradish which I was out of. After cooking the salmon, I peeled off the skin and fried it separately in the original pan until it was crispy for one of my favorite treats.