Salmon with Creamy Garlic Dill Sauce

close up of cooked salmon with dillsauce with dill and lemon garnish on a baking sheet

Why I love this dill sauce for salmon recipe

This is one of my all time favorite salmon recipes. It’s simple, flavorful and easy to make. Plus, salmon and dill pair so well together. It’s a classic flavor combination for a reason.

The real star of this sauce is the secret addition of horseradish. I mean, it’s not a true secret, since it’s listed on the ingredients, but it adds an unexpected zip to the overall flavor.

Feel free to make the sauce ahead of time, even a few days before you plan on serving the salmon. We even tried swapping out the dill with some fresh basil a few weeks ago, and it was fantastic, but you might want to puree in the food processor or you’ll need to chop the basil a little more finely than you would the dill.

overhead view of cooked salmon with dill sauce, garnished with dill and lemon wedge on a baking sheet

Here’s what you’ll need to make it

measuring cups

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baking sheet

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Ingredient notes: For those of you who aren’t looking for a dairy-free sauce, feel free to use regular sour cream and decrease the lemon juice to 1 teaspoon.

If you want to make this recipe paleo friendly, try making a cashew-based sour cream or replace the sour cream with a paleo-friendly homemade mayonnaise.

close up side view of cooked salmon with dill sauce, garnished with dill and a lemon wedge on a baking sheet

How to make salmon with dill sauce

Bake salmon fillets. Preheat your oven to 400˚F. Season with the salmon salt & pepper and place it onto a baking sheet.

I like to line mine with parchment for easier clean up. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the salmon easily flakes with a fork.

If you’re roasting a full salmon fillet, rather than individual pieces, you’ll need to bake for just a few more minutes (no more than 5 or you’ll have dry salmon).

Make dill sauce. Whisk the sauce ingredients together in a bowl until smooth. If you don’t feel like chopping anything you can also add them to a food processor and blend until smooth.

Garnish and serve. Top each salmon fillet with a serving of dill sauce and garnish with a lemon wedge before serving.

close up of cooked salmon with dill sauce, garnished with dill and lemon wedge on a baking sheet

FAQS and tips for making creamy salmon sauce

How do you bake salmon without drying it up?

To prevent salmon from drying out, don’t over bake it. Salmon only needs to be cooked to 145˚F, which is technically ‘medium-rare’. Thinner pieces of salmon, and individual fillets really only need about 12 – 15 minutes of cooking time.

Do you flip salmon when baking?

No you don’t need to flip salmon when you’re baking it. This is only something that needs to be done when cooking it on the stove to ensure even cooking.

Can you freeze dill sauce?

I don’t recommend freezing this dill sauce. Mayonnaise based sauces will lose their texture when frozen.

What can be used instead of dill?

Dill is a common herb used when cooking seafood, such as salmon. It pairs really well with fish. If you don’t like dill, you can substitute basil or parsley in its place. Tarragon or cilantro would also be a good choice, but they’re less widely used.

overhead view of salmon fillets with dill sauce garnished with dill and lemon wedge on a baking sheet

This salmon recipe would be great served with:

More easy salmon recipes: