I have a culinary confession: I never quite understood the appeal of dill until I grasped its relationship with salmon. The distinctive flavor of those delicate fronds — fresh, potent and perfumey — seemed alright with vegetables. But paired with mild proteins, I found that dill could easily overpower my palate and become too predominant, eclipsing the flavor of whatever else was on my plate.
Until one fateful day when I was served a dish of wild-caught sockeye, blanketed in a creamy dill sauce. The robust flavor of the red, meaty sockeye was a perfect complement to the unapologetically green and herbaceous flavor of dill. As far as I was concerned, dill had finally met its match. And from that point on, this unsung (to me) herb became a legend.
Now that it’s summer, many of you will be seeing bouquets of this frilly herb arranged alongside all manner of other green herbs at your local markets, or perhaps overtaking the other herbs that are planted in your backyard gardens (it’s sometimes referred to as dill weed, after all). To which I say, embrace the abundance and use dill generously with salmon. You can’t go wrong or be too heavy-handed.
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Arrange it on slices of cold smoked sockeye with eggs in the morning.
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Fold it into leftover salmon salad sandwiches for lunch.
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Whisk it into indulgent sauces to pour over seared salmon fillets for dinner.
I can’t possibly name all the ways that you might casually integrate this herb into weekday meals because, more than any other single herb, even a sprinkle of dill can make any salmon dish feel elegant and complete. But there are a few recipes I do have in mind that I think showcase how good this pairing is with sockeye.
Baked Sockeye Salmon with Creamy Dill-Horseradish Sauce is a recipe that reminds me a lot of my first salmon-dill meal. It makes for an easy weeknight dinner when you’re staying in, but is also scalable for a dinner gathering and doesn’t require much prep. In fact, you can make the dill-horseradish sauce ahead of time without worrying about it separating, since it’s mayo-based rather than cream-based.
If Ground Sockeye Salmon Burgers are on your menu at some point this summer, try topping them with a simple Dill Mayo and Pickled Shallots from our digital cookbook. If ketchup and salmon aren’t your thing, these zesty, bright and herby condiments are perfect for dressing up salmon burgers.
There’s also this new recipe for a Salmon Pasta Salad with Hot Smoked Sockeye and Broccoli that I have yet to try. Lemony, herby, with just the right amount of creamy, I think it’s going to be a big hit in my household once I make a batch, though I may not get around to it as packs of Hot Smoked Sockeye tend to disappear quickly from the shelves of my fridge…
So, there you have it — my case for a summer of unabashed dill-igence :)
Live Wild,
Monica
Pictured above: A fillet of wild sockeye served beneath a tangy and creamy dill-horseradish sauce, garnished with an extra hit of dill for a mouthwatering presentation.
