A creamy salmon dill sauce makes for an easy meal that’s fresh, fast, and satisfying. There’s something classic about pairing salmon with dill. Integrating this aromatic into a creamy sauce is the perfect complement to the leanness and robust flavor of wild salmon.
Steps for Making Dill Sauce
Making this creamy dill sauce for salmon is very quick, easy, and simple. It only requires 5 ingredients and can be made in about 5 minutes.
Ingredients and substitutions:
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Mayonnaise: This is the creamy element of the recipe. If you prefer, you can substitute a full-fat or fat-free Greek yogurt.
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Prepared horseradish: Prepared horseradish is already grated and preserved in vinegar, which gives it a distinctly acidic flavor. If you prefer, you can substitute fresh horseradish root that you grate yourself. From there, add vinegar to taste. You can also leave out the horseradish altogether, which will give this sauce a milder flavor profile.
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Dill: Fresh dill brings so much flavor into this dill sauce. However, dried dill can be substituted — add it to taste. Other herbs like chives or tarragon would also be nice additions or alternatives to dill in the sauce.
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Shallots: Minced shallots add a little sweetness and zing to the creamy sauce. You can also use red onion or scallions to give this sauce a slightly different flavor profile.
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Salt and pepper
To make the sauce, all you need to do is combine mayonnaise, horseradish, chopped dill, and minced shallots in a small mixing bowl. Season with sea salt and black pepper to taste. Then, store the sauce in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
How to Serve Dill Sauce for Salmon
If you have a jar of dill sauce for salmon prepared already in the refrigerator, all you need to do is spoon some of it over cooked salmon for a delicious meal.
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Try it with baked salmon and veggies for an easy sheet pan meal.
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Or, serve dill sauce for salmon that’s been pan-seared, leaving the sauce on the side to preserve the crispy skin on the fish.
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Broiled salmon is also a great option, since wild salmon broils in about the same amount of time as it takes to make the sauce.
Can you make the sauce the day before?
You can make this creamy dill sauce for salmon ahead of time.
How to Store the Sauce
Store the salmon dill sauce in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
How Long Can You Store the Sauce
Use this sauce within a week for best freshness.
What to Do with Leftover Sauce
Store the leftover sauce in the refrigerator. You can serve this sauce with other types of fish, as well as fresh or cooked vegetables.
For other sauce ideas to try, check out WAC's list of sauces for salmon.
