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This creamy dill salmon recipe is quick, simple, and elegant! Pan-fried salmon is coated in the most delicious lemon dill cream sauce. 

creamy dill salmon plated with broccolini and lots of sauce

Salmon and dill just go together. I remember when I was a kid, my mom would make a creamy dill sauce for salmon (and I think other fish too), so it’s something I grew up eating. This version is not my mom’s, but it’s still super yummy. 🙂 I did make a lemon dill salmon pasta back in 2019, which is similar but definitely geared towards serving over pasta.

I enjoyed my lunch after taking those photos, I can tell you that!

close-up of salmon with creamy lemon dill sauce in a skillet

I tend to go through phases where I eat/make a lot of salmon. I think I’m about to go through another one. This recipe has me pretty excited for more salmon recipes to come!

How to make salmon with a creamy dill sauce

  1. Cut your salmon into roughly four equal pieces. Sprinkle each piece with garlic powder and salt & pepper, then coat them in flour;
  2. Sear the fish for 3-4 minutes/side in a skillet and then take it out of the pan;
  3. Make the sauce by adding the chicken broth (or use white wine!), lemon juice, and Dijon mustard (it’s one of my favorite ingredients to add a little extra something to sauces) to the pan, followed by the cream and fresh dill;
  4. Add the salmon back to the pan and continue cooking it until the fish is done and the sauce has reduced to your liking.

Easy peasy… and so perfect for a weeknight dinner or even if you’re having company. I just love getting new 30 minute dinners on the blog like this Creamy Garlic Salmon since I know that they’re appreciated!

(Scroll down to the recipe card for full ingredients and instructions)

uncooked salmon coated in flour... ready for the skillet!

Recipe notes & tips:

  • You can use salmon with or without the skin. If you do happen to buy skin-on salmon, but don’t want to eat the skin, you can just peel it right off once the fish is cooked.
  • I just buy whatever salmon looks good at the store. Sometimes it’s farmed and sometimes it’s wild.
  • Can’t find fresh dill? You can use dried. I’d start with 1 teaspoon and then add more if needed since it is more concentrated. 
  • You could throw in any fresh herbs you happen to have on hand as well. 
  • Salmon thickness varies, so if your salmon is a bit thicker and not done after the suggested cooking time, just add another few minutes (you may want to reduce the heat so the sauce doesn’t thicken too much). Watch the fish change color (it moves up through the fish as it cooks) so you’ll have an idea when it’s getting close to being done.
  • I always get asked on recipes like this if you can sub the heavy cream for something else. In this recipe I’d caution against doing that since the acid in the lemon is pretty likely to curdle the sauce if you use something like milk or half-and-half. As I always say, I choose my ingredients for a reason, and you simply can’t beat the taste/texture of real cream. Yes, it’s more calories… but everything in moderation. 😉

lemon dill salmon in a copper skillet

What to serve with dill salmon:

Try Cream Cheese Mashed PotatoesEasy Roasted Potatoes and Carrots, or pasta. For a tasty vegetable side dish, try broccolini/broccoli or Easy Roasted Green Beans. You could also make a salad with a light dressing to balance out the richness of the cream sauce.

More tasty salmon recipes to try:

extreme close-up of creamy dill salmon
Pan-fried to perfection.

I hope you’ll give this lemon dill salmon a try! Made this easy salmon recipe? Questions? Leave me a comment/review below! If you liked this recipe, I would love if you shared the link with a friend. 🙂

extreme close-up of creamy dill salmon
4.97 from 63 votes

Creamy Dill Salmon

This creamy dill salmon recipe is quick, simple, and elegant! Pan-fried salmon is coated in the most delicious lemon dill cream sauce. 
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients 

  • 1 pound fresh salmon cut into 4 pieces
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • Flour for dredging
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth or dry white wine
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
  • 1 tablespoon fresh dill chopped finely

Instructions 

  • Cut your salmon into 4 pieces. Sprinkle each piece with the garlic powder and season with salt & pepper. Coat each piece in flour on all sides.
  • Add the olive oil and butter to a skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the fish. Cook the salmon for 3-4 minutes/side or until it's nicely browned. Don't overcook - the salmon shouldn't be cooked fully yet. Remove fish to a plate and set it aside.
  • Add the chicken broth, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard to the skillet. Stir until mustard has been incorporated, and let it bubble for 1-2 minutes.
  • Add the cream to the pan, along with the dill.
  • Add in the salmon and let it cook for another 5 minutes or so until the sauce has thickened a bit and the fish has cooked through. Season with extra salt & pepper if needed. I like to serve it with fresh chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice over the fish.

Notes

  • If you want to use dried dill, I'd start with 1 teaspoon and work your way up from there. 
  • Salmon thickness varies, so if you've got a thicker piece of fish, you may need to cook it a little bit longer than I suggest.
  • I don't recommend subbing the cream for half-and-half or milk since the lemon may curdle the sauce.
  • Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

Nutrition

Calories: 425kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 36g, Saturated Fat: 17g, Cholesterol: 151mg, Sodium: 212mg, Potassium: 624mg, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 1007IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 52mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.

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Hi! I’m Natasha.

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165 Comments

  1. Cherish says:

    5 stars
    Very delicious and smart dish! I love how all of the flavors are so subtle but come together to make magic! Thank you for this recipe.

    1. Natasha says:

      You’re very welcome!! Thanks for your sweet comment!

  2. Janeth says:

    5 stars
    This is absolutely fabulous! My husband and I love it! We often just make the sauce without the salmon, and eat it over seasoned rice. So delicious!

    1. Natasha says:

      That’s awesome!! I love rice and sauce too. Thanks for writing me a review!

  3. Fiona says:

    5 stars
    Absolutely amazing!!!! My husband and I loved this! Only thing I omitted was the flour due to our way of eating, we don’t eat flour. We will definitely be eating this again. Thank you for a great recipe.

    Oh and I don’t recommend using 6 day old carp in place of anything in any dish, like Ralph mentioned. We live on Lake Cumberland and the only thing we use old carp for is to ward off neighbors we like to keep at a distance. Lol.

    1. Natasha says:

      Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 Hahaha now that’s a good use of carp!

  4. Ralph Malph says:

    I pulled a 6 day old dead Carp out of a fly infested dock side garbage can, and substituted it for the salmon.
    It was horrific and tasted like the underside of a kumamoto dragon.
    I’m pretty sure if you used almond milk or nut juice as we call it in Wisconsin, it would be to die for!

    1. Natasha says:

      I’m pretty sure you’re spot on, Ralph!

  5. Joseph Martone says:

    5 stars
    Fantastic outcome. Easy to follow recipe is spot on. Highly recommended. Thank you!!!!

    1. Natasha says:

      So glad you liked it! Thanks for letting me know!

  6. Jamie Torrico says:

    5 stars
    This recipe was AAAWWWWWWMAZING!!! The best salmon with sauce i have ever made!! And I’ve made a ton!!! So good that i gave my mom the leftovers and then made it again the very next day because i was craving it!! If 10 stars were an option, you would have gotten it!!!

    1. Natasha says:

      Aww thank you!! 🙂 I’m so happy you like it! 😀

  7. Jessica says:

    5 stars
    This is without a doubt the BEST salmon recipe I have ever tried! I’m not a big fish person but every once in a while I like to make it and this is one I’ll use time and time again!

    1. Natasha says:

      I’m so happy you like it so much, Jessica!! Thanks for letting me know. 😀

  8. Tanya Giles says:

    Honestly one of my favorite salmon recipes ever!! My family inhaled it. I did grill the salmon and the. We put the sauce on top. Too hot to start the oven in Arizona summers.

    1. Natasha says:

      That’s so great to hear!! I’m so glad everyone likes it. 🙂

  9. Nicole W. says:

    4 stars
    This sauce is delicious! If someone wants to know how to cut out the heavy cream, I substituted 1/4 cup of sour cream and then only used 1/4 cup of cream to help balance the tartness.

  10. Melanie says:

    Made this recipe again last night. So easy and so delicious! The lemon and dill blend to give the fish such a nice flavour. We went with white wine instead of chicken broth, as I think that also lends a better flavour to the recipe as well. Will definitely be making again and again 🙂

    1. Natasha says:

      I’m so pleased you enjoyed it!! Totally agree on the white wine!