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These sauces for salmon make this simple fish into a delicious dinner! From creamy dill to zesty chimichurri, use these easy recipes to add flavor to your baked, grilled, or pan-seared salmon.

Sauce for salmon ideas
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So you can serve baked salmon and grilled salmon on a plate with rice and call it dinner. But as a cookbook author, I’ve found this key: adding a simple sauce to fish turns it from a “just a weeknight dinner” to something actually special! (This is true with any protein, of course.)

My glistening green chimichurri adds zingy, herby flavor, or lemon caper sauce makes a tangy, bright pop. A flavorful miso sauce infuses loads of complexity, and a creamy dill sauce is extra classic. I’ve reviewed all my recipes to find the bet sauces for salmon: and you can mix them up while the fish cooks!

Best Sauces for Salmon

Storage and Make-Ahead Tips

Most of these sauces keep well in the fridge, which is one of the reasons I love them. Chimichurri lasts up to a week and actually gets better as it sits (just bring it to room temperature before serving).

Creamy sauces like dill sauce, mustard sauce, and remoulade all keep for 3-5 days. Pesto can be frozen in ice cube trays for months. The one difference is butter-based sauces like lemon caper sauce, which are best made fresh.

Frequently Asked Questions

What sauce goes well with pan seared salmon?

Pan-seared salmon pairs well with a variety of sauces, including lemon butter sauce, dill sauce, garlic herb sauce, or even a balsamic glaze for a touch of sweetness.

What is the best sauce to put on salmon before baking?

For baked salmon, you can use a marinade as a sauce, such as teriyaki sauce, honey mustard sauce, or a simple olive oil and herb mixture. These sauces will infuse the salmon with flavor while keeping it moist during baking.

What is the white sauce people put on salmon?

The white sauce often served with salmon is usually a creamy dill sauce or a lemon dill sauce. These sauces complement the salmon’s flavor with their refreshing herbiness and tangy notes.

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Lemon Dill Sauce for Salmon

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5 from 1 review

This fast lemon dill salmon takes just 10 minutes to bake! Mix up the zesty dill sauce as it cooks. It’s the ultimate healthy easy weeknight meal!

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale

For the salmon

  • 4 salmon fillets (skin on or off)
  • Kosher salt
  • Black pepper

For the lemon dill sauce (makes about ¾ cup)

  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped dill
  • ¼ cup Greek yogurt
  • 6 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon onion powder
  • ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons water

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
  2. Generously sprinkle the salmon with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. Place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
  3. Bake the salmon for about 10 minutes until flaky and just cooked; test it with a fork to assess doneness. Watch the salmon to make sure not to overcook; the timing can vary based on the thickness of the salmon and variations between ovens.
  4. While the salmon bakes, mix together the sauce ingredients, adding the water last. Use the water to bring it to a loose, drizzle-able consistency. (You may need a touch more depending on your yogurt brand.)
  5. Serve the salmon and garnish each fillet with 2 tablespoons of the lemon dill sauce. Save leftover sauce refrigerated.

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About the authors

Alex & Sonja

Hi there! We’re Alex & Sonja Overhiser, authors of two cookbooks, busy parents, and a real life couple who cooks together. We founded the A Couple Cooks website in 2010 to share simple, seasonal recipes and the joy of cooking. We now offer thousands of original recipes, cooking tips, and meal planning ideas—all written and photographed by the two of us (and tested on our kids!).

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1 Comment

  1. Sonja Overhiser says:

    Let us know if you have any questions!