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Here are the best sauces for salmon—easy ways to dress up your fish! Here are our favorite ideas for making a delicious meal, including dill sauce, chimichurri, miso sauce, and more.

Sauce for salmon ideas
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Need a little something to dress up your fish? These baked salmon and grilled salmon recipes are on repeat at our house. As cookbook authors, we’ve found a little trick for how to take them to the next level—simply add a sauce!

Glistening green chimichurri covers the salmon in a garlicky, herbaceous blanket, and lemon caper sauce makes a tangy, bright pop. Miso sauce infuses loads of umami, and creamy dill sauce is extra classic. Each of these sauces brings something new to the table—and you can mix them up while the fish cooks.

The best sauces for salmon

More salmon recipes

The best ways to cook salmon? Here are a few basic ways to cook salmon that are ideal for adding sauces:

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

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! We’re Alex & Sonja Overhiser, authors of the acclaimed cookbooks A Couple Cooks and Pretty Simple Cooking—and a real life couple who cooks together. We founded the A Couple Cooks website in 2010 to share seasonal recipes and the joy of home cooking. Now, we’ve got over 3,000 well-tested recipes, including Mediterranean diet, vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, smoothies, cocktails, and more!

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  1. Sonja Overhiser says:

    Let us know if you have any questions!