Pan-seared salmon with dill sauce
This dish can be prepared in 10 minutes. Fresh salmon is preferable, but frozen also works well. If using frozen salmon, defrost it completely before you begin.
Serve the salmon with steamed fresh vegetables drizzled with olive oil, or with a vegetable purée. A green salad or spinach salad would also be nice alongside.
2 thick-cut salmon fillets, about 6 ounces (150 g.) each
2 tbsp. olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
lemon wedges
For the sauce:
4 tbsp. crème fraîche or sour cream
1 tbsp. fresh dill, finely snipped
1/2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pat the salmon dry with a paper towel and set aside. If the fillets have skin attached, leave it on — it will slide off after cooking.
Make the sauce: Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir well.
Heat the olive oil to sizzing in a large skillet over high heat. Place the fillets in the skillet, top side down. Allow to cook for about two minutes, until the salmon is golden brown. You can peek at it by lifting it very gently with a spatula.
Gently turn the salmon on its side and cook for a minute. Turn it onto the other side and cook for one minute more.
Now turn the salmon top side up and complete the cooking — one minute more if you like your salmon rosy and translucent inside, and two minutes if you like it cooked through.
Serve with the sauce alongside or drizzled on top. Serves 2.
Tip: If you have access to a barbecue, you can grill the salmon over the coals. Coat it with olive oil before cooking, and grill the top and bottom — don’t worry about the sides.
Great dish! No cold sauce goes better than sour cream (or crème fraîche) with dill and lemon juice: the components of the sauce tame the strong flavor of the salmon while adding a creamy-sour tang that is great on a summer day.
Glad you like it!
J’aime les couleurs et les saveurs de cette recette.