Salmon Fillets with Dill-Creme Sauce - total time 20 minutes

It was a pretty awesome experience getting to see the salmon swim up steam while on vacation in Seattle last year.  We didn't even know it was happening until we walked down to Pike Place Market and the locals were celebrating the Coho Salmon "homecoming".  Everyone seemed so excited, as they should be with all the work that went into protecting these fish.  

After seeing the salmon up close and personal at the Ballard Locks fish ladder... my husband and I joke around about making "salmon faces".  Mostly because he did a great impersonation of a salmon while we were there that made me laugh so hard I started to cry.  I wish I had a picture to show you, but he would never let that goofy look get captured on film (I mean, SD card?).

While we were in Seattle, we only had salmon once.  Even though it was the Coho homecoming, that doesn't actually translate to salmon being "in-season" at the market.  Since they are swimming upstream to spawn, it is actually the worst time to catch them.  However, there are four species of salmon that make there way to the Seattle area at different times of the year, so fresh salmon is almost always available in the city.

So, what do you do if you don't like in Seattle but still want to eat salmon (mostly because its a super flavorful fish, but also its full of omega-3 fatty acids that are great for you)?  Buy sustainable caught frozen salmon.  Only a handful of markets will ever get 100% fresh, never frozen fish.  The remainder is flash-frozen, usually right on the boat, for those of us that are landlocked.  So buying fish at the meat counter is no less fresh than from the frozen food section.

This recipe is so simple and so fast that you'll wonder why you ever order fish at a restaurant when it is so easy to prepare at home!  I like to cook my fish in a pan instead of broiling or baking it.  I feel like it retains moisture better because I can see when it has cooked fully (instead of opening the oven to check and letting out all of the steam).  It also makes it super easy to remove the skin (which you can eat if you so choose).  The dill and salmon pairing is kind of like basil and tomato, it seems like they were made for each other!  Sauteing the onion and garlic in the pan first leaves some of that flavor for the salmon to cook in.  All together... pretty delicious dish in less than 20 minutes!


2 salmon fillets
1 small onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
.5 cup creme fraiche
2 tbsp dill
1 tbsp butter
salt and pepper

1.  Melt butter in pan over medium heat.  Saute garlic and onion for about 2 minutes, remove from heat, and add to medium mixing bowl.  Salt and pepper your salmon fillets.  Add fillets to hot pan.
2.  Combine creme fraiche, sauteed garlic and onions, and dill in mixing bowl.
3.  Flip salmon after cooking for 5 minutes.  After another 3-5 minutes, the salmon fillet should lift easily from the skin.  Plate the fillets and top with dill-creme sauce.

 

 

Pin It

Yum