Looking for an easy weeknight meal? Enter: lemon dill salmon. It’s fast, it’s easy, and it’s even fancy enough for a dinner party. Now: Alex and I are all about whole food plant based meals. But the way we eat is better described as the Mediterranean diet. It’s plant based most of the time, but seafood every once in a while. When we do eat seafood, this is the recipe we go to! The baked salmon is perfectly savory, and doused in a zingy lemon dill sauce it’s pretty irresistible. We just brought it to some friends who just had a baby and it got rave reviews. Here’s how to make it!
How to make lemon dill salmon
This healthy dinner recipe is so easy and versatile, it could really work anytime. It’s perfect for fast & easy weeknight meals, and it’s also special enough for dinner parties. Alex and I brought it to friends who just had a baby, and it would be great for Christmas dinner. Here are the basic steps for how to make this lemon dill salmon:
Season with salt and pepper. All you need to do is sprinkle on a bit of salt and pepper! Place it on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes at 450 degrees. Bake until it’s flaky and just cooked, about 10 minutes. While it bakes, mix up the dill sauce for salmon. The sauce takes just 5 minutes to mix up (see below).
Want a faster method? You can also make Pan Seared Salmon and top with this sauce!
5 minute dill sauce for salmon…that works on anything!
The hands-down best part of this lemon dill salmon is the sauce! This lemon dill sauce takes only 5 minutes to mix up and is so tasty, you’ll want to use it on just about anything. Many dill sauces for salmon are cooked, but this one is just a matter of stirring it up! Here are the main ingredients you’ll stir together:
Fresh dill. It’s important to get fresh dill for this recipe. If you’re in a pinch, though: you could substitute 2 teaspoons dried dill for the 2 tablespoons fresh. Mayonnaise & Greek yogurt. Dill sauce is traditionally very rich: we’ve cut the richness a bit with Greek yogurt. Lemon. Fresh lemon is key for the zingy flavor. Garlic powder & onion powder. These spices add big flavor.
Take a taste, and you may want to use this on lots of other things too! This dill sauce for salmon would also be great with:
Shrimp Trout, cod, halibut, or other fish French fries or baked potato wedges! Broccoli Cauliflower
Buying sustainable salmon: what to look for
Are you looking at buying sustainable fish for this lemon dill salmon? (If so, kudos!) Here are a few pointers for buying sustainable seafood:
Look for wild-caught fish if possible. If you live in the US, look for US caught. 90% of the seafood we eat in the US is imported. Imported seafood runs the risk of being overfished, caught under unfair labor practices, or farmed in environmentally harmful ways. How your fish is caught matters. Look for hook and line as one example of a sustainable gear type. Bottom trawling is considered the most destructive and least sustainable method.
10 sides to go with lemon dill salmon
There are lots of ways to serve this lemon dill salmon to make it a healthy meal! Here are our top 10 sides to go with salmon, for weeknights or entertaining: Looking for more? Here are all our salmon recipes.
Want a meal plan?
This recipe is included in our Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan! Check it out for recipes for 1 month, including a meal planning spreadsheet download.
This lemon dill salmon recipe is…
Pescatarian and gluten-free. 4.5 from 2 reviews
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
