Description
An easy, elegant weeknight dinner featuring tender baked salmon fillets topped with garlic butter and served with a bright, tangy lemon herb cream sauce. Ready in under 20 minutes with minimal cleanup.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1.5 to 2 pounds salmon fillets (wild-caught sockeye, king, or Atlantic)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 4 cloves garlic, minced (for salmon)
- 2 stalks green onions, sliced (for garnish)
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (for sauce)
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon dried dill (or 2 teaspoons fresh dill)
- 2 tablespoons white wine (optional, substitute with chicken broth or extra lemon juice)
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a 13×18 inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Pat salmon fillets dry with paper towels. Place them skin-side down on the prepared baking sheet.
- Season salmon lightly with salt and pepper. Dot the top of each fillet with 1 tablespoon of softened butter.
- Sprinkle the 4 cloves of minced garlic over the salmon.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the salmon flakes easily with a fork and is opaque throughout.
- While salmon bakes, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Add the 2 cloves of minced garlic for the sauce and cook for 1 minute until fragrant, being careful not to burn.
- Pour in heavy cream, lemon juice, lemon zest, dried dill, white wine (if using), and grated Parmesan.
- Whisk gently to combine and simmer for 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon. Do not boil vigorously.
- Taste sauce and add salt and pepper as needed.
- Remove salmon from oven and spoon the warm lemon herb cream sauce generously over each fillet.
- Garnish with sliced green onions and serve immediately.
Notes
For best results, use fresh garlic and fresh lemon juice. If using frozen salmon, thaw completely in the fridge overnight and pat very dry. The sauce can be made ahead and reheated gently. Do not freeze leftovers as the cream sauce may separate. Salmon continues to cook slightly after removing from the oven, so pull it at 125°F-135°F internal temperature for best texture.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 fillet with sauce
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 1
- Sodium: 380
- Fat: 32
- Saturated Fat: 18
- Carbohydrates: 3
- Protein: 35
Keywords: garlic butter salmon, baked salmon, lemon herb cream sauce, weeknight dinner, easy seafood, one pan meal, gluten-free dinner