This salmon dill recipe is elegant enough for entertaining, but easy enough for weeknight dinners! How easy? You can prep this dill salmon in just 5 minutes and it cooks in 15 minutes! Simply make the lemon dill sauce for salmon (it’s a compound butter!), roast the salmon, and serve. The compound butter elevates this baked salmon with dill in a delicious way. A pat of cold butter goes on top of the salmon when it comes out of the oven and it infuses delicious lemon dill butter flavor into the salmon. YUM. Serve with haricots verts or a simple green salad and some good bread.
The butter dill sauce for salmon is actually a compound butter! It might sound slightly fancy, but all it is is a combination of butter and herbs and this version is made with lemon zest and fresh dill – it gives the salmon dill recipe amazing flavor.
So many of us are trying to eat more salmon. More salmon = more of those nutritious healthy omega-3 fatty acids! My panko baked salmon, salmon cakes, grilled salmon in foil, and salmon rice bowl recipes should be next on your list.
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Table of Contents
- What You’ll Love about Dill Salmon
- Salmon Dill Recipe Ingredients
- How to Make Baked Salmon with Dill
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Storage Instructions
- How to Serve Baked Salmon with Fresh Dill to the Whole Family
- What to Serve with Dill Butter Salmon
- More Easy Salmon Recipes
- Helpful Tools to Make Salmon with Fresh Dill
- Pin this baked salmon with dill sauce recipe for later!
What You’ll Love about Dill Salmon
- Decadent dill butter sauce tops perfectly cooked salmon
- Instantly elevates baked salmon
- Just 5 minutes to prep
- Ready in 20 minutes
- Made with just 4 simple ingredients
Salmon Dill Recipe Ingredients
You’ll need just 4 simple ingredients to make this lemon dill salmon:
- Fresh dill – Look for dill that is deep green and not yellowing
- Butter – Use your favorite butter, remove from fridge so it can soften
- Lemon – Look for a bright yellow lemon
- Salmon – You can use either a whole fillet or individual fillets
How to Make Baked Salmon with Dill
This salmon with dill sauce recipe takes just 5 minutes to prep! Here’s how we make it:
- Preheat oven. We’re cooking this baked salmon with fresh dill at a high temperature, so give your oven time to heat up.
- Mix compound butter for salmon. In a small bowl, mix together softened butter, lemon zest, and chopped dill together. Roll into a log shape and refrigerate.
- Bake salmon. Place a pat of butter onto half sheet pan and add salmon to pan. Season with salt and pepper and bake for about 8-12 minutes, until it flakes easily.
PRO TIP: If you have individual salmon fillets, the cook time will be about 8 minutes, but a larger fillet will take closer to 12. It will vary slightly depending on thickness of fish.
- Serve. Top hot salmon with a pat of compound butter and serve immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to use a whole salmon filet?
Definitely not! Using a whole filet can be a beautiful way to showcase a stunning piece of fish if you’re serving it to guests, but this recipe will work on individual filets or a whole salmon filet. If you are using individual filets (about 6 oz.) the cooking time will just be shortened, but the other steps are the same.
What seasonings pair well with salmon?
Salmon is incredible for so many reasons (nutrition, flavor, etc.) but it’s versatility is a big one. Salmon can be seasoned very simply with salt and pepper, or given some more flavor with fresh dill butter sauce like this recipe, or Asian flavors like soy.
What is dill sauce made of?
This salmon in dill butter sauce is sort of a cross between a sauce and a compound butter. You could make a pan sauce with lemon and dill, but I think making a compound butter is much easier, and definitely a fool-proof way to make a “dill sauce” for salmon.
The fresh dill butter is rich, but you just need a small pat for each portion of salmon. Compound butter is also a little unexpected for fish, so I think it’s fun and totally worthy of entertaining.
What temperature should salmon be cooked at?
Salmon can be cooked at many different temperatures. The cooking time will vary based on cooking temperature and salmon size.
Cook salmon to 145 degrees F. It should flake easily when done cooking.
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Storage Instructions
Store any leftover salmon with dill and lemon sauce in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
For best results, store salmon separately from lemon dill butter and reheat salmon in a 350 degree F oven, just until heated through. Top with a pat of the dill butter and serve.
How to Serve Baked Salmon with Fresh Dill to the Whole Family
Most of us want our kids and families to eat more salmon! If you’re kids are weary of it, my panko baked salmon is a hit with young kids so you may want to start there.
But it comes down to using the one family meal method and following the guidelines of you choosing the meal, and letting the child decide what to eat.
Remember, it can take MANY exposures to a food before children will accept it. So continue to serve it and make sure you to serve a few sides that you know they will eat.
All of my articles on feeding kids can be found here and if you want a FULL list of all of the videos I have with hacks, tips, scripts, and ideas for feeding kids, check out my instagram or tiktok page.
What to Serve with Dill Butter Salmon
Need a side for this baked salmon with fresh dill? Here are a few quick and easy side dishes to try:
- Simple Green Salad
- Lemon Arugula Salad
- Haricots Verts
- Cheesy Potato Casserole
- Bread – Grab a loaf of high-quality bread and serve with olive oil or butter.
More Easy Salmon Recipes
If you like this baked salmon with dill butter, you might also like some of these other salmon recipes:
Helpful Tools to Make Salmon with Fresh Dill
- Half Sheet Pan – Use this high-quality sheet pan everything from sheet pan sausage and peppers to baked salmon with dill sauce.
- Microplane Zester – Easiest way to get all of the citrus zest, but also great for mincing garlic. A kitchen tool must!
Baked Salmon with Dill Sauce Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This baked salmon with dill is elegant enough for entertaining, but easy enough for weeknight dinners! Just 5 min to prep this dill salmon!
Ingredients
- 1/2 oz. fresh dill
- 7 Tbsp. softened butter, divided
- 1 lemon
- 2 lbs. salmon fillet (or 5–6 oz. fillets)
- 1/4 tsp. sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 475 degrees F.
- Make compound butter. Zest lemon and chop dill. Mix lemon zest and fresh dill with 6 tablespoons of butter. Form butter into a log shape and refrigerate.
- Put the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter onto a rimmed baking sheet and put it into the oven. As soon as it foams (about 1 minute), take it out and place salmon, skin side down on the pan. Season salmon with salt and pepper and bake for about 8-12 minutes, until it flakes easily.
- Serve salmon with a slice of compound butter over the top.
Notes
- Get your kids involved. They can: stir together fresh dill butter, season salmon with salt and pepper.
- If you use smaller 6 oz. fillets, they shouldn’t need more than 8 minutes in the oven.
Keywords: salmon dill recipe, salmon with dill recipe, salmon with dill butter, salmon with fresh dill, salmon with dill sauce recipe
Pin this baked salmon with dill sauce recipe for later!
Arpita Patel
FYI….Chefs secret…brush the salmon w/ melted butter before topping w/ the breadcrumb mixture…. the topping will adhere better and it adds a layer of richness to the dish!!
Emily
Ooooh, sounds amazing! I must try this out!
Xiomara
I made this last night for dinner and it is truly amazing! This is the first salmon recipe I have found that makes a really moist and tasty dish with the added plus of a single pan. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Emily
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks!
E
So simple and so good!
★★★★★
Emily
Thanks, E!