10-Minute Salmon With Yogurt Dill Sauce
on Mar 08, 2024
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Salmon with yogurt dill sauce is a back pocket dinner recipe that’s equally as perfect for busy weeknights as it is for serving to guests. While you’re pan-frying the salmon, quickly stir together Greek yogurt, dill, lemon, and a few more simple ingredients. Spoon the refreshing sauce over the salmon, serve with one or two simple sides, and dinner is served!
Why you’ll love it
- Surprisingly quick and easy. Can you believe such a sophisticated tasting and looking dish will only take you 10 minutes to make with just a few simple ingredients?
- Classy! The orangey pink appearance and delicate texture and flavor of salmon oozes elegance. As well as being a great midweek dinner option, it’s also a perfect choice for dinner parties.
- Perfect marriage of flavors. The refreshing, aromatic and punchy flavor of the creamy dill sauce complements the rich, almost buttery flavor of the salmon really well.
- A lighter dinner option. The yogurt dill sauce is a great lighter alternative to heavier creamy sauces for salmon.
- No-bake. There’s no need to turn on the oven either to cook the fish or make the sauce. This recipe is perfect for spring or summer (although we eat it at any time of year!).
Top Tip
Keep an eye out for store specials on salmon! It isn’t always the most economical fish to cook with. But I find you only need a small piece of it per person, especially when served with the delicious dill lemon sauce.
About the ingredients
You’ll find a full list of ingredients with amounts in the recipe card below. But here’s a summary of what you need to know.
Salmon: I prefer skin-on salmon so that you can get the skin nice and crispy in the pan. However, if you prefer salmon without skin then that is OK, too. Either fresh or frozen (and defrosted) salmon fillets are fine.
Greek yogurt: If you can, pick an authentic Greek yogurt brand that’s just milk and yogurt cultures. I like Chobani.
Garlic: Since you’re using it raw, just half to one clove, crushed.
Fresh dill: Fresh dill is perfect, but you can use dried dill instead if you prefer. If you don’t have any dill at all, there are plenty of ideas for dill substitutes that will also taste great in the sauce.
Fresh parsley: The crisp, clean flavor of fresh parsley goes well in the sauce as well. Flat-leaf parsley has a more robust flavor, but feel free to use curly parsley instead. Chop finely before adding.
I don’t suggest using dried parsley instead. It’s better to replace with a different fresh herb such as coriander or basil.
Lemon juice: For brightness and a delicious, citrusy flavor that also pairs perfectly with fish. Lime juice would be an acceptable substitute.
Salt and pepper: I suggest around a third of a teaspoon of salt and a quarter of a teaspoon of pepper, but of course you can adjust the amount to taste.
How to make salmon with yogurt dill sauce
You won’t believe how easy this is to make! Firstly, season the salmon with salt and pepper.
Then pan-fry in a little oil. Add salmon to the hot pan skin-side down.
Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, then flip and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes until cooked through.
Helen’s Top Tips
- Wait until the oil is nice and hot (heat the pan on a medium high heat) before adding the salmon skin-side down. Also don’t move the salmon while it’s cooking on the first side. This way the skin can get nice and crisp.
- If your pieces of salmon are quite thick (like the ones in the photos), you can also briefly turn them onto their side to help the middle cook.
- While the salmon is cooking, you can press down on it gently with a fish slice so that all of it touches the hot pan.
Meanwhile, in the few minutes while the salmon is sizzling away in the pan, you can quickly mix together the creamy yogurt dill sauce ingredients.
All that’s left to do is to spoon the delicious sauce over the salmon. You can either do this in one large dish, or on each individual plate. Serve with extra lemon wedges for squeezing over at the table (if you like!).
Serving suggestions
When a dinner idea is so easy, it makes sense to keep the side dishes easy too! Here are a few ideas for serving this simple salmon recipe:
- Mediterranean roasted vegetables, or sautéed frozen vegetables such as sautéed spinach, sautéed broccoli or sautéed green beans
Or check out all easy side dishes.
Variations
Switch the sauce for tzatziki. If you’re thinking the lemon dill yogurt sauce is similar to Greek tzatziki, you’d be right! Which means that you can follow this tsatziki recipe for the sauce instead, if you like the idea of the addition of some refreshing cucumber.
Add more (or different) fresh or dried herbs to the sauce. Try a little chopped fresh mint, fresh coriander, fresh basil, or half a teaspoon of ground cumin.
Give the sauce tartare sauce vibes. Add a few chopped capers, pickled cucumbers (gherkins), and a teaspoon of mustard for extra depth of flavor.
Switch out the salmon for a different protein. Try a different fish, or any kind of chicken (try these baked chicken skewers!).
Got leftover sauce?
Leftover yogurt dill sauce makes a fabulous dip, sandwich or burger sauce, or sauce to go with salad. It will keep well covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Try it on air fryer chicken burgers or air fryer chicken meatballs, as an alternative dip for Greek quesadillas or zucchini fries, or on a halloumi burger.
Recipe FAQs
If well-covered, cooked salmon will keep well chilled in the fridge for up to 3 days. It’s best eaten cold rather than re-heated, which can make it become dry and lose its characteristic flaky texture.
Yes, of course. If you prefer, you can bake the salmon for around 10 to 15 minutes (depending on the thickness) at 355F/180C. If you have an air fryer, you can cook it at the same temperature for 8 to 12 minutes.
More easy fish dinners
- This tuna salad is great in the summer, especially when you don’t want to turn on the oven. However, we enjoy it all year round!
- This salmon and potatoes recipe is made all on the one sheet pan. It’s one of our family favorites!
- The flavors in this Greek fish recipe are so simple, and yet so delicious. Or how about fish in a curry? I think you’ll love this 20-minute Thai green fish curry
- These crispy salmon fishcakes are such an easy crowd pleaser!
See all summer recipes. Or maybe you’re looking for more easy sauce and dip ideas?
10-Minute Salmon With Yogurt Dill Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound salmon, with skin on (approx. weight – you'll want 4 x thin portions)
- 1 cup Greek yogurt, preferably an authentic brand made with just milk and live yogurt cultures (whole milk or skim both fine)
- 1 clove garlic, crushed (½ to 1½ cloves to taste & depending on the size of the clove)
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped finely (or substitute with 1.5 teaspoons dried dill)
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped finely
- ½ lemon, juice only (around 3 big squeezes)
- ⅓ teaspoon salt, or to taste, plus extra for the salmon
- ¼ teaspoon pepper, or to taste, plus extra for the salmon
To serve
- More fresh herbs and lemon wedges for squeezing over at the table
Instructions
- Add a large drizzle of oil to a large frying pan/skillet. Heat on a medium high heat until hot. Sprinkle the salmon all over with salt and pepper, then add skin-side down to the pan. Let cook for 4 to 5 minutes without moving – until the skin is crisp.1 pound salmon
- Carefully turn the salmon over with a fish slice or similar. Let cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes, or until 'just' cooked through. Press down gently so that all parts of the salmon make contact with the pan. If the salmon is thick, turn it on its sides too and let cook for a further few seconds that way.
- Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, mix together the Greek yogurt, crushed garlic, dill, parsley, lemon juice and salt and pepper until well combined.1 cup Greek yogurt, 1 clove garlic, 2 tablespoons fresh dill, 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, ½ lemon, ⅓ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper
- Serve the cooked salmon with the yogurt dill lemon sauce spooned on top and extra fresh herbs (if you like). Let everyone squeeze more lemon over at the table, if you like.More fresh herbs and lemon wedges for squeezing over at the table
The lemon was too strong. Next time I would leave lemon out and serve separately at table.
Thanks for the feedback, Angela. You could also add the lemon juice a little at a time until you have your preferred intensity of flavor 🙂