Salmon With Lemon Cream Sauce (Printer-friendly)

Golden pan-seared salmon with rich, zesty lemon cream sauce ready in 30 minutes.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Salmon

01 - 4 skinless salmon fillets, about 6 ounces each

→ Lemon Cream Sauce

02 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 cup heavy cream
05 - Zest of 1 lemon
06 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
07 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
08 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
09 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Other

10 - 1 tablespoon olive oil, for searing

# How-To Guide:

01 - Pat the salmon fillets dry with paper towels and season both sides generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the salmon fillets and sear for 4 to 5 minutes per side until golden and cooked to your preferred doneness. Transfer to a warm plate and tent loosely with foil.
03 - Reduce the heat to medium. Melt the butter in the same skillet and sauté the minced garlic for about 1 minute until fragrant, scraping up any fond from the bottom of the pan.
04 - Pour in the heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer. Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has slightly thickened and coats the back of a spoon.
05 - Stir in the chopped parsley and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
06 - Return the salmon fillets to the skillet and spoon the sauce over the top. Simmer together for 2 to 3 minutes so the flavors meld. Serve immediately, garnished with extra parsley or lemon slices if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The sauce comes together in the same pan, so you get maximum flavor with almost zero extra cleanup.
  • It tastes like something you would order at a nice restaurant, but it takes barely thirty minutes from start to finish.
02 -
  • If you move the salmon too early while searing, it will stick and tear, so wait until it releases naturally from the pan.
  • Do not let the cream sauce boil hard or it will break and become grainy instead of smooth.
03 -
  • A splash of white wine added right after the garlic adds an extra layer of depth that people will notice but not quite be able to identify.
  • Let the salmon rest for a minute off the heat before serving so the juices redistribute and every bite is moist.

Return