Creamy Lemon Salmon

overhead shot of 4 salmon fillet sin lemon cream sauce in pan

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes

This creamy lemon salmon is super delicious yet unbelievably easy to make!

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Western

Servings:

Calories: 382kcal

Author: Chris Collins

Cost: £3 / $3.50

Equipment

Large Non-Stick Pan & Tongs
Wooden Spoon
Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
Jug (for stock)
Fine Grater or Zester (for lemon)
Paper Towels

Ingredients

4x boneless skinless Salmon Fillets, take out the fridge 15-30 mins before needed (approx 4-5oz / 120-150g each)
3/4 cup / 180ml Chicken Stock
1/2 cup / 120ml Heavy/Double Cream, at room temp
4 tbsp / 2oz / 60g Unsalted Butter,
1 Lemon, zested and halved
2 small Shallots, very finely diced
2 large cloves of Garlic, very finely diced
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1/2 tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Black Pepper, plus more as needed
1/4 - 1/2 tsp Salt, plus more as needed
1 tbsp finely diced Fresh Parsley, to serve

Instructions

Pat the salmon dry with paper towels then season both sides with salt and pepper.
Add olive oil to a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add the salmon and fry for a few mins on each side, or until they build up a golden crust and are just about cooked through the centre. Remove them from the pan and lower the heat to medium.
Melt in the butter then fry the shallots for a couple of mins, or until they just about start to take on colour. Add in the garlic & lemon zest and fry for another 30 seconds (careful the garlic doesn't burn).
Pour in the chicken stock then stir in the cream. Stir in the Dijon mustard and your preferred amount of lemon juice. I usually go for 1 tbsp lemon juice (~ half a lemon), but start with less and work up if you'd prefer.
Give it all a good stir and simmer until the sauce thickens, around 5 mins. Season to taste, then add the salmon back in (alongside any resting juices) and baste in the sauce.
Serve with fresh parsley then tuck in and enjoy!

Video

Notes

a) Salmon - You can use slightly larger fillets if you'd prefer, you'll just need to adjust the timings slightly. You want the salmon to be only just cooked through as you fry it. It should easily flake and the centre should turn from a deep pink to a light pink similar in colour to the outside. Bear in mind they'll carry on cooking slightly as they rest and when added back to the pan.

b) Lemon - I find the zest of the whole lemon and the juice of half of it gives a pretty good punch of lemony flavour, without it being too overbearing. If you're at all weary just start off with less juice and work your way up.

c) Sauce - Ensure you're using heavy (US) or double (UK) cream, otherwise you risk the lemon juice curdling the cream.

d) Serving - Here I've served with Roast Potatoes and Asparagus. I used my Roasted Baby Potatoes Recipe and chucked in some asparagus for the last 10 mins or so of cooking.

e) Calories - Just the salmon and sauce divided by 4 (no sides).

Nutrition