The Dill Dijon Sauce on this Seared Salmon Fillet tastes rich, calorific and sinful, but is in fact 100% fat free. Recipe below.
Susan over at Food Blogga recently waxed eloquent and passionate about reviving the tradition of Sunday dinners. Of course, the Sunday dinners of her childhood memories took hours to prepare, with “every Italian-American woman with any pride starting the ‘gravy’ [East coast Italian-American for tomato sauce] at breakfast to be ready for 2:00 Sunday dinner.”
Most of us just don’t have that kind of time these days—or at least the desire to devote that kind of time to a meal on a weekly basis. But Susan’s right—there really is something special about Sunday dinners. Marion and I used to host regular Sunday dinners with a rotating cast of characters. Dinner was anything from a simple pasta with red sauce to Chinese [Marion is insanely good at Chinese—her Szechuan dish Ants Climbing a Tree is legendary, both for its taste and its heat] to the biggest pot roast in the store.
Whatever the food, though, dinner also always included wide-ranging conversation, laughter and numerous bottles of wine. And at some point in the evening, Sunday dinner regular John could be counted on to lean back in his chair, make a sweeping gesture toward the stereo and say, with complete conviction and satisfaction, “This is the perfect music for a Sunday evening.” It didn’t matter if it was Mozart on the turntable or Ella Fitzgerald singing Cole Porter tunes or Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys or Coleman Hawkins’ muscular tenor sax. Whatever it was, John always proclaimed the music to be perfect. And somehow, he was always right.
But things change. People move. The Sunday dinners fell by the wayside. Sure, many dinner parties have followed, but there was something so magical about the anticipation of those Sunday evenings and the way they prolonged the weekend, adding a beautiful finish and staving off the inevitable switching to gearing-up-for-the-work-week mode.
So we’re reviving Sunday dinners. Not every Sunday, but more Sundays than not. And if this past Sunday was any indication, it’s high time we did. This one was just family—Marion’s sister Lena joined us. But anytime you get her and our daughter Laurel in the same room, hilarity ensues, as too many bad sitcom descriptions say. Both were in fine form.
I kept the food quick and simple. The whole weekend had been a busy one, so there wasn’t time to fuss over something all day, even if I’d had the notion to do so. If you’re a regular visitor to Blue Kitchen, you’ve probably noticed that such notions rarely strike. In fact, terms like quick, easy and the ever-popular “brainlessly simple” are far more likely to appear in my posts than, say, “time-consuming, but worth it.”
I also don’t mind repeating myself. Deb over at Smitten Kitchen recently confessed to an aversion to ever repeating recipes, always choosing to try some thing new. I have no such issue. Marion and I had so enjoyed the Endive Salad with Blue Cheese and Walnuts I posted last week that I trotted out a bigger version as our starter. It was awesome [another term whose gratuitous overuse has caused me to generally avoid it, but it really was]. Oooohs and aaaahs all around. I had a few bites with everyone, then took my wine glass to the kitchen to continue cooking. When I came back later to check in on conversation, the plate had been picked so clean that a less fastidious person might have been tempted to just return it to the shelf without washing.
The rest of the dinner was equally simple and well received. Garlicky mashed potatoes and steamed green beans tossed with a little butter for sides. And quickly seared salmon fillets with this, yes, brainlessly simple sauce that had people doing everything but licking the bowl. Seriously.
With fresh dill taking a starring role in the sauce, I thought this recipe would be perfect for Weekend Herb Blogging. It’s hosted this week by PatL over at Up a Creek Without a PatL. Be sure to check out her round-up Sunday evening or Monday.
Seared Salmon Fillets with Dill Dijon Sauce
Serves 4
1/4 cup or so, non-fat plain yogurt
1/4 cup or so, Dijon mustard [see Kitchen Notes]
3 tablespoons or so, chopped fresh dill, thick stems removed [see Kitchen Notes]
4 6-ounce salmon fillets
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons canola oil or grapeseed oil [see Kitchen Notes]
additional dill sprigs as a garnish, optional
Mix 1/4 cup each, yogurt and mustard in a small bowl. Taste and adjust mix—if no one’s looking, just dip your finger in and give it a taste. You’re looking for a nice balance of the tangy bite of the mustard and the creaminess of the yogurt for richness. Stir in dill and taste again. If you don’t get a distinct dill flavor, add more, a little at a time. When you utter an involuntary “ummmmm,” you’ve got it right. Set aside.
Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Pat salmon fillets dry with paper towel and season non-skin side with salt and pepper. Add oil to pan. When it starts to shimmer, add fillets, seasoned side down. Cook for about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Turn and cook an additional 3 minutes or so, until done. Ideally, they should still be slightly pink inside.
Transfer fillets to plates. Spoon sauce over fillets and top with dill sprigs. Serve. Pass around additional sauce at the table. At our table, it kept getting passed around as we all slathered our fillets in it. Much less elegant looking than the original presentation, but oh so good.
Kitchen Notes
First, the sauce really is good. We’ve only had it with salmon, but I can imagine it being wonderful with grilled or pan seared pork chops. Like salmon, chops have a nice big flavor. Might also be really nice with scallops.
Dijon Mustard. We have several varieties in our fridge at any given time, some of them flavored with herbs or shallots or other things escaping me at the moment. But for this recipe, I prefer a simple Dijon that allows the dill to take center stage. My favorite is Maille, a French brand that’s been around since 1720. Even though they “joined forces” with Grey-Poupon in 1952, I like theirs better. And no, this isn’t some precious, hard-to-find condiment. I got it at World Market and have seen it in various supermarkets.
Dill. Here’s a case where fresh and dried are not interchangeable—you absolutely need fresh dill for this, just the feathery green leaves. It’s readily available in most supermarkets.
Oil. To sear the fish nicely, you want an oil with a higher smoke point than olive oil. Both canola and grapeseed oils have that high smoke point. They also have added qualities of having much of the health benefits of olive oil and neutral flavors [especially the grapeseed oil] that allow the taste of whatever you’re cooking shine through.
Also this week in Blue Kitchen
At long last, opera. After boatloads of jazz and rock, a little blues and even some sitar music, I’m finally getting around to some very listenable opera—perhaps a little too listenable—at What’s on the kitchen boombox?
Sometimes, staring isn’t just okay—it’s a way of life. Meet the photographer who said so and lived accordingly, at WTF? Random food for thought.
You make such a good argument for why I should get off my butt and buy more than two dining room chairs. I really, really want to host some sunday dinners, but as of right now, there’s only place for the two of us. Why are chairs so expensive?
Anyway, I think your John must be related to my friend Jon who is known to do exactly the same thing whenever his wife hosts a get together. He’s hilarious, and predictable, and I think that’s why we love him.
Thanks for the dijon/dill sauce recipe. It sounds amazing. I’ll have to find a different fish to put it on. Salmon are verboeten in my house!
What a delicious dish, Terry.
I can picture people talking, laughing, having fun AND cleaning their plates in a heart beat. 🙂
You’re right about the mustard – I have it at home. And I didn’t have to go to São Paulo to get it – I bought it at a supermarket at the small town where I live. It’s very good and what a great suggestion for a sauce.
Ann—The sauce would probably work fine with most kinds of fish. The key is to only use salt and pepper on the fish [or chops or whatever]. You don’t want to add any other flavors that would fight with the dill.
Regarding dining room chairs, you’re right about the expense. Yikes. You might consider getting some nice but relatively inexpensive wooden folding chairs. Get four, even, so you can move your regular chairs to the side and go all matchy and elegant. Then put them away when they’re not in use. Our dining chairs are actually mismatched old wooden kitchen chairs picked up for cheap at flea markets, yard sales, etcetera. We then painted them all black, so they go together, but are more interesting than being identical.
Patricia—You’re right about the mood of the evening. And in the end, isn’t moments like this why we all love to cook?
Nah! Always buy really good, expensive outdoor furniture for inside the house. Then, after you’ve won the lottery or gotten your first raise, whichever comes first, you can buy the real stuff or go stalking estate sales for treasures–and then move your outdoor furniture outside.
Terry, you talked about Italian “gravy.” It reminded me of what a former Brooklynite, now St. Louisan, told me about his move to a first job in Minnesota. He couldn’t find spaghetti sauce anywhere until he happened upon the Ethnic section of his grocery store. At that point, he knew he wasn’t in Kansas, er, New York anymore.
Thanks for the mention, Terry! I am thrilled to hear that you and Marion are reviving Sunday dinners; after reading your post, I wish I was there too. Family, laughter, and good food–it doesn’t get much better than that.
As for using only fresh dill, you are so right. I recently made a fresh dill sauce for a salmon recipe, and the taste is fabulous. It’s one of those herbs that you can use in copious amounts yet it doesn’t overtake the other flavors in the dish. Your dinner sounds like it was a smashing success!
Next time I’m in Chicago on a Sunday, I’ll let you know! The dinner sounds perfect – exactly what I would gravitate towards. Something simple but smashing, with plenty of wine and good friends. I agree with Susan – it doesn’t get much better than that!
On another note…..I love Walker Evans’ work. My hobby is photography, and he was definitely one of my early favorites. Thanks for the link!
Toni—Thanks for the comment on Walker Evans. I sometimes fret that maybe people aren’t clicking through to WTF and the kitchen boombox. Well, some friends specifically email me when things catch their attention, but you know what I mean. Glad you liked it.
Back in 2000, the Metropolitan Museum of Art had a huge Evans retrospective—about 175 images. It. Was. Amazing.
Carolyn—A great story, as always. Red sauce as ethnic food. How whitebread can you get?
And Susan—Now I’ve still got some nice fresh dill. Any thoughts on how to use it?
Now this is my idea of Sunday dinner. Something simple, classic — nothing like what my mother used to make (some sort of very salty chicken and rice casserole — I think she got the recipe from a rice box).
Hello! I just had a quick look through your pages, and I wanted to let you know how much I enjoy your writing style–it’s refreshingly honest and unassuming. Plus, I love to cook (I don’t keep a cooking blog but I read many) so I’ll be sure to visit your site regularly.
Sunday Dinners or lunches are so special and remind me of when I was still living at home, as a kid. Now we have a special lunch on saturdays just because I spend Sundays baking and writing, but the idea is the same.
I love the crust on the salmon, it looks so great!
Lydia—Some food bloggers were inspired to cook by their mothers’ great skill in the kitchen. Others, like you and me, had to overcome home cooking from our childhoods.
verdantair—Welcome! I hope you do come back—and keep finding reasons to do so.
Freya—Saturdays for us are filled with errands. But whatever day you choose, sitting down to share a meal with family and/or friends is central to why we cook.
Delicious…and lovely!!
What a great post about real life, entertaining and great food. Your photos are so beautiful.
I kind of wish I hadn’t read this! I love fresh dill and haven’t yet found it here in Sicily. But I just might have to try this some dried dill (I know, I know, it’s not the same!) and maybe some fresh chopped parsley to freshen up the flavor. We’ll see! Thanks for a great post!
So, after I left my last comment, I went home and made some sauce. I used the dried dill and a little fresh parsley and it tasted great! I can only imagine what it must taste like with fresh dill! I ended up eating it on some roasted carrots (may sound strange but I just didn’t have anything else to cook at home!) and it was pretty good. I think it would be good as a dip for some roasted sweet potato fries too 🙂 I’ll try it another time with some salmon or pork. Thanks for such a simple and tasty recipe!
Kirsten—Thank you! Praise for my photography from you is high praise indeed. Your photography on your blog is amazing. And I’m definitely going to try your Japanese cucumber salad. Looks and sounds delicious.
Nicole—Thanks for suggesting using this sauce on roasted vegetables. I’ll give it a try. Isn’t it a nice, versatile [and easy] addition to the bag of tricks?
Hi Terry! I am new to your blog, and I just wanted to let you know that I made this recipe, and thought it was delicious! I shared it on my blog with credit back to you. Thanks for the great recipe!
Thanks, Maggie. I’m glad you liked it!