Seared Salmon Fillets with Dill Dijon Sauce
The Dill Dijon Sauce on this Seared Salmon Fillet tastes rich, calorific and sinful, but is in fact 100% fat free.
Servings 4
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 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)
For the salmon
- 4 6-ounce salmon fillets
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil (see Kitchen Notes)
- additional dill sprigs as a garnish
Instructions
- 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, skin side down. Cook for about 3 minutes, then 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. Grapeseed oil has that high smoke point. It also has added qualities of having much of the health benefits of olive oil and a neutral flavor that allows the taste of whatever you're cooking shine through.
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. Grapeseed oil has that high smoke point. It also has added qualities of having much of the health benefits of olive oil and a neutral flavor that allows the taste of whatever you're cooking shine through.