Baked Salmon Steaks With Sour Cream and Dill

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Updated on 05/26/22
Baked salmon steaks with dill

The Spruce

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 23 mins
Total: 33 mins
Servings: 4 servings

Dill and sour cream are combined to make the perfect topping for these simple baked salmon steaks. This recipe calls for salmon steaks, but salmon fillets can be substituted. If using fillets, allow about 6 ounces per serving and decrease the baking time by about 5 minutes. Salmon steaks (1-inch thickness) will weigh from 6 to 8 ounces.

Potatoes, quinoa, or couscous are excellent side dishes to serve with salmon. Vegetables (and legumes) that go particularly well with salmon are asparagus, cucumbers, peas, spinach, chard, red cabbage, and lentils.

Ingredients

  • 4 (6-ounce) salmon steaks, or fillets

  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

  • 1 tablespoon very finely minced red onion

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

  • 1 dash freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/4 cup sour cream, full fat is more flavorful, but reduced-fat can be substituted

  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried dill

  • Lemon wedges, for garnish

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for salmon steaks
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  2. Heat the oven to 350 F/180 C/Gas 4. Butter the bottom of a shallow baking dish.

    Butter pan
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  3. Arrange the salmon steaks or fillets in the buttered baking dish.

    Arrange salmon in dish
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  4. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and onion.

    Combine lemon juice and onion
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  5. Sprinkle about 2 teaspoons of the lemon-onion mixture over each piece of salmon. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

    Sprinkle mixture onto salmon
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  6. Bake, uncovered, for about 20 minutes (about 15 minutes for fillets), or until fish flakes easily with a fork or a minimum of 145 F.

    Bake uncovered
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  7. Remove from oven and spread sour cream over salmon pieces.

    Spread sour cream over salmon
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  8. Sprinkle with lemon zest and dill.

    Sprinkle with lemon zest
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  9. Return to the oven for 3 minutes.

  10. Serve the salmon hot with lemon wedges.

    Serve with lemon
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  11. Enjoy!

Tips

Salmon Substitutes

If salmon isn't your cup of tea (or kettle of fish), you can substitute the freshest fish at the market that day. Let the salesperson know how you plan to cook the fish and then let him or her steer you toward the most appropriate specimen.

In general, salmon can most successfully be supplanted with arctic char, ocean trout, amberjack, mackerel, wahoo, striped bass, milkfish, bluefish, and swordfish.

If there is no salesperson to ask, stick to the size and weight called for in the original recipe. You'll want to buy something similarly portioned to maintain the correct cooking times.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
431 Calories
24g Fat
17g Carbs
40g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 431
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 24g 31%
Saturated Fat 6g 28%
Cholesterol 116mg 39%
Sodium 246mg 11%
Total Carbohydrate 17g 6%
Dietary Fiber 5g 17%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 40g
Vitamin C 97mg 487%
Calcium 88mg 7%
Iron 2mg 9%
Potassium 922mg 20%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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