Chilled Salmon with Horseradish-Dill Sauce
Chilled Salmon with Horseradish-Dill Sauce is such a beautiful way to serve salmon when you’re entertaining. The salmon is roasted simply with lemon and dill, chilled until perfectly tender, then served with a creamy horseradish-dill sauce and a crisp cucumber salad. It’s fresh, elegant, and can be made ahead, which is always a good thing when company is coming.
For entertaining, this is especially handy because nearly everything can be done ahead. Arrange the salmon on a platter with the cucumber salad around it, add the creamy sauce, and you have a gorgeous centerpiece without a lot of last-minute work.
Start by roasting the salmon with olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon slices, and fresh dill. Once it’s just cooked through and flakes easily, let it cool before covering and refrigerating until chilled.
While the salmon chills, whisk together the creme fraiche sauce. The horseradish adds a little bite, while lemon, dill, Dijon, and a touch of honey round out the flavors. Keep it refrigerated until you’re ready to serve.
For the cucumber salad, toss the thinly sliced cucumber and red onion with the lemony dressing. Add the fresh dill just before serving so the salad stays crisp and fresh.
When you’re ready to serve, arrange the salmon on a platter and let the cucumber salad frame the fish rather than covering it. Spoon the horseradish-dill creme fraiche alongside or over the salmon, then finish with extra dill and lemon if you like. Let the salmon sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.
For a larger gathering, roast a whole side of salmon rather than individual portions. It makes a beautiful centerpiece and is especially easy to serve chilled on a large platter.
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Chilled Salmon with Horseradish-Dill Sauce
Makes: 6 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 12-18 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes plus chill time 1 hour
Ingredients
Salmon:
- 1 & 1/2 pounds center-cut salmon fillet, skin on
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 lemon, thinly sliced
- 3 sprigs fresh dill
Horseradish-Dill Creme Fraiche:
- 1/2 cup creme fraiche
- 1 tbsp prepared horseradish
- 1 & 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 & 1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh dill
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp honey
- 1/8 tsp kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Cucumber Salad:
- 1 English cucumber, very thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp thinly sliced red onion
- 1 tbsp fresh dill
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 & 1/2 tsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp honey
- 1/8 tsp kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Heat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment and place the salmon skin-side down on the sheet.
Brush the salmon with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the lemon slices and dill over the top.
Roast for 12-18 minutes, depending on thickness, until the salmon is just cooked through and flakes easily. Cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until chilled.
While the salmon chills, whisk together the creme fraiche, horseradish, lemon juice, dill, Dijon, honey, salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
For the cucumber salad, toss the cucumber and red onion with lemon juice, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper. Add the dill just before serving.
Transfer the chilled salmon to a serving platter. Spoon the horseradish dill sauce alongside or over the salmon and arrange the cucumber salad around it. Garnish with additional dill and lemon if desired.
Chef’s Notes:
- For a crowd, use a 2 & 1/2- to 3-pound whole side of salmon and increase the remaining ingredients proportionally. The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the fillet, so cook until the salmon is just cooked through and flakes easily.
- This salmon is meant to be served chilled and can be made a day ahead.
- Keep the cucumber salad separate until serving so the cucumbers stay crisp and the platter doesn’t become watery.
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