Baked Salmon with Creamy Dill Sauce

Wild salmon is a very healthy choice for lunch or dinner, farm-raised, not so much. I always buy wild salmon and try to serve it at least once a week. If your grocery store fish department or local fish market doesn't carry the wild, it can usually be found in the freezer aisle, frozen in individually-sized servings and bagged.

As long as the fish is properly thawed, frozen fish or shellfish can actually be fresher than what is found at the store. It can be thawed when needed as opposed to having it 'thawed for your convenience.' Who knows how long thawed seafood has been hanging around in a display case.

I make the salmon many, many ways. This is perhaps the fastest and easiest way I make it, perfect for an impressive weeknight dinner, or even for a special occasion.

Baked Salmon with Creamy Dill Sauce
(Makes 6 servings.)

• 1 salmon filet (about 2 pounds)
• 1/2 cup fish or chicken stock
• 1 teaspoons lemon-pepper seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 lemon slices
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• Creamy Dill Sauce, recipe follows

Preheat oven to 400^oF.

Baked Salmon with Creamy Dill Sauce

Line a 15x10x1-inch baking pan with foil and grease lightly. Place salmon skin side down on foil.

Pour the stock over the salmon. Sprinkle salmon with the lemon pepper and salt then dot with the pieces of butter. Top with the lemon slices.

Bake the salmon until just cooked through, about 15 minutes.

While fish is baking, make the dill sauce.

Remove lemon slices and divide the salmon into 6 even portions, top with dill sauce and serve.



Creamy Dill Sauce
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1 small ripe tomato, skinned, seeded and chopped

In a small bowl, mix the first 5 sauce ingredients until smooth. Add the chopped tomato and gently combine.