Salmon with Lemon Cream Sauce

A quick lemon cream sauce comes together as the fish is frying.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
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Updated August 19, 2024
Elise Bauer
Salmon with Lemon Cream Sauce
Elise Bauer

It's always hard to plan for a fish meal around here because it all depends on what the market has fresh. You can show up at the store with the best intentions of securing a thick halibut steak only to be disappointed with what clearly looks like it's been sitting under the glass for a few days.

Fish is best fresh, there's no way around it. The fresher the better! So, the best attitude to approach the fish section with is, what looks best?

How To Tell When Fish is Fresh

With whole fish, you can usually tell just by looking at the eyes — they should be clear, not foggy and sunken. With fillets, if the surface is dried out and tired looking, that's not a good sign. The fillet should glisten, like it was just cut, and should smell fresh, not fishy.

Salmon Fillets with Lemon Cream Sauce
Elise Bauer

The day we cooked this salmon, it was the best looking fish at the counter, and it did not disappoint. In fact, it was so good I called my dad over and told him to stop eating his lunch, wrap it up, and get over here to eat this salmon. Which of course he did, because when fish is good, it must be eaten immediately.

Salmon and Lemon Cream Sauce All in One Skillet

The recipe is simple! It's just salmon fillets fried on the stovetop in a high smoke point oil (we like to use rice bran oil) and served with a sauce made with lemon juice, stock, and cream.

Salmon with Lemon Cream Sauce
Elise Bauer

We like to sauté skin-on salmon because when the skin is crispy fried, there's nothing better. It's like salmon bacon.

In this recipe, we are pan-frying the salmon. If you prefer, you could just as easily bake the salmon or poach the salmon, and serve it with the same sauce.

Recipe and photos updated, first published 2012.

 More Cream Sauces for Fish

From the Editors Of Simply Recipes

Salmon with Lemon Cream Sauce

Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Total Time 20 mins
Servings 4 servings

We used skin-on salmon for this recipe, but you can use skinless fillets if you want. The skin tastes great when it is fried and crispy (salmon bacon!).

When buying skin-on fish, make certain the fish has been scaled. Ask your fishmonger to do this at the store.

Make sure you use "heavy" whipping cream for the sauce or it will curdle.

This recipe is adapted from an arctic char recipe in The Country Cooking of Ireland by Coleman Andrews

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Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice

  • 1/4 cup chicken broth, fish stock, clam juice, white wine, or water

  • 2/3 cup heavy cream

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or rice bran oil

  • Kosher salt

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 1/2 pounds salmon fillets

  • Parsley, for garnish

  • Thinly sliced lemon, for garnish

Method

  1. Cook the sauce:

    Pour the lemon juice, broth, and cream into a small pot and bring to a simmer. Immediately lower the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. The last minute or two, uncover the pot and increase the heat to high to reduce the sauce a bit.

  2. Prep the salmon:

    While the sauce is cooking, check the salmon for any stray scales (if skin-on). Use needle nose pliers to remove any pin bones.

  3. Cook the salmon fillets:

    Add the oil to a sauté pan large enough to fit the fillets in one layer. Heat the pan on high and let the pan heat up for 90 seconds.

    Lay the fillets in the hot pan and lower the heat to medium.

    Tip

    You can either lay the fillets in the pan skin-side down or skin-side up. If you lay the fillets down skin-side down, this will help crisp up the skin which is great to eat (try it, if you haven't, it tastes like salmon bacon!).


    If you lay the fillets down skin-side up first, the fillets will be easier to turn over without falling apart, because the raw skin helps hold the fillet together. Your choice.

    Let the fillets sizzle steadily for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on how thick the fish is. A 1-inch-thick fillet will take about 5 minutes.

    With a metal spatula, gently turn the fillets over. Cook for another 1 to 5 minutes, depending on how well-done you like your fish.

    We like our salmon a little rare in the center, so we cook the second side of a 1-inch fillet about 3 minutes.

  4. Pour lemon cream sauce over the salmon:

    Place the salmon fillets on plates and pour lemon cream sauce over them and sprinkle with chopped parsley to serve.

    If you've crisped up the skin, serve the fillets skin-side up so they stay crispy. Otherwise, serve the fillets skin-side down.

    Did you love the recipe? Give us some stars and leave a comment below!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
592 Calories
39g Fat
24g Carbs
41g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 592
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 39g 51%
Saturated Fat 14g 69%
Cholesterol 153mg 51%
Sodium 325mg 14%
Total Carbohydrate 24g 9%
Dietary Fiber 6g 20%
Total Sugars 10g
Protein 41g
Vitamin C 116mg 578%
Calcium 105mg 8%
Iron 2mg 10%
Potassium 1033mg 22%
*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. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.