Baked Salmon with Lemon Butter Cream Sauce
Four baked six-ounce salmon portions with a garlic, butter, cream, and lemon sauce. Garlic is divided between the fish and the saucepan.
Ingredients
Salmon
- 4 fillets salmon Fully thawed; 6 ounces each, about ¾–1 inch thick
- 2 tablespoons olive oil For fish on a parchment-lined sheet
- 3 cloves garlic Minced; divided equally between fish and sauce
- to taste salt and black pepper
Sauce and finish
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice Strained; no zest required
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup unsalted butter 4 tablespoons
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley OR dill Choose one
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375°F and line a rimmed sheet with parchment. Dry four thawed 6-ounce salmon fillets and remove pin bones. Split minced garlic into two equal portions.
- Arrange fish with space around the pieces. Coat with the full 2 tablespoons olive oil, one garlic portion, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Bake approximately 12–18 minutes, checking at 12 minutes. Continue until each thickest center measures 145°F, removing finished thinner pieces earlier.
- During baking, melt butter in a saucepan on medium-low. Add the second garlic portion and stir 30–60 seconds until fragrant, avoiding browning. Lower the heat, add heavy cream, and warm gently 2–3 minutes.
- Take the saucepan off the heat. Gradually whisk in lemon juice, spoon sauce across the cooked fillets, and finish with chopped parsley OR dill. Serve promptly.
Notes
Four fully thawed 6-ounce fillets, about ¾–1 inch thick. Garlic is divided equally; olive oil is for fish on a lined sheet. No lemon zest is required. Salmon must reach 145°F. The 35-minute estimate allows sauce preparation alongside baking; contains dairy.