Salmon with Mustard Yogurt Dill sauce
I have made the salmon with this sauce many ways. In all recipes it is a good idea to bring the salmon to room temperature for more even cooking and then brine it for ten minutes (believe it or not that is enough-per Cooks Illustrated) in a solution of 1 Tbs. table salt to 1 cup of water, and then patted dry and seasoned with pepper before cooking.
With the skin on I have had success by patting it dry, seasoning it more only with pepper and sautéing it in a nonstick or cast iron skillet in 2 Tbs. of hot olive oil, skin side down for 3 minutes, then flipped over and finished on the other side for 3 minutes.
I have grilled skinless filets after brining, patted dry and seasoned with pepper, a little olive oil, a little dijon mustard and some chopped dill. The cedar plank are soaked for at least 2 hours in water and then placed on a medium hot grill and heated until smoking. The fish is then placed on top of the planks (with the top lowered if it is a gas grill) and cooked the fish is opaque for about 6 minutes.
I have also cooked skinless filets after brining, (seasoned only with pepper) in a non stick oven safe pan heated over medium high heat. 2 Tbs. extra virgin are then added to the pan and the salmon is placed in the pan "skin side" up and cooked for 2-3 minutes until a brown crust begins to appear on the bottom. The pan is then placed in a preheated 425 degree oven for 6 minutes to achieve a perfect medium rare temperature. Without the skin-I think this is my favorite.
With any of these preparations, I prepare a yogurt mustard dill sauce as follow (Note-amounts are really just suggestions-adjust to your taste)
Ingredients:
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1/2 C yogurt (nonfat-full fat-your choice)
- 1/4 C Dijon mustard
- 1-2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- chopped dill (amount to your liking)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
At least 1/2 hour before serving, to allow the flavors to meld, combine all of the above ingredients and adjust the amounts to taste. Before serving, check again for any adjustments. Place some of the sauce on the bottom of the plate and top with the cooked salmon. Serve with lemon wedges and pass the remaining sauce.
I am not sure why, but I like to serve this with elbow maccaroni with butter and sour cream. It must be something I can't remember from my childhood.