Steamed Salmon with Garlic, Herbs and Lemon is quite possibly the easiest way to cook salmon EVER. End of story.
- there’s basically no clean up due to the parchment paper… a major win there.
- you don’t risk your kitchen smelling fishy because there’s no opportunity for the salmon to splatter all over your counter when you sear it.
- it’s a one-pot dish and we all LOVE that.
If there’s one cookbook that’s stayed in the front of my mind recently (besides my own) it’s 100% Istanbul from Cookbook Club #10! There’s a steamed salmon recipe in the book that drives me WILD. And I’m convinced it’s 100% the best way to cook fish.
All of that boils down to a recipe for success! I’ve been making this for dinner parties for ages. Add to that the fact that Poppy LOVES it! I’ll serve it up with some steamed white rice that I’ve tossed with plenty of mint for extra flavor. And then a veggie on the side. It’s simple, incredibly flavorful, and I am 10000% positive you guys will be obsessed!!
Side note: this recipe is perfectly PERFECT and you could serve it on it’s own but… I also included a really delish herby yogurt sauce for drizzling on top if you want to add even more flavor. It also make an appearance in these Loaded Steak Salad Bowls which I can’t get enough of!
Steamed Salmon with Garlic, Herbs and Lemon
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs skin on salmon cut into 4 equal sized pieces
- 1 yellow onion thinly sliced
- 6 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup roughly chopped parsley
- 1/3 cup roughly chopped dill
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 lemons sliced as thin as possible
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
Optional Green Yogurt Sauce
- 1 shallot, roughly chopped
- 2 cups tightly packed basil leaves, stems removed
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 cup full fat greek yogurt or labneh
Instructions
- Cut a 2 foot length of parchment paper and center it in a 10-inch heavy bottom skillet that has a lid (Le Creuset or something of the sort)
- Put the fish, onion, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper in a medium bowl and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Toss to combine. Transfer all of it to the lined skillet with the fish skin side down. Arrange the lemon sliced in a single layer over the fish and drizzle with the remaining olive oil and wine. Fold the paper over to cover the fish and crimp the edges together to seal. Cover the pan with the lid. Cook over medium high heat for 5 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE PAN. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook for another 8-10 minutes depending on if you want your fish medium to well done. Remove the pan from the heat and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Remove the lid, carefully open the paper and serve directly from the skillet so you can get all the juices at the bottom. Serve alongside a bowl of steamed white rice with mint
To make the Sauce
- Blend everything together in a blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste
Does the wine get put in with everything in the beginning?
wine goes in with the olive oil!!
Just made this for dinner, and it was awesome!
Great light meal for this summer heat that I’m experiencing at home now and I love how it literally took a minute to rinse the pot as clean up!
Just made this….So yummy!!! I forgot the wine and it was still good.
Just realized I’m out of parchment paper! Can I still make without it or does it make a significant impact? Thanks!
it’s what steams the salmon so it def makes an impact!
Excited to try this recipe. My husband is allergic to salmon. Is there any other fish you could recommend as a substitute?
sea bass or any firm white fish
My FAVORITE way to make Salmon now! I love all of the flavors in this meal and the special sweetness from the white wine. Perfect!
Gaby, you are a genius! We have made salmon several ways; but this by far is the easiest, most flavorful way to make salmon! Tried it last night and I love how simple it was to make. It will be on repeat! Thank you for the recipe.
My husband is not a fan of dill. What other herb could I put in there? Would fennel fronds work, do you think?
Planning to make this soon, but wondering what I could replace the dill with. Fennel fronds? Just double the parsley? Thanks!
fennel fronds or parsley or chives would be excellent
Excellent recipe! Could I use a crudest Dutch deeper pan??
totally! anything with a heavy bottom and a lid is perf
Excellent dish!!!! I dint use the paper and put it straight into my cast iron and skipped the wine and salt. Awesome!!!!!!
Wait a minute. Cook on the stove?? Not in the over?? I’m confused but I’m really trying
on the stove!
any suggestions for something to replace the white wine with? Or is it a key ingredient I shouldn’t omit?
it really does add to the flavor!
Is there anything in the bottom of the pan? Underneath the parchment paper! I’m afraid the pan will burn.
nothing under the parchment!
Do you think this would work well with red grouper?
haven’t tried it but I think so!
I’m eating this as I type – freaking delicious! Awesome recipe; will continue to cook fish this way. Only thing – the parchment paper was slightly burned on the bottom. What did I do wrong??.
that happens!! it’s okay!!
Absolutely delicious! The slight sweetness from the wine totally makes this salmon. Made it after seeing your insta live. I think this might be my new favorite way to make salmon.
Does the fish all have to fit in an even layer on the bottom? Or can some pieces overlap if I double the recipe? Thanks
they can overlap!
1) this was the quickest but most gourmet post-work dinner I ever made! The salmon was so tender and flavorful and delicious
2) that being said, all the onions and herbs at the bottom of my parchment paper burnt. Do you think o used too high heat? Unequal distribution / not enough oil? I cut the recipe in half to make a single portion, maybe not enough stuff in the Dutch oven to capture and create steam? Will 100% make again!!!
the heat might have been too high – and did you use a smaller dutch oven to make up for the empty space?
I did not, which now seems like the obvious thing to do! Honestly, I am probably going to try it again tonight, it was so good! Super appreciative you took the time to respond!! 🙂
Hi, how to replace white wine if you dont consume any alconol? Just omit? Thanks!
honestly the wine is a super key ingredient in this – are you able to use non-alcoholic white wine? If not, you could use stock but it won’t be quite as flavorful
Made this tonight with cod and it was delicious! I forgot the wine and it was still super tasty. Thank you, Gaby
Was wondering if I could sous vide this?
haven’t tested it that way but feels like it would work!
This was delicious. I made it with arctic char, rather than salmon. I think the oil could be reduced, perhaps by 1 T, so a total of 3T. Also, I used only 1 lemon, as there wasn’t room for more. I might reduce the dill next time, as it was a bit dense. I steamed it exactly as described, and it was perfectly cooked.
This was amazing!!! Thank you so much for sharing!!
Is there a brand of olive oil that you think works best for this recipe?
I use the generic one from Whole Foods
Just made this tonight, along with the cucumber avocado salad (like from IGTV) — such a great pairing and so good all around! I was concerned about needing a braiser, but I used a regular 10-inch cast iron skillet with a lid and it worked perfectly. Definitely putting this on the rotation!
I really don’t like salmon. but I was having a lot of family over, and felt that chicken wasn’t fun enough (we had a non-red meat eater) so I tried this recipe. I like salmon now
My absolute favorite way to prepare salmon. Super easy, hard to overcook, super moist and flavorful. One of my favorite weeknight meals that is good enough to serve when you have guests.
The only way i’ll be making fish from now on.
This recipe was absolutely delicious! Really fresh, clean, and bright flavors. This is 100% a new favorite!
Really love this cooking method and would love to try it with other types of fish and flavor combinations! For halibut or cod would you recommend the same cook time as salmon?
I would!!
Could not get any skin-on salmon this week, but even without skin, this recipe rocks. The salmon formed a deep golden crust underneath, surrounded by all this juicy sauce, I needed to use up my green onions, so I chopped them up instead of yellow onion. I melted some semi-salted butter and drizzled it all over the fish after opening up the paper, instead of the extra olive oil, just so there would more to mop up and enjoy. It works!
First off, I don’t like many types of fish. I’ll eat salmon maybe twice a year because it’s healthy. I just made this and it is by far the best tasting fish dish I’ve ever had. I actually said to my husband that I could eat this every week. I did cook it in the oven via en papillote with foil because I ran out of parchment paper and it worked fine. I also didn’t add the wine because my toddler would be eating it too. Thank you for this recipe and I will definitely be making this again. I think it’s good enough to serve for a dinner party!
This recipe makes me actually like fish. I read about how great omega 3’s are for the brain and how supplements just wont do, you really should eat the real thing! So I go to my trusted recipe master hoping her intriguing recipe can convert me to the fish side of life… and SUCCESS. The sauce that forms in the bottom of the pot is warm lemony, herbal onion juice. Not to mention the recipe is quite simple and requires not much in regard to ingredients I don’t already have. I also don’t have a thick-bottom, or a thick-bottomed pot either. So I just used a soup pot and it worked just fine I’d say.
Third time making this tonight. This is a new weeknight favorite for us!!
Thanks for sharing another great recipe!
This recipe was amazing … I had to substitute with frozen parsley that I keep chopped in the freezer and dill weed ( I did not have fresh … but will b sure to get it now ) …followed the directions and cooked in parchment for five minutes … then an additional three( we like ours not quite medium).it was amazing …my son is on Keto so served with broccoli, no rice ! So easy and so fast !
Could you do this in a stainless steel braiser pan?
yes absolutely
What a fun way to cook fish.
July, 16, 2020
Hi Gaby,
I have been making pan-seared salmon and using your recipe for basil vinegarette to go with it. I wanted to change it up, so made this last night. However, I didn’t get to taste it, since I cooked it for a family, as part of my job. I have been very happy with all of the recipes that I have made from your cookbook, but I’m curious as to what is your favorite salmon recipe? I can’t use sesame oil, try not to use sugar or flour, because of food allergies.
P.S. your, Summer Chipotle Chicken Cobb, was a huge hit! Thank you
T.K.
This sounds amazing I can’t wait to try it! If I can’t use the wine due to religious reasons, what can I substitute it with that will not compromise the overall result?
you could do it with veggie broth, but it wouldn’t have quite the same flavor
The best way to cook salmon!
Hi Gaby,
So how many people does this recipe serve with a side salad, vegies, rice etc? I was thinking of making it fr a girls lunch so could you make it in advance and keep it warm in the oven?
Thanks so much! Brooke (from Australia!!!)
Serves 3-4
Hi Gaby, Could you make this ahead of time for a girls lunch? Say a couple of hours? And should you double the recipe for 6 people?
you could but if you do that, I would serve it at room temp. Don’t try and heat it back up. And yes, double the recipe for 6
So easy and delicious! The dill add amazing flavor! It was so moist and cooked perfectly!
Followed to a T with a good dose of scepticism as to whether the fish would cook through, and if the paper would burn at the bottom of the pot. It was AMAZINGGG! Delish, cooked through, no burnt bits, easy as anything and definitely a keeper!
For the steam salmon recipe this week, can mint or sage substitute for the dill?
I would do sage or basil
My husband and I just made your delicious Steamed Salmon. We consider it one of the best, if not the best, Salmon recipes, and we loved the simple preparation. Thank you Gaby!
so so so happy to hear it!! xx
Hi!
Do you have a wine preference?
Thanks!
sauv blanc!!