Lemon Cream Sauce Salmon
A quick Lemon Cream Sauce Salmon made with lemon juice, broth, and cream, served over tender seared salmon fillets. Bright, rich, and elegant—ready in just 20 minutes.
4 Servings
Ingredients
For the Salmon
- 1 ½ pounds salmon fillets
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or rice bran oil
- Kosher salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the Lemon Cream Sauce
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¼ cup chicken broth, fish stock, clam juice, white wine, or water
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
- Parsley for garnish
- Thinly sliced lemon for garnish
Instructions
Prepare the Lemon Cream Sauce
- Combine the lemon juice, broth (or chosen liquid), and heavy cream in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Immediately reduce the heat to low, cover, and allow the sauce to simmer for approximately 10 minutes.
- Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. In the final 1–2 minutes, uncover the pan and increase the heat to high briefly to slightly reduce and thicken the sauce. Remove from heat.
Prepare the Salmon
- While the sauce simmers, inspect the salmon fillets for pin bones and remove them as needed. If the salmon is skin-on, check for any stray scales and remove.
Sear the Salmon
- Add oil to a large sauté pan set over high heat. Allow the pan to heat for 90 seconds. Carefully place the salmon fillets into the pan in a single layer.
- Reduce the heat to medium and cook the fillets for 3–5 minutes, depending on thickness. Gently turn the fillets with a metal spatula and continue cooking for an additional 1–5 minutes based on preferred doneness.
- For a slightly rare center, cook the second side of a 1-inch fillet for approximately 3 minutes.
Plate and Serve
- Transfer the salmon fillets to serving plates. Spoon the prepared lemon cream sauce over the top and garnish with chopped parsley and thin lemon slices.
- If the skin was crisped, serve with the skin facing upward.
Notes
This recipe is naturally gluten-free. However, if broth is used, ensure that the product is certified gluten-free. When substituting with wine, stock, or clam juice, verify labels to avoid hidden gluten sources.