Garlic Poached Salmon with Creamy Lemon Caper Sauce
I’ve been on a huge salmon kick lately- and you should be, too! Here’s why:
- It’s amazingly healthy– full of Omega-3s, vitamins B and D, and lean protein
- It cooks up in only a few minutes, so it’s perfect for fast dinners
- It seems “fancy,” even though it takes minutes to make
- It tastes so, so, so good. Especially when it’s poached and smothered in this healthy, creamy lemon caper sauce!
This recipe poaches the salmon, rather than searing or baking it. If you’ve never tried poaching salmon, you are in for a big treat! I love salmon seared as well, but when it’s poached, it comes out super moist and tender with very little effort. There is subtle flavor infused into the fish from the poaching liquid, which in this case is made of wine, water, garlic, and lemon zest.
And the sauce. THE SAUCE. I admit: I do have a bit of a sauce obsession. Especially when the sauce involves the briny, salty goodness of capers. As delicious as this salmon is, you are going to be absolutely blown away by this sauce. Theoretically, you can put it on all kinds of things- chicken, steak, other kinds of fish, even pasta! And while it tastes absolutely decadent, rich, and creamy, it’s healthier from the use of Greek yogurt in place of cream.
Here’s how to poach the salmon.
First, add a half a cup of white wine (I actually used a not-too-sweet Rosé for this, since we got a bottle that we didn’t enjoy drinking didn’t want to waste) to a nonstick skillet
. Nonstick is important here. I usually do most of my cooking in my well-loved cast iron skillet
, but in the case of fish- especially when poaching- it’s important to use a good nonstick pan (I have this 10-inch Calphalon one and I LOVE it!).
Then, add the salmon to the wine, and add enough water to the pan to *almost* cover the fish. Add some minced garlic and the zest of one lemon on top of the salmon (you will use the juice to make the sauce in just a moment), along with some salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low, cover, and simmer for only about five minutes.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. Saute some onion and garlic in olive oil and deglaze with another half cup of wine, reducing until only half of it remains. Add some lemon juice, capers, dill, and butter, then remove from heat and stir in some Greek yogurt (along with salt and pepper) until its creamy and thick. Go ahead… try a spoonful. Or three. Just make sure to save some for the salmon!
Serve your salmon with a generous drizzle of the sauce. If you are having a vegetable and/or grain with the salmon, these are simply more conduits for the sauce, in my opinion! It’s like how at Thanksgiving, you put gravy on everything. Except this sauce MIGHT be better than gravy (those are some serious words I just wrote there, folks, but I stand by my statement).
Can’t get enough salmon? Try these recipes!
- Garlic Butter Sheet Pan Salmon and Veggies
- 15-Minute Perfect Poached Salmon with Chive Butter
- Orange Glazed Salmon
- Salmon, Arugula, and Feta Frittata
- One-Pan Garlic Butter Salmon and Swiss Chard
- Chipotle Salmon Tacos with Cilantro Lime Crema
- Seared Salmon with Scallion Butter
- Seared Salmon with Avocado, Lemon, and Garlic Aioli
Recipe below. If you want to skip the salmon and just make the sauce, I’ll understand :-) Enjoy!
Garlic Poached Salmon with Creamy Lemon Caper Sauce
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Ingredients
- 1 lb. salmon filets portioned into 4 pieces
- 1 cup white wine divided
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- juice and zest of one lemon
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 small onion finely diced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon capers drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
Instructions
- In a nonstick skillet, add 1/2 cup of the wine and fish. Add enough water to almost cover the salmon.
- Add one clove minced garlic, the lemon zest, and salt and pepper to the liquid and on top of the salmon.
- Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer for approximately 5 minutes, or until salmon is cooked through.
- Meanwhile, to make the sauce, saute the onion in the olive oil (1 tablespoon) in a small pot or skillet over medium heat, until browned.
- Add the remaining clove of minced garlic, stir for one minute or until fragrant.
- Add the remaining 1/2 cup of wine, and reduce until about half the wine is gone.
- Add the lemon juice, capers (1 tablespoon), dill (1 tablespoon), and butter (1 tablespoon); heat until butter is melted.
- Remove from heat and stir in yogurt (1/2 cup) and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve sauce over salmon.
Notes
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Absolutely delicious sauce. Elevated my poached salmon to outstanding.
The fish was moist and perfectly complimented. Served with stir fry of cooked and seasoned basmati rice and a selection of cooked vegetables. A light, healthy, satisfying and delicious meal. Definitely going to be making again and again.
So glad you liked it!
Hello,
Your recipes look great. I’m writing to you before preparing the poached salmon bc I’d like to know your opinion on replacing the Greek yogurt with crème fraîche. I live in Paris and we have access to delicious crème. Do you use yogurt in regards to the fat content or for the the tangy flavour (esp. Greek) it provides? Could crème fraîche be too rich for the dish?
Thank you in advance if you respond.
You could absolutely use crème fraîche here – it would be richer than Greek yogurt but you shouldn’t need to make any adjustments (though you may be able to use a little less of it since it’s richer). Hope that helps and hope you like it!
We will certainly be adding this recipe to our favourite list! The sauce works so well with the salmon, and makes a great change from the usual grilled or pan fried salmon I’ve prepared before.
So glad you liked it!
One of the best salmon recipes I have tried. The creamy lemon caper sauce is fantastic.
So glad you liked it!
Most excellent – everyone in the family loved it!
My sauce broke, any suggestions?
yngrayn
So glad you and your family liked it! The yogurt in the sauce will easily separate. It’s still delicious if it does but stirring it vigorously, or even whisking it, when you add the yogurt may help for next time. Hope that helps!
Lovely!! A really tasty way to poach salmon and the sauce was so flavoursome. Definitely or to be cooked again in or house!
So happy you liked it! Thanks!
Okay, thank you.
Did you use fresh Capers or pickled? I’m going to try and cook this meal this week.
Thanks,
John
Pickled- I didn’t even know you could buy fresh ones :) hope you like it!
I’m guessing he means the difference between salt packed and brine packed. I’ve never seen raw fresh capers either.
Ohh good point! In this case, they’re interchangeable (though you may need less salt in the recipe from the salt that the capers are packed with). Thanks for bringing this up!
Neither did I unless you find yourself on that island off Italy where they grow wild on bushes along with caper berries. He may have thought of salted which are very salty even after bathing them twice.
Oh wow, now I want to visit that island! Good point about perhaps meaning salted instead of brined. Thanks for chiming in!
I made this last night. The sauce was incredible over the fish and on the rice and the kale/cabbage/carrot slaw that I served with it. Thank you for the recipe. It will be my go-to for cooking salmon.
So glad you liked it, Gerry! That kale/cabbage/carrot slaw sounds amazing, and it sounds like it would pair really well with the sauce!