Lemon Butter Salmon With Dill
Updated September 4, 2025
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.
- Total Time
- 35 minutes
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
1 whole (2 to 2 ½-pound) salmon fillet
Salt and black pepper
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds
1 lemon
3 Persian (baby) cucumbers, scrubbed and thinly sliced
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, plus fronds for garnish
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 to 8 servings)
17 grams carbs; 42 milligrams cholesterol; 219 calories; 4 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 13 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 465 milligrams sodium; 11 grams protein; 13 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Place the salmon on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan and sprinkle all over with salt (see Tip). If you'd like, refrigerate uncovered for 1 hour (or up to 4 hours) to draw out excess moisture and intensify its savoriness.
- Step 2
Combine 1 tablespoon honey, the vinegar, mustard seeds and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Zest the lemon over the mixture and whisk until well combined. Add the cucumbers and stir to coat well. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until ready to serve (up to 4 hours).
- Step 3
Heat the oven to 425 degrees about half an hour before you’re ready to serve. If you've refrigerated the salmon, remove it from the refrigerator and pat dry with paper towels. Wipe away any excess liquid from the pan as well.
- Step 4
Squeeze the juice from the zested lemon and whisk with the butter, dill and remaining ¼ cup honey until well blended. Season the salmon generously with black pepper, then spoon the lemon-butter sauce on top.
- Step 5
Roast until a thin paring knife inserted into the thickest part slides in easily and comes out quite warm to the touch, 15 to 20 minutes. Spoon any sauce around the pan over the fish, which will continue to heat through just past medium-rare.
- Step 6
Sprinkle with dill fronds and serve with the pickled cucumbers.
Because the same weight of a salmon fillet comes in a range of dimensions, there isn’t a specific amount of salt called for here. Instead, cover the entire surface evenly. If you’re using a light, flaky kosher salt, such as Diamond Crystal, which is less salty, be a bit more generous with your sprinkle, coating the fish more densely. For all other types of salt that are saltier — coarse kosher salt, any grind of sea salt, and fine table salt — season more sparingly while still covering the fillet.
Private Notes
Comments
This was delicious! My only complaint was that the sauce was too sweet for my taste; next time I will cut the honey in half and add a salty element, perhaps miso? The cucumbers, however, were perfect. My husband and I cleaned our plates! Served with asparagus, drizzled with olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, then roasted along with the salmon.
Thermoworks says: "The USDA says that salmon needs to be cooked to an internal temperature of 140°F (60°C) for food safety. If you have any immunity issues, that’s a good idea, but for the tastiest salmon, most chefs call for a pull temp of 125°F (52°C). "
I cooked this late on a Friday night for my 35 week pregnant wife. To call it a rapturous experience for her would be an understatement. After scarfing down this Succulent Salmon dish, as well as some buttery rice that I served on the side, the young woman recounted that “her perception of time was altered, 5 minutes could have been an hour, an hour could have been 5 minutes. My mind was consumed with salmon.” She was completely incoherent for a good half hour, consumed as she was with gluttony for the flaky, rich flesh of the noble fish. I thought it was pretty good, I put less honey in the glaze than was called for.
I cut the honey in half because that's all I had in the pantry. Perfectly sweet. Otherwise I followed the recipe. As a 60+ yo woman I rely on fatty fish like salmon to keep healthy. This recipe is a keeper
LOVED THIS!! So did my little kids, my teen boy, my grumpy foodie husband and my 80 yr old Mom. A really rare across-the-board winner for us. Thanks to other commenters, we doubled the ingredients for the sauce. but used only a avant quarter cup of honey, and added a avant quarter cup of white miso. Delish -- thanks, y'all! Oh and the cukes are a treat too -- my 16 yr old made those by himself, easy peasey, and they proved to be such an addictive snack we hardly had any left by the time the salmon was done -- even though we doubled those ingredients too! This one's going into the keeper file....
This was great! I doubled it for company and had one 1.8oz filet and one 2.5. As other commenters suggested, I used less honey. Cooked at 350 for 15 minutes to an internal temp of 125 and it was absolutely perfect.