Salmon and Rice Recipe With Creamy Dill Sauce
Treat yourself to a delicious weeknight dinner with this easy salmon and rice recipe for moist tender herby salmon on a bed of veggie rice topped with a creamy dill sauce. Ready in 30 minutes.
We like to add veggies to the rice to enhance the colors and nutrition, but feel free to use plain rice if you prefer – or want to save a step.
What to expect
There are 3 simple steps to this recipe:
- Bake the salmon, seasoned with fresh herbs.
- Make the veggie rice (a rice pilaf) – sauté the veggies, add rice and water, and cook.
- Make the dill sauce – combine mayo, sour cream, fresh dill, and lemon juice.
Since you can overlap the preparation of all three components, the whole recipe takes less than 30 minutes to make from start to finish. If doubling the recipe, the rice will take a few minutes longer to cook.
The salmon is moist and succulent if you don’t overcook it. Important!
The no-cook dill sauce takes a few seconds to put together and adds wonderful flavor and texture to the meal.
The recipe is for two people but can be scaled up to whatever you need.
Ingredients – tailored to your taste
Salmon: buy individual fillets or one larger portion, skin off or on. I like the center cut (instead of the tail) for more even cooking.
Herbs: Use a mixture of fresh herbs and green onions. I use parsley, green onion and dill for this recipe. Other good options are cilantro and chives and a little fresh thyme.
Rice: I tend to use basmati rice or jasmine rice. Any will do though – even brown rice and wild rice. Just follow the directions on the package for how much liquid to add and how long to cook the rice.
Vegetables: I generally use finely diced carrots, red pepper, and green onion. Feel free to use what you have on hand e.g. celery, onion, zucchini, snap peas, bok choy, mushrooms, etc.
Dill sauce is made with mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon, and fresh dill. No cooking.
Variations
- Replace the water for the rice with vegetable or chicken broth for added flavor.
- Substitute the sour cream with Greek yogurt or light sour cream.
- Use plain rice and skip the veggies for a shortcut.
- Flavor the rice with a pinch of curry powder, garlic powder, coriander, cumin or turmeric
- Add raisins while cooking the rice and/or chopped toasted nuts after it’s cooked.
Step-by-step instructions
Tip for cooking salmon
If you like tender juicy salmon, DO NOT OVERCOOK IT!
The rule of thumb is to cook salmon 10 minutes per inch (2.5cm). Note that the temperature will rise a few degrees after taking it out of the oven.
It should be warm pink inside (not dry flaky white). The final internal temperature should be about 130-135F (54-57C).
Shortcuts
There are three good shortcuts for this salmon and rice recipe.
- Use leftover or store-bought rice, heat it up in the microwave and add the sauteed diced veggies. Or
- Make plain rice without veggies – therefore no chopping or sautéeing the vegetables.
- Buy a sauce for drizzling instead of using the dill sauce. Some good examples are tzatziki, teriyaki sauce, or Thai sweet chili sauce.
Make Ahead
Make the rice and dill sauce a day or two ahead. Before serving, reheat the rice while making the salmon.
What to serve with salmon and rice
Since you have already made salmon and rice with veggies, all you need is a starter soup, a side salad or a quick vegetable for a complete meal. Here are a few suggestions:
Soup: curried lentil soup, sweet potato and carrot soup with spinach, or root vegetable soup.
Salad: citrus salad or arugula peach salad with walnut dressing
Easy vegetable side: Microwave some fresh snap peas for 2 minutes. Or try these 8-minute microwave green beans. Or make this baked cauliflower and cheese – start it 20 minutes before you bake the salmon, then add the salmon to the pan to bake.
Another option is to create a rice bowl with salmon, adding avocado, fresh cherry tomatoes and the tangy dill sauce (or whatever else you have around).
More oven baked salmon recipes
- maple glazed salmon
- pecan crusted salmon
- citrus glazed salmon
- slow roasted salmon with gremolata
- salmon bites with spicy chili crisp sauce
Or check out our full list of fish and seafood recipes.
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Salmon and Rice Recipe With Creamy Dill Sauce
Ingredients
Salmon
- 3/4 pound salmon, with or without skin 2 salmon filets or one larger piece.
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup chopped herbs and green onion, Note 1 (used for salmon, garnish and rice)
Rice and vegetables
- 1/2 cup finely diced vegetable, Note 2
- 2 teaspoons butter
- 1/2 cup raw basmati rice, Note 3
- 3/4 cup water (or chicken broth for more flavor)
Dill sauce
- 2 tablespoons sour cream, full fat or light (or Greek yogurt)
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, full fat or light
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill (remove stems, then chop)
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt (black pepper, optional)
Optional garnish
- lemon zest, more fresh herbs
Instructions
- HEAT OVEN TO 425F/218C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil sprayed with oil.
- PREPARE AND BAKE SALMON: Rub 1 teaspoon olive oilon salmon fillets and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread half the chopped herbs on top of the salmon (the rest will be used for the rice and garnish). Place salmon fillets on prepared pan, skin side down, and bake for 9-12 minutes, depending on salmon thickness. Note 4 – how to tell when salmon is cooked. Salmon should be warm pink in the center. It will finish cooking when resting. Don't overcook it.
- MAKE RICE: While the salmon bakes, heat 2 teaspoons butter in medium sauce pan to medium-high heat. Add diced veggies and sauté for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add rice and sauté another minute. Add water or broth and salt. Stir. Bring to boil, cover, then lower heat to medium low heat (3/10 on dial) and cook 10-11 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Let sit 5 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons chopped herbs.
- MAKE DILL SAUCE: While rice cooks, combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings (more lemon, salt, dill, etc).
- ASSEMBLE: To plate, divide rice between two plates. To remove salmon skin, slip a spatula between the skin and flesh and lift off salmon onto the rice. Top with a dollop of dill sauce. Alternatively, break up salmon into pieces and serve over the rice. Garnish with herbs or lemon zest if you like.
Recipe Notes
- Herbs: I use a blend of parsley, dill and green onions. Other good options with green onions are cilantro, chives and fresh thyme. You can replace fresh dill with dried dill (1 tablespoon fresh = 1 teaspoon dried).
- Vegetables: I like finely diced carrots, red pepper, and green onion. Feel free to use what you have on hand e.g. celery, onion, zucchini, snap peas, bok choy, mushrooms, etc. Dice finely.
- Rice: I prefer basmati rice or jasmine rice, but any long grain white rice or brown rice will work. Even wild rice. Just follow the directions on the package for how much liquid to add and how long to cook it.
- How to tell when salmon is cooked: It should be warm pink in the center (not dry flaky white). Peak inside with a sharp knife which will slide in without resistance. The rule of thumb is to cook salmon 10 minutes per inch (2.5cm). Note that the temperature will rise a few degrees after taking it out of the oven. The final internal temperature should be about 130-135F (54-57C) measured with an instant meat thermometer.
- Variations:
- Use plain rice with no veggies (shortcut).
- Use store-bought or leftover rice (heat in microwave)
- Flavor the rice with a pinch of curry powder, garlic powder, coriander, cumin or turmeric
- Add raisins while cooking the rice and/or chopped toasted nuts after it’s cooked.
- Serve as salmon bowls with rice, salmon chunks, avocado, tomatoes and dill sauce.
- Make ahead: Make the rice and dill sauce a day or two ahead. Heat the rice while making the salmon. Store leftover salmon and rice in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Rice can be frozen separately.
