Simple Pan Seared Salmon in Creamy Dill Sauce {Low Carb & Keto}

Do you like fish and seafood?

I have to admit, I’m not a huge fan.

But I know that they have some amazing nutritional benefits and so I’ve been trying really hard to add them into my menu rotation on a fairly regular basis.

For instance, just in case you didn’t know, salmon is an excellent source of Omega-3 fatty acids and B vitamins, and is a high quality source of protein.

So I decided to suck it up and make some keto fish and seafood recipes that I really enjoyed.

One thing I know I like, is fish with a crispy skin. So I decided to start there, lol.

This Keto Salmon in Creamy Dill Sauce starts with searing the outside in a frying pan and then finishing it off in the oven.

So you get a beautiful crispy outside, and a lovely not dry fish on the inside.

And I’m a total convert!

This is one of my go-to recipes now when I want something light.

Pan Seared Keto Salmon in Creamy Dill Sauce

• 4 boneless salmon filets, about 1 ½ to 2 pounds total
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Fresh dill for garnish

Sauce Ingredients

• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill, minced
• 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish (optional)
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

To make the creamy dill sauce

Grab a small mixing bowl and toss all the ingredients for the sauce in there.

I know you’re not sure about that horseradish. And you can absolutely leave it out.

But there’s such a small amount that it’s just a very subtle thing. Trust me. It’s better with!

Now you’re just going to whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce. It comes together in just a minute.

Then you’re going to just cover that amazing sauce and toss it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.

Cooking the salmon

All right, now we’re gonna work on the salmon.

Get your skillet, add the 2 Tbsp of olive oil and heat that up over medium high.

While that’s heating, you need to season the salmon on both sides with salt and pepper.

And then put the salmon in the hot skillet skin side up.

If you skinless filets, it doesn’t really matter which side is down.

You need to sear the salmon for about two minutes or until it’s golden brown and then very, very, very gently flip the salmon.

It’s really important that you’re very careful with this because salmon like most fish, will come apart easily.

I used tongs to very gentle wiggle the salmon in the pan to be sure it was not sticking, then used a fish spatula to flip it.

So if you don’t have one of these amazing fish spatulas, I suggest you get one!

You can grab one of them here.

Now if you don’t have an oven safe skillet, just use a regular skillet to sear the salmon. Then you will just transfer the fillets to an oven safe baking dish.

So now that you have carefully flipped the salmon fillets with your awesome fish spatula, the skin side is down and they look beautiful.

Next step is to put the skillet in the preheated oven and you’re going to let the salmon bake for six to 10 minutes or so until the salmon is cooked through.

Now like I said before if you don’t have an oven safe skillet, then just transfer it to a glass dish, but make sure the skin side is down.

The time it takes to cook depends on how thick your filets are.

If you can flake the salmon easily with a fork, it’s done.

Or if you’d rather use a meat thermometer, the internal temperature should be 145°F.

Now all that’s left is to remove the pan from the oven and put those beautiful golden salmon filets on plates.

Go grab your sauce from the fridge and top them with a dollop of the creamy dill sauce.

I like to garnish these guys with fresh dill and serve them with a nice green salad topped with some of my Homemade Keto Ranch Dressing.

This keto salmon recipe also pairs really well with steamed broccoli. If you’re feeling adventurous, give broccolini a try!

More Keto Fish and Seafood Recipes you should try: