It’s easy to enjoy wild-caught salmon as your go-to protein when you serve this flavorful fish with a variety of delicious sauces. They can help to keep each bite of salmon moist and tender, whether you're cooking the fish with the sauce or serving it alongside the finished dish.
Sauces can also be a great way to keep your weeknight meal rotation colorful, varied, and full of flavor. The best part is that some of the easiest sauces for salmon are made with a mix of basics and pantry staples — and oftentimes take less than 10 minutes to make. Whether you prefer something herby, creamy, spicy, or glazy, there are plenty of options to consider.
Here are 7 easy sauce recipes to try when you want to enjoy wild-caught salmon in a new way any day of the week:
1. Creamy Horseradish Dill Sauce
Salmon and dill is a classic flavor combination, so this is a great pairing to start with you're exploring your options. Mayo is the base of this creamy dill sauce for salmon. It’s transformed into a sauce with basic ingredients like shallots, lemon, and herbs. To make it special, the addition of freshly grated horseradish root adds a refreshing element of spice. Substitute prepared horseradish, if you want to skip the grating and streamline the prepartion of this sauce recipe.
2. Spicy Maple Mustard Sauce
English mustard and American maple syrup melt into a spicy-glazy mustard sauce for salmon. It’s one of the most flavorful sauces you can make with pantry staples — and it only takes a few minutes of prep time. This is an excellent choice when you want to bake or broil any variety of salmon with a sauce, as the sugars will develop a delicious, sticky char as it cooks.
3. Hot Honey Butter Sauce
This easy sauce for salmon brings sweet heat to weeknight dinners. Sriracha, honey, and garlic are whisked into melted butter and become a fiery, syrupy glaze to pour over broiled salmon. The sugars in the honey caramelize under the heat, adding delicious texture and color to the meal.
4. Brown Sugar Teriyaki Sauce
Brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and soy sauce melt into a zesty teriyaki sauce for salmon. Resist the urge to use store-bought sauce. This homemade version only takes 10 minutes to make — which is faster than making a run to the store. Brush it onto fillets or skewers, mix it into stir-fries, and drizzle it over veggie side dishes.
5. Miso Lemon Butter Sauce
Miso butter, brightened with a hint of lemon zest, is the star of this keto salmon sauce recipe. Its umami richness adds deep, savory flavor to a simple plate of seared salmon and low-carb steamed veggies. One of the best parts about this lemon butter sauce for salmon is that it only requires three basic ingredients: miso, lemon zest, and butter.
6. Hot Honey Ranch
A red pepper infused oil brings a dose of heat to this homemade hot honey ranch. It's easy and fun to make, using a mix of dried and fresh herbs. For the base of the ranch, you'll use cool, tangy buttermilk — the perfect addition to help balance out the spice. Enjoy this as a dip for baked salmon cakes or as a condiment for salmon burgers.
7. Caramelized Honey Miso Sauce
A tangy splash of vinegar balances the flavors in this sweet and savory honey miso sauce. It’s an easy sauce for salmon to make when you have five extra minutes to prep. Honey and miso are caramelized on the stove, then whisked into a zesty topping to pour over salmon and vegetables.
Benefits of Using Sauces With Salmon
There are a few culinary benefits to pairing salmon with a sauce:
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Moisture: Cooking salmon with any sauce can help keep the salmon juicy and tender as it cooks. A sauce can also help add moisture to salmon after it has been cooked, which can help you enjoy your meal even when the fish is a little more well done than you prefer.
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Color: Sauce can add color to your meals, which can enhance your overall experience with cooking at home.
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Variety: While a perfectly cooked fillet of salmon is delicious on its own, it's always nice to have different recipe options to consider throughout the week. Adding a sauce to salmon allows you to explore a variety of flavors, ingredients, and cuisines, night after night.
Sauces are not the only way to add flavor and variety to salmon. You might enjoy enhancing salmon with spice rubs and seasonings. If you're making Pacific halibut, Pacific cod, or rockfish, check out the best sauces for white fish.
Best Place to Buy Wild Salmon Online
Wild Alaskan Company is a great source for high-quality wild-caught salmon, offering fillets of wild sockeye and coho salmon that are flash-frozen shortly after harvest and shipped frozen to your doorstep. Choose your salmon subscription box today to get high-quality, sustainably-caught seafood through a convenient online seafood delivery.
