Salmon in lemon cream sauce with chilli and potatoes
Serves 4 · 45 minutes · Enamelled frying pan
The potatoes fry until golden, the salmon finishes gently in lemon cream, and it all comes to the table in one pan. The enamel is fine with lemon, so the sauce can stay in the pan.
Salmon in lemon cream sauce is a one-pan dinner: parboiled baby potatoes are fried until golden, then chunks of salmon are poached in cream flavoured with lemon, garlic, spring onion and a little red chilli. It is best when the sauce barely simmers, so the salmon stays moist and only just cooked through.
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 700 g baby new potatoes
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 600 g skinless salmon fillet
- 1 bunch spring onions
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ red chilli
- 300 ml double cream
- 1 lemon: grated zest, 1 tbsp juice and a few thin slices
- 1 tsp salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 bunch dill
Method
- Boil the potatoes in salted water for 10 minutes until almost tender. Drain and halve them.
- Heat the oil in the pan over a medium-high heat. Fry the potato halves cut-side down for 8–10 minutes until golden.
- Cut the salmon into 4–5 cm chunks and season with salt. Thinly slice the spring onions, keeping the white and green parts separate. Chop the garlic and slice the chilli. Add the spring onion whites, garlic and chilli to the potatoes and fry for a minute.
- Pour in the cream, lemon zest and lemon juice and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down low, nestle the salmon between the potatoes and lay the lemon slices on top.
- Simmer gently for 6–8 minutes, carefully turning the salmon once. It is ready when it has just changed colour and flakes easily.
- Season with salt and pepper. Scatter over the spring onion greens and dill and serve straight from the pan.
Why it works
The enamel copes with both lemon and cream and does not pick up flavour from the sauce, so the dish can sit in the pan at the table. Beneath the enamel, carbon steel conducts heat well, so the potatoes get a good crust before the sauce goes in.
FAQ
Can I use single cream?
You can, but double cream is far less likely to split when the lemon goes in. With single cream, keep the sauce at a gentle simmer.
How do I know when the salmon is cooked?
When it has turned pale pink and flakes easily. With a thermometer, 52–55 °C in the centre is nicely moist.
Can I use frozen salmon?
Yes. Defrost it in the fridge, pat it dry and then cut it into chunks.
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