Salmon is such a touchy fish. We have to buy it frozen most of the year in North Carolina. When I was first learning to cook salmon, I hated it. It was either too moist or too dry. The skin was wet after it cooked. It absorbed ZERO flavors. At least this was my experience when I was learning to cook. And we all have to learn somehow. Cast iron lemon dill salmon is one of my favorite ways to make salmon. I feel this is the best way to avoid all of the pitfalls.
This recipe makes for the crispiest skin and a moist fish that absorbs all of the flavors of lemon, dill, and garlic. The keys to the recipe are the cast iron pan and the instant-read thermometer. Salmon cooks very quickly once it is defrosted. Using the thermometer and getting that perfect temperature is what makes this recipe work.
Cast Iron Salmon Ingredients
Cast iron lemon dill salmon can be done with fresh or frozen salmon. Which is great. Here is what else you'll need!
- ¾-1 lb wild Atlantic salmon, fresh or frozen
- ½ lemon sliced
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 bunch dill
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- salt and pepper
Feel free to substitute and change as needed. Dill can be substituted for thyme or sage if that is a herb that you prefer. Lemon and lime can be switched out. If you don't have avocado oil, canola or vegetable oil will work just fine.
Drying the frozen salmon
Wild salmon is only available fresh for part of the year. Most of the time, I buy wild salmon frozen, but they retain a lot of water when they are frozen. The skin can become really wet and moist if you don't take care of this.
When the salmon defrosts, even the container that it is in will have a liquid in it. All of this retained water is going to screw up the cooking. You won't be able to get crispy skin. The salmon won't be able to retain any flavor. And it will steam from the inside out and overcook.
Use a paper towel to dry the salmon. Apply pressure to the salmon without pushing too hard to remove as much liquid as possible. Dry both sides of the fish.
Seasoning the salmon
Season both sides of the salmon with salt and pepper. I like to go strictly salt and pepper on the salmon because it will have fresh lemon and dill on it when it is cooked. Lay the salmon skin side down and top with fresh dill and lemon slices.
Cooking salmon
Preheat the oven to 375°. Place your cast iron on the burner and bring it to medium-high heat. Once the cast iron is hot, add avocado oil. When the avocado oil is shimmering, add the salmon to the pan skin side down. Sear for 2-3 minutes. Check the skin by carefully lifting up the edge of the salmon. If it is done and crispy, the salmon will easily pull up from the cast iron.
If the salmon doesn't easily come off the cast iron, it could be one of three things.
- It hasn't seared yet.
- Your cast iron isn't properly seasoned or cared for
- You didn't let the avocado oil get hot enough
The next step is to baste it in butter. Add butter to the pan with 1 crushed garlic clove. Use a spoon to baste the salmon with the butter until the butter is absorbed by the salmon. Baste for 30 seconds.
Transfer the whole pan to the oven for another 3-5 minutes. Check the temperature after 3 minutes. Cook wild-caught Atlantic salmon right to 120°. Remove the salmon from the pan as soon as possible when it reaches this temperature.
Instant-Read Thermometer
You really can't be trusted if you don't use an instant-read thermometer with fish. People all across America speak about hating fish. I believe it's because most of us don't know how to cook it well because we don't make it often.
If I only cooked chicken 4 times a year, I'd never know how to tell when it's done and I'd constantly be eating dry chicken. Truth is, I use my instant-read thermometer with everything now. It guarantees that food is cooked to the perfect temperature. It's safer for my family without overcooking.
Serving the Salmon
My choice for cast iron lemon dill salmon is to serve it with rice and asparagus. For some reason, I always eat rice and asparagus with fish. I also sear the other half of the lemon and squeeze that juice over the salmon and the sides for a little extra citrus.
The salmon will be buttery and meaty and should resemble a light pink color on the outside and a slightly dark pink color on the inside. Remove the lemon and dill before eating.
Can I use a different pan?
Yes, any oven-safe pan will work for this recipe. I like to finish in the oven though because it cooks the top of the fish evenly with the bottom. I would not cook this in a nonstick pan.
Do I have to put the pan in the oven?
I do in this recipe. You can pan-fry all the way through if you want to. The risk is that the top of the fish will take much longer to cook than the bottom and it will have more of a chance to overcook.
If you love Cast Iron Lemon Dill Salmon, leave a review below and let us know how it came out! You may also love some of these seafood options!
📖 Recipe
Cast Iron Lemon Dill Salmon
Equipment
- cast iron pan
- instant-read thermometer
Ingredients
- ¾-1 lb wild Atlantic salmon, fresh or frozen
- ½ lemon sliced
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 bunch dill
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°
- If using frozen salmon, thaw it out first. Place it on a plate and press it with paper towels to soak up excess moisture. Salt and pepper both sides of the salmon.
- Heat a cast iron over medium-high heat. Add avocado oil until shimmering. Sear salmon skin side down. Lay dill and lemon on top of the salmon. Sear for 2-3 minutes until salmon skin is brown.
- Drop 2 tablespoon of butter into the pan with crushed garlic. Baste the salmon with the butter until it is mostly gone about 1 minute. Transfer the entire cast iron pan to the oven. Cook for 2-3 more minutes or until salmon reaches exactly 120°. Remove from cast iron pan immediately.
- Serve with Jasmine rice and roasted aspargus.
Comments
No Comments