Individual portions of salmon are roasted in the oven and then served with a buttery and refreshing white wine and lemon butter sauce. The aromatic sauce has both creamy and acidic notes in it, complementing the fish so well.
You guys! I'm so excited to share this recipe with you. I absolutely love seafood and salmon is one of my favorites. Not only does it taste phenomenal and have amazing texture, it's also so simple and quick to prepare. Like I mentioned before, being a night nurse has made me appreciate these quick weeknight dinners and because of that, I have an abundance of them up my sleeve.
I roast the fish in the oven, first by preheating the oven to a roaring 500 degrees, and then decreasing the heat to 250 degrees Fahrenheit and cooking the fish at that low temperature. The salmon is SO JUICY. Four of the best accompanying flavors to salmon are all combined in this super sauce - white wine, lemon, butter and fresh herbs.
Served with a luscious white wine and lemon butter sauce, the salmon is coated with a punch of fresh, aromatic flavor. It's also so creamy and velvety but the tartness cuts through the richness of the salmon.
Ingredients:
4 portions of salmon fillets
1 ½ Tablespoons oil
salt and pepper
Sauce:
1 shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup dry white wine
juice from 1 lemon
6 ½ Tablespoons butter, cut into 1 Tablespoon chunks
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
Roasting the Salmon in the Oven
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Place a rimmed baking sheet into the oven to heat up.
You will need 4 equal portions of salmon fillets.
I'll share a tip with you: when you're buying salmon at fish department, ask the seafood person to cut you the salmon portions from the center of the fillet. The portions of fish will be the thickest there and you'll get the best use of your money and you won't waste any of the fish.
Season each fillet with salt and pepper and rub each fillet with oil all over. When the oven has preheated to 500 degrees and the baking sheet has been in the oven for about 10 minutes, take out the baking sheet and place the salmon, skin side down, onto the searingly hot baking sheet. You will hear it sizzle and the skin will start to sear right away.
Place the fish in the preheated oven. Reduce the heat to 250 degrees and roast the fish for 12-15 minutes. The skin stays behind on the baking sheet, or, if you like fish skin, you can serve it with the fish. It gets really crisp and crunchy, so it's perfect either way.
Making the White Wine and Lemon Butter Sauce
Making the White Wine and Lemon Butter SauceWhile the fish is in the oven, melt ½ Tablespoon of butter in a skillet on medium high heat. Add the shallot and garlic clove. Season with salt and pepper. 
Cook them until the shallots are tender and start to turn golden. Deglaze the skillet with the white wine and then add the lemon juice. Turn the heat up to high and reduce the liquid until it has reduced to half the amount.
Turn off the heat and whisk in the butter, one Tablespoon at a time. The sauce will become thick and velvety.
Add the parsley to the sauce. 
Spoon the sauce over the roasted fish and serve. 
Roasted Salmon With White Wine and Lemon Butter Sauce
Individual portions of salmon are roasted in the oven and then served with a buttery and refreshing white wine and lemon butter sauce. The aromatic sauce has both creamy and acidic notes in it, complementing the fish so well.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: Main Course
Ingredients
- 4 portions of salmon fillets
- 1 ½ Tablespoons oil
- salt and ground black pepper
Sauce:
- 1 shallot (minced)
- 1 garlic clove (minced)
- 1 cup dry white wine (I like Sauvignon Blanc)
- juice from 1 lemon
- 6 ½ Tablespoons butter (cut into 1 Tablespoon chunks)
- 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley (minced)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Place a rimmed baking sheet into the oven to heat up.
- Meanwhile, season each fillet with salt and ground black pepper and rub each fillet with oil all over.
- When the oven has preheated to 500 degrees and the baking sheet has been in the oven for about 10 minutes, take out the baking sheet and place the salmon, skin side down, onto the searingly hot baking sheet. You will hear it sizzle and the skin will start to sear right away.
- Place the fish in the preheated oven. Reduce the heat to 250 degrees and roast the fish for 15 minutes.
- While the fish is in the oven, melt ½ Tablespoon of butter in a skillet on medium high heat. Add the shallot and garlic clove. Season with salt and pepper. Cook them until the shallots are tender and start to turn golden.
- Deglaze the skillet with the white wine and then add the lemon juice.
- Turn the heat up to high and reduce the liquid until it has reduced to half the amount.
- Turn off the heat and whisk in the butter, one Tablespoon at a time. The sauce will become thick and velvety. Add the parsley to the sauce.
- Spoon the sauce over the roasted fish and serve.
Made this last night and it was delicious! The sauce is easy and adds so much flavor to the salmon. Great recipe!
I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Rhonda:). Thanks for taking the time to write.
We didn't have shallots on hand but had leeks. Turned out fantastic. Easy way to make a fantastic meal. Add a class of white wine and you have a better meal than most restaurants!
That's wonderful! So glad you enjoyed this recipe. Leeks pair really well with seafood.
I did it!!!!
This salmon recipe is soooooo delicious, so yummy!!!!!!
I prepared it for my friends and everyone enjoyed it.
I followed your instructions step by step. It was easy and very simple and came out absolutely delicious.
Thank you very very much.
That's wonderful! I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe:). Thanks for taking the time to write.
Hey how did you get the consistency of the sauce to be white and creamy? What causes that opaque creaminess? Mine turned out just clear butter looking
Add the butter off the heat. If your sauce is clear, that means the butter melted too much since the sauce was too hot.
Fantastic and easy recipe, thank you! I wasn't being too precise with the sauce, and I thought it might have come out too sour/tangy at first, but it really came to life on the salmon and the asparagus that I poured it over. Got compliments and one person licked their plate!
I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed it, Ramon. That sauce really complements that salmon:).
If I use completely skinless salmon, will the salmon stick to the pan at such a high heat? What adjustment, if any should I make? Also, if I don't use all of the sauce and refrigerate it, is there any way to reheat it without it breaking? I ask because I saw that you responded no to a person inquiring about baking the salmon with the sauce; said sauce would break.
Hi Robyn,
Yes, the salmon will stick to the roasting pan if you don't use the skin unless you use a newer nonstick skillet, although it may still stick to it.
I don't recommend refrigerating and reheating the sauce. It will break when reheated.
After searing the salmon, would it work to pour the sauce over the salmon and let it finish cooking in the sauce at the lower temperature? If so, how long to sear it before pulling to pour sauce? And add time to cook it in the sauce? Thanks
Hi Merrill.
This sauce is meant to be served right away after making it. If you pour it over the salmon and put it in the oven, the butter will separate and the sauce will be ruined.
I honestly prefer roasting salmon in the oven, not searing it in on the stove, but that's up to you. In that case, just make the sauce separately and pour it over the salmon when serving it.
I'm making this delicious sounding sauce to spoon over lobster ravioli. Can the recipe be easily doubled - or will I need to make the amount I need in 2 batches? Thanks so much!
If you use a large skillet, it should be fine to double the recipe. What a great idea to use it over lobster ravioli!
I made this tonight. The fish was PERFECT - I will definitely, absolutely cook salmon like that again. I was super hungry, so I kinda didn't wait for the wine and lemon to reduce enough, but it was still soooo tasty! Thanks! My daughter thanks you, too. We've both been craving salmon and this recipe totally delivered. I made some rice pilaf and steamed asparagus as well -- both ate well with the sauce!
Do you think this sauce will be good with tilapia?