Baked salmon with creamy leeks

Baked salmon with creamy leeks is a classic and all time favorite recipe – simple, yet absolutely delicious, it’s perfect for entertaining, and quick to make!

This is an old favorite – one of those tried and true recipes that I absolutely love!  It’s really easy but so delicious and impressive you would think there’s some special trick involved.  There are no special tricks – it’s just good ol’ leeks creamed with a touch of sour cream – that action alone is what the whole dish is all about! It’s simplicity, it’s genius, and it’s sophistication in a bite!

I tasted something like this long time ago, at a friends’ house, and I fell in love with the combination.  I’ve been making this ever since, without altering the recipe one bit (which is very much unlike my usual style of tinkering with recipes, so that really says something about it).  The sweet creaminess of the leeks, with a slight tang from the sour cream beautifully pairs with the mild, flaky salmon.  I haven’t even tried it with other fish for fear of ruining the perfect magic combination.

The fish is prepared in the simplest of manners too – only lemon, salt and pepper, fresh dill and capers.  You really don’t need any overpowering spices or marinades for the fish here.  Leave it simple, and let the leeks shine!  I almost feel like the fish is the complement to the leeks, and not the other way around.

I usually buy wild caught salmon, and since it’s leaner than the farmed one, I score its flesh on multiple places and pour olive oil in the cuts to make it juicier.

The prep work is minimal, the worst part being cleaning the leeks.  Overall it’s an easy dish, great for entertaining, and quick to make.  I hope you give it a try, and I guarantee this will become your favorite way to prepare salmon!

More seafood recipes:
Baked rockfish with fennel and blood oranges
Stuffed pumpkin with bacon leeks and scallops

More leeks recipes:
Leeks and feta cheese souffle
Creamy brussels sprouts and leeks

5 from 2 votes

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Baked salmon with creamy leeks

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

35 mins

Total Time

45 mins

 

Baked salmon with creamy leeks is a classic, all time favorite recipe - simple, yet absolutely delicious, it's perfect for entertaining, and quick to make!

Course: Main Dish

Servings: 4 -6

Calories: 439 kcal

Author: Viktoria

Ingredients

• One half piece of wild caught salmon, skin on
• 2 lbs leeks, chopped (1kg)
• 3 tbs sour cream
• 2 tbs butter
• 4 tbs olive oil, divided
• 1 lemon
• 1 tbs capers
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped dill
• salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Melt 2 tbs butter and 2 tbs olive oil in a deeper pan

2. Add the chopped leeks, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and saute on a low to medium heat for 10-15 minutes until they are soft.

3. Add the sour cream to the leeks, stir and cook for a minute. Remove from heat , taste and adjust seasoning if needed, then pour into a shallow baking dish (big enough to hold the fish fillet)

4. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 400 °F (200 °C).

5. Rinse the salmon fillet and pat dry; make a few cuts on top of the flesh and brush the fish with 2 tbs of olive oil (ore more, depending on the size).

6. Squeeze the juice of one lemon over the fish, and add salt and pepper liberally.

7. Sprinkle the fresh dill and capers all over the salmon

8. Slide the fish on top of the leeks, and bake for 15 minutes.

9. Garnish with more lemon, capers and dill if needed.