Salmon with Cilantro Sauce
Updated Nov 17, 2025
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Salmon with cilantro sauce is a fast, fresh dinner that feels quite sophisticated but comes together in minutes. The salmon is cooked until tender and flaky, then topped with a bright, garlicky cilantro sauce that wakes up every bite. Serve it with rice, noodles, or a pile of roasted veggies for a healthy meal that works any night of the week.
This fresh, garlicky cilantro sauce has so much vibrant flavor, and paired with tender flaky salmon, it instantly makes a weeknight dinner feel exciting. Salmon with cilantro sauce tastes and looks like something you’d order in a good seafood restaurant, but it’s quick enough for a weeknight dinner and healthy enough that you will feel great about serving it on repeat. Try pairing this with crispy potatoes made on the stovetop and a spinach salad.
If you are a cilantro fan, the sauce may become a little addiction for you. It’s lovely on roasted vegetables, all kinds of fish, pork, and chicken dishes. It also makes a nice dip for crudites (raw veggies).
What's In This Post?
Salmon with Cilantro Sauce: Simply poached salmon is excellent paired with a pretty, creamy herby sauce.
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Ingredients
For the Salmon:
- Salmon filet – About 2 pounds, with or without the skin.
For the Cilantro Sauce:
- Fresh cilantro – only fresh here, please!
- Shallots – Sub in onions if you prefer.
- Dijon mustard – Adds nice zing to the sauce
- Mayonnaise – Provides creaminess.
- Greek yogurt – If you don’t have it, add another 1/4 cup of mayo.
- Heavy cream – Smooths out the sauce
- Salt and black pepper
- Cayenne pepper – A bit of a kick; add to taste.
How to Make Salmon and Cilantro Sauce
- Cook the salmon: The recipe has directions for poaching the salmon, but you can easily use grilled salmon, baked salmon, or air fryer salmon.
Kitchen Smarts
This salmon recipe can be served warm or at room temperature. If there is skin on the fillets, peel it off.
- Make the sauce: Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, combine the cilantro, shallots, and Dijon. Puree, add the mayonnaise and yogurt, cream, salt, pepper, and cayenne, and puree. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Serve: Plate the fish with the sauce on the side or drizzled over top.
Pink and Green Salmon
Having been a small child in the era of The Preppy Handbook (which my dad actually published), the combo of pink and green gets certain synapses firing. I wasn’t preppy myself — I was too young for the heart of the era. But I definitely internalized that the classic color combo of choice was pink and green, and I had an uncle with whale pants to prove it.
Make Ahead
The sauce can be made up to a day in advance, as can the fish if you are serving it chilled or at room temperature.
What to Serve With Salmon and Cilantro Sauce
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Salmon with Cilantro Sauce
Ingredients
For the Salmon
- 2 pounds salmon filet (with or without skin)
- 1 tablespoon coarse or kosher salt
For the Cilantro Sauce
- 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- ¼ cup minced shallots
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt (or another 1/4 cup mayonnaise)
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- Pinch cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Poach the salmon (or see notes for other ways to cook the salmon): Put the salmon in a large pot (you can cut salmon in two pieces for a big round pot), cover with cold water, add 2 teaspoons of salt, and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, and leave the salmon in the covered pot for 10 minutes.
- If the salmon was poached, remove the fish from the liquid and refrigerate until chilled (unless you want to serve it warm or at room temperature, in which case cool it until it is the temperature you want). If there is skin on the fillets, peel it off.
- Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, combine the cilantro leaves, shallots, and Dijon. Puree, add the mayonnaise and yogurt, if using, cream, salt, pepper, and cayenne, and puree. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Serve the chilled fish with the sauce on the side or drizzled on top.
Made my whole meal like you pic! Everything was delicious and successful!
I can use this sauce on tacos too! Thank you it’s great!
Hi, Katie,
The cilantro porch salmon sauce is very delicious, I give it 10/10 . Perfect! I did it n everyone loves it
Thank you n God bless you.
Mabel