A tangy buttermilk marinade with fresh herbs makes silky, tender buttermilk salmon and doubles as a creamy dressing for salad. This salmon is really delicious served cold. It's a perfect make-ahead dinner!
A quick 30-minute soak in a buttermilk marinade gives salmon a mild, tangy flavor and silky texture. Buttermilk helps keep the salmon moist, so it doesn't turn dry while cooking. It also minimizes the fishy flavor that salmon can sometimes have.
This marinade isn't just plain buttermilk, though. The marinade is flavored with fresh dill and parsley, vinegar and honey.
Not only does the marinade flavor the fish, but a little bit set aside can be turned into a creamy Ranch-like dressing. Serve the salmon chilled over salad greens with the buttermilk-herb dressing for a light and really lovely dinner!
Looking for more salmon recipes? Try miso butter salmon or sheet-pan salmon with green beans.
Main Ingredients
Step-by-Step Instructions
See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for detailed instructions and ingredient amounts.
Step 1: In a blender, combine the buttermilk, dill, parsley, green onion, vinegar, honey & salt. Blend until very smooth. Set ⅓ cup of the buttermilk mixture aside to make salad dressing.
Step 2: Pour the buttermilk marinade over salmon, completely covering the salmon. Let the salmon marinate on the kitchen counter for 30 minutes.
Step 3: Take the salmon out of the marinade and bake on a foil-lined baking sheet for 12 to 15 minutes.
Step 4: Whisk the reserved ⅓ cup marinade with sour cream and mayo to make a buttermilk salad dressing.
Serve the salmon (warm or chilled) over salad greens with buttermilk-herb dressing.
Buttermilk FAQ
Traditional, true buttermilk is the liquid remaining after cream has been churned into butter. True buttermilk has naturally occurring probiotic bacteria. However, most buttermilk sold in stores is low-fat milk that has been mixed with a bacteria culture to increase the acidity of the milk, making it taste tangy and sour.
The lactic acid in buttermilk tenderizes protein. In this recipe, soaking salmon in buttermilk helps to make the texture of the salmon moist and silky. It also gives the salmon a slightly tangy flavor. Buttermilk can also be used as a marinade for meat, such as chicken and pork.
This recipe marinates salmon in buttermilk for just 30 minutes. I don't recommend soaking salmon in buttermilk for more than 2 hours, otherwise the texture of the salmon might get too soft and mushy.
An opened carton of buttermilk usually stays fresh for at least a month. To store buttermilk longer, it can be frozen. Just whisk the buttermilk well when the buttermilk is defrosted.
It is though that soaking salmon and other fish in milk (or buttermilk) can make the fish taste and smell less "fishy." This article in Cooks Illustrated explains why.
More Seafood Recipes
📖 Recipe
Buttermilk Salmon
A tangy buttermilk marinade with fresh herbs makes silky, tender buttermilk salmon and doubles as a creamy dressing for salad. This salmon is really good served chilled.
The salad dressing is optional, you can just use this recipe to marinate the salmon in the flavored buttermilk. However, the salmon is really delicious served chilled over salad greens with the buttermilk-herb dressing!
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 12
- Total Time: 52 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
- Category: Seafood Recipes
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 to 2 pounds salmon filet
- 1 ¼ cups buttermilk
- ¼ to ½ cup lightly packed fresh dill fronds, plus more to garnish cooked salmon
- ¼ to ½ cup lightly packed fresh parsley leaves, plus more to garnish cooked salmon
- ¼ cup chopped green onion (just the green part)
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons mayo
- Salad greens (Firmer greens like Little Gem, Romaine or Iceberg lettuce are especially good with the creamy buttermilk dressing)
Instructions
- In a blender, combine the buttermilk, dill, parsley, green onion, vinegar, honey and salt. Blend until very smooth and light green, about 30 seconds.
- Set ⅓ cup of the buttermilk mixture aside for the salad dressing.
- Pour the remaining buttermilk marinade over the salmon in a shallow dish so that the marinade completely covers the salmon.
- Let the salmon marinate on the kitchen counter for 30 minutes.
- Heat oven to 375F. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment, or lightly oil.
- Take the salmon out of the marinade and lay on the baking sheet (discard the marinade).
- Optional: Pour a tablespoon or two of melted butter over the top of the salmon.
- Bake the salmon for 12 to 17 minutes, depending on the thickness. Typically, salmon that is 1-inch thick will take about 12 minutes to bake. I like to put salmon under the broiler for the last 2 minutes of cooking.
- While the salmon bakes, whisk the reserved buttermilk mixture with the sour cream and mayo (don’t use a blender for this or the consistency will be too watery). You will need to add more salt to give the dressing more flavor.
- When the salmon is done, top with chopped fresh herbs for flavor and to make it look prettier. Serve the salmon warm or chilled over salad greens tossed with the buttermilk dressing.
Notes
The cooked salmon will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. The salad dressing will stay fresh for up to 5 days.
Don’t marinate the salmon for more than 2 hours or the texture of the fish will get mushy.
Don’t worry about measuring an exact amount of fresh herbs, it’s okay to estimate the amount.
Instead of using both parsley and dill, you can choose to use only one fresh herb.
Jenny
I especially love this marinade when I'm serving the salmon chilled. It's great over salad greens and I also love the salmon and dressing with sliced cucumbers.
Jen
Very moist, flavorful salmon!