This salmon sandwich with tangy yogurt-dill sauce is a healthy update of a classic fish sandwich topped with tartar sauce! Tender challah cradles quickly roasted salmon with leaves of butter lettuce, pickles, and a creamy, lemony caper sauce.
Salmon is wonderful for quick weeknight meals, but on a trip to the coast with my family, I wanted to make something even more casual, with a beachy vibe. That’s where we came up with these salmon sandwiches with a Mediterranean twist.
While the salmon roasted, I made a healthier take on tartar sauce, replacing the mayo with plain Greek yogurt. I chopped in a handful of capers, along with dill and lemon zest for their incomparably fresh flavors. I piled everything onto soft slices of challah with tender lettuce and zippy, fresh pickles.
Salmon sandwiches are delicious while still warm, but you could also cook the fish ahead of time and assemble them later. It’s the kind of meal you can eat with sandy feet at a picnic table, or pass around at a casual backyard dinner; proof that good salmon doesn’t need much to shine.
Table of Contents
Ingredients for Salmon Sandwiches
Sometimes the best recipes don’t need a long list of ingredients, and I have made these in a beach house with limited kitchen supplies! Here’s everything you’ll need to make salmon sandwiches.
For the Sandwiches:
- Salmon: I like to buy a whole, frozen filet of wild-caught sockeye salmon for this recipe. A filet is about 18-inches long and weighs about 1 1/2 pounds. I defrost it on a rimmed baking sheet in the fridge, and then cut it into portions. More on choosing fish for salmon sandwiches in a moment!
- Extra virgin olive oil keeps the salmon moist and adds richness to the yogurt sauce. When testing this recipe, I used Hojiblanca, which I love for its bold, peppery flavor. I use a dishwasher-safe silicone pastry brush to make sure the fish is coated with a thin layer on all sides.
- Seafood seasoning: I love using pre-mixed seafood seasoning. It’s an easy way to add lots of base flavor to the fish. Use our salt-free seasoning recipe, or your favorite store-bought option. I’ve tried this recipe using Old Bay as well and can confirm it’s also delicious.
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper highlight the salmon’s natural flavor. Note whether or not your seafood seasoning contains salt. If it does, you may be able to skip adding extra!
- Challah: Soft, slightly sweet bread makes these sandwiches feel special. I like to use the broiler to toast them lightly for a nice texture contrast.
- Butter lettuce leaves: The delicate flavor and texture of butter or bibb lettuce is a lovely compliment to the tender fish. Can’t find butter lettuce? Use a soft, green or red leaf lettuce rather than crunchier romaine or iceberg lettuce.
- Pickles were a last-minute addition when I was testing this recipe, and now I think of dill pickle chips as an essential salmon sandwich topping. Their tangy bite balances the richness of the fish and sauce. Make your own, or buy your favorite brand of fresh (refrigerated) pickles for the best crunch.
For the Yogurt-Dill Sauce
- Greek yogurt: Plain Greek yogurt, store-bought or homemade, is one of our favorite creamy bases for sauces, including this healthy update on the typical mayonnaise-based tartar sauce.
- Shallot: A single minced shallot adds a punchy garlic-onion backbone to the creamy sauce. Substitute minced onion—either white or red—or chopped scallions.
- Dill: Fragrant and herbal, dill pairs beautifully with salmon. You can use dried in a pinch but if you do, try to give the sauce an hour to rest in the fridge so the flavors have a chance to meld.
- Capers add a briny flavor and salty brightness to the yogurt sauce. If you use larger capote capers, chop them, but if you have smaller non pareil capers, you can skip the chopping step.
- Lemon zest adds sunny citrus flavor that complements the richness of the fish. I think the yogurt sauce adds plenty of tang, but if you like more you can always serve lemon wedges on the side.
The Best Salmon for Salmon Sandwiches
We love meaty, center cut salmon fillets at The Mediterranean Dish—whether from farmed Atlantic salmon or big wild-caught Chinook (King), or Coho salmon—because of how evenly they cook, and how easy they are to handle on the grill, in the oven, or in the air fryer, but this recipe is an instance where thinner fillets or skinnier tail-end cuts are actually preferable.
Put an inch-thick center-cut filet in between slices of bread, and it’s like trying to eat a too-tall burger; it gets unwieldy and the sandwich is more likely to fall apart. Instead, I recommend buying a whole fillet of wild-caught sockeye salmon or the skinnier tail end of a larger fillet to make this recipe. You can also just ask your fishmonger for thin 4 to 5-ounce portions from the tail end of the fillet. And yes, you can also use those vacuum-sealed individual portions of frozen salmon. They may be irregularly shaped, but they’ll still make a tasty sandwich!
How to Make Salmon Sandwiches
Roasting is an easy, mess-free way to make salmon sandwiches. You can also grill the salmon using this method. Here’s the full process for the oven version:
- Get ready. Position one oven rack in the center and one rack about 6 inches from the broiler. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and brush with extra virgin olive oil. Remove skin from a 1 1/2 pound thin salmon fillet and slice it into 6-ounce portions. Pat the salmon pieces dry and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the filets on all sides with 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil. Season each piece of salmon evenly with 1 teaspoon seafood seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. If using a salt-free seafood seasoning blend, season the salmon with 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- Roast the salmon. Roast the salmon fillets until they’re opaque and flake easily with a fork, 10 to 13 minutes. Set the cooked salmon aside to rest for 5 minutes. Switch the oven to broil.
- Make the yogurt-dill sauce. While the salmon cooks, mix together 1 cup plain Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup finely minced shallot, 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill (or 1 tablespoon dry), 1/4 cup drained capers, and the zest of a lemon. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Set aside.
- Toast the bread. Brush one side of each slice of bread with a thin layer of olive oil and lay them out, oil side up, on a second baking sheet. Broil the bread just until lightly browned and crisp on the oiled side, 1 to 3 minutes, watching closely to ensure it doesn’t burn. Remove from the oven.
- Assemble the sandwiches. Spread a generous layer of the yogurt sauce on the toasted side of each slice of bread. Place a few butter lettuce leaves and a few sliced pickles on four of the slices, then top with a piece of salmon. Close the sandwiches. Serve immediately.
What to Serve with Salmon Sandwiches
While developing this recipe, I was also working on the one for our air fryer corn on the cob, which includes an option for a Mediterranean twist on Mexican street corn topped with creamy yogurt-feta sauce, Greek oregano, and Aleppo pepper. I think the combination of a salmon sandwich and an ear of dressed-up sweet corn is tough to beat!
I do think, like any sandwich night, this one would be wonderful accompanied by baked sweet potato fries, or a simple marinated tomato salad with feta and herbs. Follow it up with a refreshing sgroppino, a slushy lemon cocktail with sparkling wine, for a perfect summer evening.
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Salmon Sandwich with Yogurt-Dill Sauce
Ingredients
For the salmon
- 1 1/2 pound thin salmon fillets, skinned and cut into 4- to 5-ounce portions
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt-free seafood seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 head Butter Lettuce
- Quick Pickled Cucumbers
- 8 slices Challah or soft bread of your choice
For the Yogurt-Dill sauce
- 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup finely minced shallot
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill or 1 tablespoon dry
- 1/4 cup drained capers, chopped
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Get ready. Position one oven rack in the center and one rack about 6 inches from the broiler. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Pat the salmon fillets dry with paper towels and place them on a foil lined baking sheet. Brush the foil and the filets on all sides with olive oil. Season each piece of salmon evenly with the seafood seasoning, plus a good pinch each of kosher salt and black pepper.
- Roast the salmon. Roast the salmon fillets until they’re opaque and flakes easily with a fork, 12 to 14 minutes, depending on how thick they are. Set the cooked salmon aside to rest for 5 minutes. Switch the oven to broil.
- Make the yogurt-dill sauce. In a small bowl, mix together the Greek yogurt, shallot, dill, capers, and lemon zest. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Set aside.
- Toast the bread. Brush one side of each slice of bread with a thin layer of olive oil and lay them out, oil side up, on a second baking sheet. Broil the bread just until lightly browned and crisp on the oiled side, 1 to 3 minutes, watching closely to ensure it doesn’t burn. Remove from the oven.
- Assemble the sandwiches. Spread a generous layer of the yogurt sauce on the toasted side of each slice of bread. Place a few butter lettuce leaves and a few sliced pickles on four of the slices, then top with a piece of salmon. Close the sandwiches with the remaining bread. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including the olive oil used in this recipe.
- Note: The Nutrition Facts for this recipe do not include bread because how thick you slice it and the kind you use will impact the caloric value.
- To grill the salmon: Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Oil the grates well and grill the salmon for 4 to 5 minutes per side, depending on thickness, until just cooked through.
Nutrition
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