Enjoy flavourful, beautiful open-faced sockeye salmon sandwich with watercress and a creamy grainy mustard dressing for an easy and delicious Summer dinner.
If you love salmon, you owe it to yourself to enjoy some sockeye salmon this Summer. Sockeye is a northern Pacific salmon and is thinner, firmer and full of that salmon flavour we love. Sockeye salmon is Loblaw’s Monthly Food Alert Item, as it is in season, fresh and simply perfect right now. You’ll find it at your local Loblaws stores now, for a limited time!
Sockeye salmon is best cooked simply and because it is thin, it cooks very quickly. Be sure not to over-cook it. It can be placed on the grill, skin side down (without turning) or on top of a cedar plank. It can also be pan-seared, although the fillets are usually quite long, so may not fit in a skillet well. I also like to bake it in a low oven. Bake at 300 F. for about 20-25 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of your salmon.
Cook’s Notes for Open-faced Sockeye Salmon Sandwich with Creamy Dill Sauce
For a quick, easy and delicious summer meal, I served my sockeye salmon on top of a grilled piece of garlic bread, with watercress and a creamy, grainy mustard dressing. The whole thing can be done on the grill, for a quick and easy dinner. The watercress provides a subtle pepper flavour, along with providing a great backdrop for sockeye’s beautiful red colour. The creamy mustard dressing uses creme fraiche as a base, for a tangy flavour and is seasoned with fresh dill and grainy mustard. It’s perfect with the salmon and watercress.
Open-faced Sockeye Salmon Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1 sockeye salmon fillet skin on (mine was just under a pound, at 14 oz. or .4 kg)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Dressing:
- 1/2 cup Creme Fraiche store-bought or see note below on how to make your own at home!
- 1 tsp. fresh chopped dill
- 1 Tbsp. grainy mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste
To serve:
- Crusty bread cut into 1-inch thick slices
- 2-3 Tbsp. soft butter
- 1 clove garlic minced
- Fresh watercress
- Lemon slices
Instructions
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Pat salmon dry with a paper towel and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper. Place skin-side down on a grill over medium or indirect heat, close lid and cook until flesh flakes, 8-10 minutes. You can also place on a baking sheet and cook in a 300 F. oven for 20-25 minutes. Remove and allow to stand while you make the bread.
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Mix garlic with soft butter and butter one side of bread slices. Place onto medium heat grill, butter side down, until toasted. Remove to serving plates. Top bread with some watercress. Flip salmon over, remove skin and discard. Cut salmon into pieces and place on piece on top of watercress. Top with a dollop of dressing. Serve with a lemon slice, for drizzling.
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NOTE: How to Make Creme Fraiche at Home: In a medium jar, stir together 1 cup of heavy, 35% whipping cream (not ultra-pasteurized) and 1 Tbsp. buttermilk. Set a lid on top, but don't twist to seal it (to allow air to escape, but to keep dust and things out). Set on your counter or window sill for 12-24 hours, or until the mixture resembles stirred sour cream. The time it takes to that point will vary depending on the temperature of your room. Mine took about 20 hours. At that point stir the mixture well, then transfer to the fridge, again, topping with a lid but not twisting to seal it, as it will continue to process). Refrigerate a further 6 hours or longer, or until it is the consistency of cream cheese.
Jennifer, absolutely delicious – we can not get Loblaw here in S.India, but…….a “girl can dream, or not?”
Thanks Carina and absolutely :)
We don’t have a Loblaw around here, but that won’t stop me from eating my weight in Sockeye Salmon! This open faced sandwich is fabulous, Jennifer! Loving the watercress and grainy mustard dressing! Just perfection, friend! Cheers!
Thanks Cheyanne and thankfully, you don’t need a Loblaws to enjoy sockeye salmon :)
Sockeye might be my absolute favorite salmon. It’s just so flavorful and yummy :) I just love that dressing you served it up with too! Looks like my kind of dinner!
Thanks so much, Sarah. It was a lovely treat!
Oh my gosh, Jennifer, this is a beauty! I have caught sockeye from my boat in BC and watched the seals catch them beside me. They take a few bites and then toss them away to grab another when a salmon run is on and there are literally thousands of them around us.
I love this creation of an open sandwich and what a beautiful presentation! Perfect for a summer party. Sharing :)
Thanks so much, Robyn. We really enjoyed this and how fun to catch your own sockeye!
This looks amazing! A local restaurant actually makes something similar but with asian flavors and it’s one of my favorites. Can’t wait to try your version!
Thanks Sara and it would be great with Asian flavours, too!
Yum, this looks so tasty. I’ve been loving watercress lately and that’s such a nice combo with the salmon!
Thanks so much, Karen. I love watercress and try to sneak it in whenever I can :)
We have been enjoying the sockeye salmon season. There’s nothing better than a fresh piece of wild caught salmon and I love your use in this recipe. The dressing looks delicious! Have a great weekend.
Thanks Tricia. This was delicious and I loved that I could do the whole thing on the BBQ!
what if I cant get sockeye can I use a normal fillet?time altered?
Hi Kate and yes, any salmon fillet would work for this recipe. Time on the hot grill (or grill pan) would be 3-4 minutes per side (6-8 minutes, total). Start with the skin side down first, then flip.
Sounds and looks just delicious Jennifer! Perfect with the dressing and on a nice piece of crusty bread!
Thanks so much, Mary Ann :)