Dill sauce pairs well with fish, especially salmon. There are mixes available on the market, but it is best when prepared fresh. Basic ingredients can be found in most supermarkets. Dried dill is fine, although the herb is easy to grow in the kitchen at home. Cooking with herbs is a great way to cut down on sodium intake and add flavor to different types of foods.
Different recipes are available for dill sauce, but almost all of them contain lemon juice, pepper, a base such as sour cream, yogurt, or mayonnaise, an optional mustard, and dill. Additional ingredients, such as cucumber or capers, can be added. Combining the zesty citrus and tangy mustard with the heat of the pepper and aromatic dill complement the flavor of fish quite well. It is the traditional accompaniment to salmon.
Some cooks like to start with a basic white sauce made from flour, butter, and cream or milk. If making a heated sauce, it is best to add dill near the end of the cooking process to avoid destroying the flavor. Some recipes only require mixing the ingredients together. A diet-conscious dill sauce made with low-fat yogurt and finely-chopped cucumber sprinkled with the herb saves calories, though it may not have the richness of a butter or mayonnaise sauce.
The dill sauce should be allowed to sit for a while in the refrigerator before serving to let the flavors blend. This gives dried dill a chance to release its flavor into the base. Dill sauce can be made ahead of time and then served when the fish is ready. This herb can also be served with meat, sprinkled in soups and stews, baked into biscuits, and added to dressings. The slender sprigs of fresh dill can either be wrapped in a damp paper towel and kept in the refrigerator for up to a week or snipped directly off the plant and used right away.
Cooking with herbs adds flavor to foods without a lot of sodium, so it is a good alternative for people watching their salt intake. Dried herbs are useful and keep longer than fresh, but they should be used within one to three years and stored in a cool dry place, such as a pantry. If they have no smell when crushed, they have probably lost their potency. Fresh herbs can be grown in the kitchen and used immediately. Numerous retailers sell kits that contain everything needed to start an herb garden, allowing cooks to enjoy fresh dill sauce anytime.
