20 Christmas Salmon Recipes for Your Holiday Dinner

These exciting Christmas salmon recipes will be the highlight of your holiday!

With tender salmon, you can create a festive feast that’s bright, flavorful, and elegant.

The mildly sweet flavor and flaky texture are a true holiday delight. 

From classics like Christmas-baked salmon to more elegant options like salmon terrine, there’s something here for everyone.

So, start some new holiday traditions with these festive Christmas salmon recipes!

1. Seared Salmon with Parsley Sauce 

If you want a special salmon dinner without too much fuss, smother it in parsley sauce. 

This creamy English sauce has that little something extra you don’t get all the time.

Plus, it calls for a bunch of everyday staples like milk, butter, mustard, and parsley.

And, it’s ready in 15 minutes. 

2. Beetroot-Cured Salmon

Glowing beetroot-cured salmon will catch everyone’s eye. 

And its vivacious color and subtle beet flavor will dazzle your guests with delight. 

When it comes to curing, you have two options: vodka or gin. If you want the milder of the two, go with gin.

3. Christmas Baked Salmon

Christmas-baked salmon is all dolled up for the holidays! 

A sweet honey butter glaze and creamy dill sauce dress up the fish. And it’s adorned with all the trimmings.

The festive holiday tapenade has cranberries, almonds, and parsley. Lemon juice and pomegranate seeds finish it off. 

4. Christmas Salmon

Have you ever seen a more picture-perfect seafood Christmas dinner?!

The salmon is radiating with a sweet pomegranate molasses glaze. It’s garnished with fresh rosemary sprigs and pomegranate seeds.

While it looks like a masterpiece, it couldn’t be easier. 

5. Salmon with Lemon Butter Sauce 

How does baked salmon smothered in a garlic creamy sauce sound?

It’s cozy and decadent, and everyone will love it.

Compared to a Christmas roast or ham, the amount of effort you put into this dish is minimal at best.

And it’s ready in a fraction of the time because it only takes 15 minutes.

6. Salmon en Croûte with Dill Sauce (Easy Salmon Wellington)

Impress your guests with this elegant and flavorful Salmon en Croûte with dill sauce! Think of it like beef Wellington but with flaky fish. 

It layers juicy salmon in a tender, buttery puff pastry crust and an earthy spinach filling. 

The fragrant dill sauce is the real star of this show and takes the flavors over the top.

7. Easy Salmon Terrine

Salmon terrine is a complicated dish, but this recipe makes your life so much easier!

It infuses bright herbs and a kiss of cayenne pepper for a little heat.

Adding smoked salmon delivers delicate smokiness and bakes to perfection in just 25 minutes. 

Serve this stunning centerpiece with crust bread and fresh herbs, and watch it disappear.

8. Pistachio-Crusted Salmon

Everything about this Christmas salmon recipe captures the feeling of the season.

The nutty, vibrant green pistachio crust is the perfect backdrop for the buttery flavors of salmon.

It’s crunchy and buttery with a delicate hint of citrus to lift all those hearty flavors. 

The best part? Everything comes together in just 30 minutes, and that includes prep time!

9. Everything Smoked Salmon Tart

Need something for Christmas breakfast? Try this easy yet impressive smoked salmon tart.

The base is frozen puff pastry sheets, so it’s super easy to prep.

Just add whipped cream cheese, smoked salmon, and some quick pickled onions for color.

There’s a recipe for everything bagel seasoning if you like. But if you can find it in the store (Trader Joe’s is the best!), go for it.

10. Orange Maple Glazed Salmon

Orange maple-glazed salmon is another one of those impressive recipes that’s deceptively easy. 

With tender salmon and a mouth-watering orange-maple glaze, it explodes with flavor. 

The flavors of maple and citrus pair perfectly with buttery salmon, and it all comes together in just 25 minutes.

11. 7 Layer Smoked Salmon Dip

Looking for a Christmas appetizer for your holiday party? The smoked salmon dip is almost always the life of the party. 

This 7-layer smoked salmon dip takes things to new heights. It layers smokey salmon, dill cream cheese, hearty veggies, and goat cheese. 

Top it with fresh herbs and crusty bread, and watch it disappear.

12. Salmon with Pesto and Roasted Cauliflower 

If you want a well-balanced Christmas dinner that’s fresh, cozy, and flavorful, this salmon plate checks all those boxes.

Flaky salmon rests on top of a bed of roasted cauliflower mixed with farro. Add a few spoonfuls of pesto to give it more oomph.

You get an elegant holiday meal out of just five ingredients.

13. Creamy Salmon Pasta

If you only make one dish for dinner this Christmas, make it this festive salmon dinner.

In between the linguine, spinach, and salmon filets, it’s a complete meal. 

But then you go on and drown it all in a creamy and zesty white wine-infused sauce, making it extravagant.

14. Smoked Salmon Blinis

Smoked salmon blinis are the ultimate party food. It’s simple, elegant, and brimming with flavor. 

Homemade blinis are light and pillowy- the perfect vehicle for smoked salmon and creme fraiche. 

Top each blini with fresh herbs, and be prepared for them to disappear in the blink of an eye.

15. Winter Citrus Butter Salmon

This winter citrus butter salmon will be the life of the party. It’s just so pretty! Luckily, it’s much more than a pretty face. 

Fragrant and floral blood oranges infuse bold citrus flavors into the salmon. Then, it’s brushed with herbal butter and topped with a winter citrus salsa. 

While it looks complicated, everything comes together in just 30 minutes.

16. Marinated Salmon

What’s the forecast for your Christmas? If it’s sunny, you should grill up this marinated salmon.

You make a sweet, garlicky, and umami marinade and let those gorgeous filets take a long bath. 

When the grill is hot and ready, toss them on for about 5 minutes on each side.

If the weather is dreary, you can also bake them in the oven.

17. Quick-Cured Lingonberry Salmon

What’s more Christmassy than Lingonberries? Lingonberries are tart, acidic, and slightly sweet. Which makes them the perfect pairing with buttery salmon. 

It’s a Christmas main course that looks so lovely on the dinner table. The bright red of the lingonberries with a hint of green from fresh herbs is perfection. 

Don’t worry, it tastes as good as it looks!

18. Baked Pesto Salmon

There are so many reasons why this is one of the best salmon recipes. You’ll want to have salmon for Christmas dinner every year after one bite!

Not only is it all that, but you only need four ingredients too. Fragrant pesto and buttery salmon are a flavor powerhouse.

Even when it’s not Christmas, you’ll want to make it all the time.

19. Cranberry Sauce Baked Salmon

With cranberries still in season, it’s a great time to bust out this dish.

You take freshly made cranberry sauce, coat the top of the salmon, and then bake. 

You can toss some Brussels sprouts on the side to check a green veggies side dish off the list, too.

The flavor combination is enticing and makes for an eye-catching centerpiece.

20. Crispy Garlic Parmesan Salmon

Decorate your salmon with a crispy garlic parmesan crust for a memorable Christmas dinner. 

It’s crispy, juicy, succulent, and tender.

And it’s a great way to make a lot of salmon, so it’s perfect for a big Christmas.