Salmon Sliders with Dill Yogurt Sauce

Looking for a fun and flavorful handheld appetizer to whip up quickly? These Salmon Sliders with Dill Yogurt Sauce are incredibly flavorful, easy to make, and come together quickly and easily for a delicious and satisfying light bite.

One of my favorite pescatarian appetizer recipes (along with these Shrimp Nachos!), these fun-sized sandwiches consist of Cajun blackened salmon, a creamy, lemony Dill yogurt sauce, and other fresh toppings sandwiched between a fluffy and doughy Hawaiian Roll.

In this recipe, you’ll learn how to whip up a homemade Greek yogurt dill & lemon sauce. You’ll also learn how to prep salmon to make sliders and how to blacken salmon.

Plus, this recipe gives you detailed instructions for assembling your Salmon Sliders and plenty of topping options to make this recipe your own!

As a multitasking mom with a preference for fine food, I love an elevated recipe like this that requires less than 10 ingredients and 30 minutes to make!

Salmon Sliders with Dill Yogurt Sauce Ingredients

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Here’s everything you need for the sliders:

• Salmon. 10 ounces of fresh or frozen (thawed) skinless salmon.
• Cajun seasoning. You can easily make your own homemade Cajun seasoning, or you can substitute Old Bay Seasoning or even blackening seasoning.
• Tomato & greens. And any other toppings you please.
• Hawaiian rolls. Or other mini hamburger buns.

Here’s everything you need for the Greek Yogurt Dill Sauce:

• Greek yogurt. Plain, unflavored. You can use low or no fat versions.
• Lemon juice. This recipe calls for just 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. One lemon typically holds about 4 tablespoons of juice.
• Dill. Fresh dill is best in this recipe, but you can also use dried.

Optional additional toppings or topping swaps:

• Caramelized Onions and Mushrooms
• Any cheese you may serve with a salmon burger works well here, too. I like Gouda, Gruyere, Havarti, or Pepperjack Cheese.
• Pickles or capers.
• Fried egg.
• Red onion.
• Avocado or Guacamole.

How to Make Greek Yogurt Dill Sauce

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How to Finely Chop Fresh Dill

For this lemony yogurt-based dill sauce, you’ll want to finely chop your fresh dill.

Slide the dill off of the large stem (keep the smaller stems—they pack tons of flavor!) and use a sharp knife to chop the dill. Continue to chop until you’re left with small, fine pieces.

Use Fresh Lemon Juice in your Yogurt Sauce

For the sauce, you only need one tablespoon of lemon juice, which you will typically get from approximately 1/4 of a lemon. I love using fresh lemon juice for the most flavor, but you can also use pre-squeezed lemon juice.

I highly recommend using a citrus squeezer to express the juice from your lemon. This will not only get the most juice out of your lemon, but it also will catch the lemon seeds, so they don’t fall into your juice.

If you don’t have one, just make sure to add your lemon juice to the bowl first so you have the opportunity to remove any seeds that fall into the bowl before adding the yogurt.

Add All the Dill Sauce Ingredients Together

Add the chopped dill, lemon juice, and Greek Yogurt to a bowl and whisk to combine. Continue to whisk until smooth, and the lemon juice is completely integrated into the yogurt.

You can use low fat or nonfat Greek yogurt, just make sure you get it plain or unflavored.

How to Make Blackened Salmon Sliders

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Pat Dry Your Salmon First

Before seasoning the salmon, remove excess moisture. This will not only help the seasoning adhere to the salmon, but will also give you the best texture on your salmon when it’s blackened.

Use a paper towel to press down lightly on both sides of the salmon to pat it dry. Drying the fish will avoid a mushy texture, so I use this same technique while making other salmon recipes.

Consider these bamboo paper towels! Bamboo naturally regenerates every few months, whereas trees cannot regrow once harvested.

I made this recipe with fresh fish, but you can also very easily use frozen salmon! Just make sure to thaw the salmon overnight in the refrigerator or add it to a plastic or reusable storage bag and submerge the bag in cold water for about 45 minutes to defrost it first.

Slice Salmon into Slider-Sized Pieces

Use a sharp knife to slice the salmon into perfect slider-sized portions.

Ten ounces of salmon will be enough to make about 6 sliders. Slice the salmon into 6 roughly equal-sized chunks. Each piece will be about 1-2 inches long on each side.

If you have salmon with the skin on and need to remove it, you can do so with a sharp knife.

Coat the Salmon Completely in Cajun Seasoning

To blacken the salmon, we want to add an even layer of seasoning to the fish. This will turn into a crispy blackened crust as you cook it.

For this simple salmon recipe, I like to use Cajun seasoning. It brings a little heat to the fish and is bold enough to hold its own against the lemony dill yogurt sauce.

If you don’t have Cajun Seasoning, you can easily substitute Old Bay Seasoning, or make your own blackening seasoning as detailed in this recipe for Blackened Mahi-Mahi.

Add the seasoning to a shallow bowl and dip your salmon into the seasoning on either side, coating both sides completely in a thin layer of spices.

Get the Olive Oil Hot in the Pan

You can either use a cast iron skillet or a nonstick frying pan to blacken your salmon. Whichever you choose, make sure it has a fitted lid.

We will be covering the pan while the fish is frying to trap heat and avoid oil splatter, for a more even and less messy cook.

Coat the bottom of your pan with olive oil and turn your stove up to medium heat, allowing the oil to heat before adding the Cajun seasoning-coated salmon to your pan to blacken.

Blacken the Salmon in a Pan

Once your oil is hot, add the salmon to the pan—you should hear a sizzling sound the moment you drop your fish in! Then, immediately cover with a lid to avoid any hot oil splatter.

Cook the salmon for 5 minutes covered over medium heat before flipping. It should be very easy to flip. If the fish is sticking to the pan at all, don’t force it!

When it’s fully blackened and the seasoning creates an outer crust, it very easily lifts off the pan. If it’s stuck, give it another minute or two over medium heat before trying to flip again.

After both sides are blackened, check the internal temperature of the thickest part of the fish. Ideally, the fish will be anywhere from 125-145°F.

Slice Your Buns and Tomato

Slice your Hawaiian rolls in two, so you are left with a top half and bottom half.

Then, use a super sharp or serrated knife to slice your tomato into 6 thin slices. Then, you can cut out the stem from the center piece.

How to Assemble Salmon Sliders

Once your sauce, salmon, buns, and tomatoes are prepped, it’s time to assemble your Blackened Salmon Sliders.

I like to add a thin layer of greens to the bottom half of the bun first and stack the tomato slice on top. This will act as a buffer between the bun and the juicy tomato so that the bun doesn’t get soggy.

Then, I add the blackened salmon on top of the tomato and smother it in the Greek yogurt dill and lemon sauce. Add the top half of the bun, and there you have it! Delicious salmon sliders.

How to Serve Blackened Salmon Sliders

I like to serve my Salmon Sliders with a lemon wedge and extra sauce. If you want to eat these sliders as your main mean, try one of these complimentary sides:

• Old Bay Fries with Quick Aioli
• Roasted Teriyaki Brussels Sprouts
• Stovetop Creamed Asparagus

Storing and Reheating Cajun Salmon Sliders

In an airtight container, leftover salmon sliders will last for 3 days in the refrigerator. The sliders can be enjoyed cold right out of the fridge.

If you wish to reheat them, it’s best to do so in the oven. Add the sliders to a baking sheet and preheat your oven to 350°F. Rehat for 8-14 minutes, until the leftover salmon reaches an internal temperature of 145°F.

Why You Should Make these Salmon Sliders with Dill Yogurt Sauce

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• The texture! Crispy blackened salmon with a juicy and flaky interior, creamy sauce, doughy buns, and the perfect bite from the tomato and greens.
• They’re bursting with flavor. Between the Cajun seasoning used to blacken the salmon, the toppings, and the tangy, citrus-y dill sauce, these sliders boast SO MUCH flavor.
• They’re quick! With only 10 minutes of cooking time and quick prep and assembly, this dish comes together in less than 30 minutes.