Salmon with leeks, peas & a Belgian Saison cream sauce
A lighter, brighter plate built for long spring evenings: golden salmon, buttery baby potatoes, sweet leeks and peas, finished with a peppery Saison cream sauce sharpened with Dijon and lemon.
Ingredients in two components
Component One
Salmon & Saison Cream Sauce
- 4salmon fillets
- 1 tbspolive oil
- 1 tsplemon zest
- 1 tbsplemon juice
- 1 tspDijon mustard
- 120 mlBelgian Saison beer
- 100 mlcream
- —fresh dill, to finish
- —salt & pepper, to taste
Component Two
Baby Potatoes, Leeks & Peas
- 300 gbaby potatoes
- 200 gleeks, thinly sliced
- 150 ggreen peas
- 40 gbutter (for potatoes & leeks)
- —fresh dill, chopped
- —salt & pepper, to taste
Directions step by step
Boil the baby potatoes
Wash the baby potatoes well and boil them whole in well-salted water for 15–20 minutes, until a knife slides in easily. Drain, then toss while still warm with a knob of butter, chopped fresh dill, salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.
Soften the leeks & peas
Heat the remaining butter in a pan over low-medium heat. Add the thinly sliced leeks and cook slowly for 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft, sweet and just turning golden at the edges. Add the green peas and cook for another 2–3 minutes, just enough to warm them through.
Sear the salmon
Pat the salmon fillets dry — wet skin will never crisp. Season with salt, pepper and the lemon zest. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat and cook the salmon for 3–4 minutes per side, depending on thickness, starting skin-side down for a crisp finish. Transfer to a warm plate and let rest briefly.
Build the Saison sauce
In the same pan, pour in the Belgian Saison beer along with the Dijon mustard and lemon juice. Let it simmer for 2–3 minutes, scraping up the salmon fond, until slightly reduced. Pour in the cream and cook for another 2–3 minutes until the sauce is smooth, glossy and lightly thickened. Taste and adjust the salt.
Plate & finish
Spoon the buttery baby potatoes onto each plate. Add a tangle of soft leeks and peas, then rest a salmon fillet on top. Drizzle the Saison cream sauce generously over the fish and scatter fresh dill across the whole plate.
Pour & enjoy
Pour a chilled Saison alongside and sit down to dinner. This is bright, fresh, elegant food — best eaten slowly with a window open onto a spring or summer evening.
The peppery brightness of a Belgian Saison
Saison is the original farmhouse refresher — dry, peppery, lightly fruity, with a clean snap that loves oily fish like salmon. It lifts the cream in the sauce instead of weighing it down, and brings a green, herbal quality that sits perfectly next to dill, leeks and peas.
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