23 Recipes With Dill, From Pickles and Potato Salad to Soup and Salmon

This pretty, fragrant herb enlivens a wide variety of dishes.

cheaters deviled eggs
Photo: Raymond Hom

Is there any dish dill doesn't give a lift to? As these recipes with dill show, it pairs wonderfully with potatoes and eggs, delicate fish, salmon, cucumbers, mushrooms, sour cream, and of course, pickles. It’s just as well-suited to Central- and Eastern-European flavors as it is to Nordic, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and even Southeast Asian. There is abundant use of fresh dill in Persian cooking, where it's used in rice in meaty braises, and the herb-filled frittatas of spring reach back many centuries. Dill also finds its place in the Russian salmon-stuffed pie called coulibiac as well as in Hungarian and Ukrainian cabbage dishes and Jewish comfort food, such as chicken soup with matzo balls. 

Dill is considered one of the soft herbs, along with tarragon, parsley, chervil, and chives. It’s also one of the prettiest herbs in the garden. Its soft, wispy fronds sit on tall stalks, and as the summer goes on, wide, spiked heads with tiny yellow flowers shoot out like fireworks in the garden.  When its flowers have finished blooming, the dill plant drops small, flat, brown seeds. From stem to seed, dill has many uses in the kitchen—especially for pickling. The fresh fronds are lovely when added to the jar of summer pickles, and the seeds can be used year-round. Use our dill recipes to celebrate this wonderful herb in all kinds of delicious ways.  

01 of 23

Poached Salmon With Potatoes, Cucumbers, and Buttermilk Dill Dressing

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Bryan Gardner

The key to tender poached salmon is in this recipe. Once the poaching liquid has come to a boil, remove the salmon from the heat and let it cook in the liquid as it gradually cools down. Simple, steamed potatoes and herbed buttermilk dressing bring balance to this dish.

02 of 23

Dill, Potato, and Egg Salad

dill, potato, and egg salad
Petrina Tinslay

This is a European approach to potato salad, perhaps more French than German–with shallots, the tiny pickles called cornichons, a spoonful of Dijon mustard, and no mayonnaise. Boiled eggs add protein, and dill brings freshness— vivre le summer!

03 of 23

Zucchini Dill Pickles

zucchini dill pickles
Dana Gallagher

Quick pickles, aka refrigerator pickles, are easy to make, and here we have some helpful tips. Adding fresh dill and a variety of aromatic seeds to them is a surefire way to pack loads of flavor into a jar.

04 of 23

French-Cut Green Beans With Dill Butter

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Make this when summer’s green beans appear in your garden or the market. It’s very simple and very refined. “Frenching” the green beans means that you slice them in half, making them extra tender.

05 of 23

Greek-Chicken One-Pan Pasta

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Courtesy of Yunhee Kim

Here is a clever way to poach chicken pieces while creating a pasta dinner at the same time. It simmers gently in chicken broth with lemon zest, and dill adds fresh flavor, for a one-pot wonder.

06 of 23

Sauteed Black Sea Bass With Capers and Herb-Butter Sauce

Sautéed Sea Bass

Rachel Marek

Fresh dill and other soft herbs stirred into a quick pan sauce of vermouth, capers and butter is a sensational and simple way to dress fish fillets. More than a recipe, this gives you straightforward instructions with extra information about technique and variations.

07 of 23

Salmon Coulibiacs

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John Kernick

Salmon coulibiac is a banquet-worthy Russian dish that Martha turned into something humbler and more manageable, salmon hand pies. They're made with store-bought puff pastry for ease and feature a double dose of dill—in the filling and in the Sour-Cream-and-Dill Sauce that goes with them. (It would be also be good spooned onto zucchini fritters, potato pancakes, or baked potatoes.)

08 of 23

Chicken Soup With Dill Spaetzle

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Sharon Radisch

Keep this spaetzle recipe in mind for rainy days, and year-round comfort. Like a pasta-dumpling hybrid, the batter is pushed through the holes of a colander into a pot of simmering soup.

09 of 23

Cheater’s Deviled Eggs

cheaters deviled eggs
Raymond Hom

Okay, so maybe this isn’t strictly a dill recipe. Then again, it’s not a cheat either- because sometimes a dill sprig for garnish is all you need. The dill adds its herby flavor to sliced hard-boiled eggs on crackers, and dresses them up too.

10 of 23

Mustard-Glazed Salmon

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This is a really simple recipe for salmon with mustard, lemon and olive oil, it just gets a quick brushing of the glaze. Perfectly easy to make for one, two, or many.

11 of 23

Cucumber Red Onion and Dill Salad

cucumber and red onion salad

When you’re looking for a cool, tasty side dish this summer, try this salad. Simply slice, toss, and chill.

12 of 23

Beet-and-Dill-Roasted Wild Salmon

beet dill wild roasted salmon

When wild salmon is available, we consider ourselves lucky to be able to enjoy it. Show it off with this vibrant and flavorful marinade of beets, horseradish, dill, and lemon.

13 of 23

Fast Homemade Pickles

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Follow this recipe for versatile bread-and-butter-style pickles. A generous amount of fresh dill, with celery, mustard seeds, and turmeric make a flavorful base, and you choose the vegetables you wish to pickle.

14 of 23

Matzo Ball Soup

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Kate Mathis

It’s not just for Passover; Jewish luncheonettes and delis serve matzo ball soup all year long, and you should consider it any time you want to cheer someone up. Dill adds its perfume to this clear broth.

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Farfalle Pasta With Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese

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It’s all here in one pot: smoked salmon and capers, cream cheese and dill. Together they melt into a luscious sauce to coat pasta for a no-fuss dinner.

16 of 23

Jewish-Deli Strata

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Yunhee Kim

Brunch guests won’t miss the bagels and cream cheese when you bring this strata to the table. It’s got all the familiar flavors, including salmon and fresh dill, but it’s more filling and impressive.

17 of 23

Fish-Soup Avgolemono

fish-soup avgolemono served with fresh herbs
Christopher Testani

Here the bright, lemony goodness of the famed Greek chicken soup is made with seafood broth for a fresh take on a classic. Use your choice of fresh fish to poach in the broth and add fresh dill for serving.

18 of 23

Leek-and-Asparagus Crispy Rice

Leek-and-Asparagus Crispy Rice
Ren Fuller

Fried rice can be a skillet dinner, lunch, or even a savory breakfast when you add an egg to it. This crisped pan-full with an egg on top could be served Bibimbap-style, if you chose to crack an egg into the hot skillet at the last minute and stir it into the rice.

19 of 23

Cucumber Salad With Sour Cream and Dill

cucumber salad with sour cream and dill dressing in bowl

This is as simple as stirring together the dressing ingredients and slicing the cucumbers. If you have extra it will keep for two days or more, just keep it chilled, and pour off any liquid in the bowl before serving.

20 of 23

Roasted Salmon With Herbed Yogurt

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A whole side or individual portions of salmon are kept moist and tender with a coating of yogurt and mustard. Flavor it with fresh dill and serve pretty dill sprigs on the side.

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Salmon and Zucchini Baked in Parchment

Salmon and cucumber cooked food en papillote

Try adding freshly chopped dill in place of dried dill in this recipe and double the amount. If you haven’t tried cooking fish in parchment, we recommend you do it to see how easy, and light your fish preparation—and clean-up—can be.

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Herby Spinach-and-Rice Soup With Turmeric

Herby Spinach-and-Rice Soup with Turmeric
Con Poulos

Handfuls of greens plus fresh dill and other herbs add to the layers of flavor in this soup. Between the healthful greens, the turmeric, and dollop of yogurt, this Persian-inspired dish is a bowl of goodness.

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Freezer Dill Pickles

freezer pickles jar
Peter Ardito

You've heard of refrigerator pickles? What about freezer pickles? This recipe is quick and simple, and if you make them in small batches, you can defrost them in no time for a picnic or cookout.

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