This honey garlic salmon is a one-pot recipe that gets done in less than 20 minutes and with just 6 ingredients. This pan-fried salmon with garlic, honey, and lemon will soon become your next favorite meal.
Table of Content
Salmon and tuna are the family favorite fish in our home, raw or cooked. The best thing about fish is that it cooks in minutes, which means dinner or lunch is ready in minutes.
My kids love to eat this salmon with rice pilaf or turmeric rice with a side of roasted carrots or squash. And my personal favorite is a cherry tomato or avocado salad or cauliflower rice.
Why make this recipe?
- Salmon is super simple and easy to make, especially when combined with simple ingredients like these.
- Honey adds a nice sweetness to the salmon along with the rich buttery flavor. And the lemon adds a nice freshness.
- In fact, it is the brown butter flavor that sets this recipe apart from all the other recipes.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Salmon - Always make sure to buy your fish from a trusted source. I recommend Alaskan or Pacific salmon. You want the flesh to be moist, shiny, and bright in color. The skin will usually be silvery bright. It should not have a fish smell. In fact, a fishy smell is a good indication that it has been sitting out for a long time.
Also, leave the skin on when you pan sear it like this, as the skin prevents it from falling apart. - Butter - Adds a nice buttery flavor as well as a wonderfully nutty flavor when browned. Therefore, I highly recommend you add the butter.
- Honey - I like to use pure honey, but you can also use maple syrup.
- Garlic - Adds a wonderful flavor. And yet, a little bit goes a long way. So, don't put too much.
Step by step instructions
- Take the salmon out of the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to an hour. Cut it to size if necessary, pat dry with a paper towel.
Pro tip - Soaking fish in milk for 15 minutes helps reduce the fishy smell (optional). - In a skillet, heat the oil, place the salmon skin-side down. A cast-iron skillet or this frying pan works best for this recipe as it spreads the heat evenly.
Pro tip - Keep the heat to medium-high and don't flip the fish for the first two minutes. This will ensure you have nice crispy skin.
- Cook for 6 to 8 minutes carefully flipping on all sides every 2 minutes (see video).
Pro tip - Salmon is very delicate, so use tongs and don't move and flip too often. Give it a minute on each side. - Then, remove from the pan and set aside.
Pro tip - We remove the salmon from the pan to prevent it from overcooking. Use a flat spatula to lift the salmon up and out of the pan.
Garlic honey sauce
- To the same skillet, on medium-low heat, add the butter and garlic, and cook for a minute until fragrant. Then, add the lemon juice and honey, and cook for another minute.
Pro tip - Butter, garlic, and honey can all burn easily so keep the heat on medium-low and do not overcook the sauce. - Next, add the parsley and return the salmon back to the pan. Cook for 2 minutes coating well with the sauce.
Pro tip - Do not overcook the fish and sauce at this time as the butter will burn and the honey will caramelize. - Remove from heat and let rest for 3 to 5 minutes before you serve.
- The recommended internal temperature for cooking salmon is - medium 145 F to 147 F or 60 to 63°C
- But, it can also be served at medium-rare 122 to 127°F or 50 to 53°C (this is what I served my salmon today)
Pro tip - Resting will continue to cook the salmon further.
- Salmon Cooking Temperature
- It is recommended that salmon be fully cooked at medium, which is an internal temperature of about 145 F to 147 F or 60 to 63°C (measure at the thickest part of the fish).
- But, salmon can be eaten medium-rare if you buy from a trusted source. The internal temperature for medium-rare should be about 122 to 127°F or 50 to 53°C (this is what I like to serve my salmon).
Frequently asked questions
This cooked honey garlic salmon will keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. You can reheat it in the microwave at 30-second intervals until warm for serving again.
There are a few things you can do.
1. Soak the fish in milk for 20 minutes.
2. Give the fish a squeeze of lemon which can give a fish a lemon flavor. You can omit lemon in the recipe of course.
I prefer the first method.
You can remove the salmon skin but you run the risk of it falling apart. The skin helps to keep the fish in place. So, even if you don't plan to eat the skin at least cook it with the skin on. To remove the skin, just peel it off or lift the fish off. It does peel off very easily.
It is recommended that salmon be fully cooked at an internal temperature of about 145 F (measure at the thickest part of the fish). Having said that, a good quality salmon can be eaten at medium-rare, which is what I do. Because I like to serve my salmon at 135 F.
You can even try a side of simple salad such as celery, carrots, cabbage, etc. or a side dish such as:
Skinny Mashed Potatoes,
Oven-Baked Potato Wedges or Potato Chips
Garlic Parmesan Asparagus or sesame green beans
Easy Swiss Chard Patties or spinach potato patties
Roasted Lemon Dill Potatoes - or garlic roasted potatoes
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Recipe
Honey Garlic Salmon
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Video
Ingredients
- 2 (350 g) Salmon fillets (about 6 to 8 oz each)
- 1 tbsp Cooking oil
- 1 tsp Garlic sliced
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 1 tbsp Lemon (or white vinegar)
- 2 tbsp Honey
- 4 tbsp Parsley chopped finely
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Pepper
Instructions
- Take the salmon out of the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to an hour. Cut it to size if necessary, pat dry with a paper towel.Pro tip - Soaking fish in milk for 15 minutes helps reduce the fishy smell (optional).
- In a skillet, heat the oil, place the salmon skin-side down. A cast-iron skillet or frying pan works best for this recipe as it spreads heat evenly. Pro tip - Keep the heat to medium-high and don't flip the fish for the first two minutes. This will ensure you have nice crispy skin.
- Cook for 6 to 8 minutes carefully flipping on all sides every 2 minutes (see video).Pro tip - Salmon is very delicate, so use tongs and don't move and flip too often. Give it a minute on each side.
- Then, remove from the pan and set aside.Pro tip - We remove it from the pan after a few minutes to prevent it from overcooking. Use a flat spatula to lift the salmon up and out of the pan.
- To the same skillet, on medium-low heat, add the butter and garlic, and cook for a minute until fragrant. Then, add the lemon juice and honey, and cook for another minute.Pro tip - Butter, garlic, and honey can all burn easily so keep the heat on medium-low and do not overcook the sauce.
- Next, add the parsley and return the salmon back to the pan. Cook for 2 minutes coating well with the sauce. Pro tip - Do not overcook the fish and sauce at this time as the butter will burn and the honey will caramelize.
- Remove from heat and let rest for 3 to 5 minutes before you serve.The recommended internal temperature for cooking salmon is - medium 145 F to 147 F or 60 to 63°C.But, it can also be served at medium-rare 122 to 127°F or 50 to 53°C (this is what I served my salmon today).Pro tip - Resting will continue to cook the salmon further.
Recipe Notes
- Ask the fishmonger/ butcher to clean the fish for you. Make sure he removes the pin bones. If not, use a pair of tweezers to remove them before you cook it. These small pin bones can be very unpleasant when swallowed.
- Keep the skin on as it prevents the salmon from falling apart during cooking.
- Score a few lines on the skin before cooking. This will prevent it from shrinking during cooking.
- Pat dry the fish well before you season it. The seasoning will stick better and the water won't create a big messy splatter as soon as it hits the oil.
- Heat the oil /butter in the pan well before you add the salmon or the skin will stick to the pan. I always prefer using a non-stick frying pan for cooking fish
- Always start by cooking the fish skin side down. This will give you crispy skin, keeps the fish moist, and also prevent you from overcooking it when you flip it
- Use high heat at the beginning when cooking the skin. This will prevent it from sticking. But, lower the heat a minute later so the fish does not dry out.
- Use a flexible spatula to hold the fish down when you just add it to the pan. This will prevent the skin from shrinking too much
- Do not make haste to flip the fish fillet as it will cause the skin to separate from the skin.
- The fish will take a lot less time to cook on the other side. This is before most of the cooking happens when it is on the skin side down.
- Note that the salmon will continue to cook even after it has been taken out of the pan
Salmon cooking temperature
- It is recommended that salmon be fully cooked at medium which is an internal temperature of about 145 F to 147 F or 60 to 63°C (measure at the thickest part of the fish).
- But, salmon can be eaten medium-rare if you buy from a trusted source. The internal temperature for medium-rare should be about 122 to 127°F or 50 to 53°C (this is what I like to serve my salmon)
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Beth
This recipe is so delicious and very tasty! My daughter and I absolutely loved this recipe! Easy and perfect for dinner!
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Beth.
Alison
I was planning to make salmon tonight for dinner and wanted to try a new recipe! So glad I came across this recipe!
Biana
Yum! This salmon recipe looks so simple to make, and very flavorful. Perfect for dinner.
Jacqueline Debono
What a beautiful way to cook salmon. I love the honey, lemon and garlic combo for the sauce. On my to make list!
SML
I'm surprised no-one else appears to have mentioned it, but I do get annoyed when amounts are not given in recipes - in this case, there's nothing to suggest WHAT amount of GARLIC to use!
While I generally love your recipes, Veena, this omission is annoying as I don't want to overdo it, but equally don't want to end up with a tastelessly meal.
So, what is the approximate amount> 1 clove, 2? more? or 1/23 teaspoon crushed, or WHAT, please??
Veena Azmanov
My apologies, SML. That would upset me too. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. Just fixed it. You will need one small about a teaspoon of garlic.
Andrea Howe
This recipe looks so easy and flavorful! We love salmon in our house, but it can often dry out if not cooked right. I love this method for cooking fish and I think the sauce will help it stay really moist and flavorful. Thanks for sharing!
Julie
This honey garlic salmon is so easy to make and very flavorful. Perfect for a quick weeknight meal.
Jo
That salmon looks absolutely delicious! The flavors are perfect for my taste preference. I love quick dinner meal, and this is perfect for those busy week days meals
Veena Azmanov
Thanks Jo, happy you enjoyed it
Nicole Washington
What a great flavor for Salmon! We eat salmon a lot so I'm going to have to try this recipe.
Christine
I love this recipe because it's so quick and easy - Perfect for a busy weeknight dinner. It's tender and has SO much flavor! I love to serve it with some rice or roasted veggies.
Veena Azmanov
Thanks, Christine. Happy to hear that