Garlic Butter Pan-Seared Salmon (Printable)
Pan-seared salmon fillets coated in a rich, aromatic garlic butter and lemon sauce, ready in 25 minutes.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Fish
01 - 4 salmon fillets (about 6 oz each), skin-on or skinless
→ Garlic Butter Sauce
02 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
03 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
04 - Juice of 1/2 lemon
05 - Zest of 1/2 lemon
06 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
07 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
08 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
→ Optional Garnishes
09 - Lemon wedges
10 - Extra chopped parsley
# How To Make It:
01 - Pat the salmon fillets dry with paper towels and season both sides generously with salt and black pepper.
02 - Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Once the butter begins to foam, place the salmon fillets skin-side down. Sear for 4–5 minutes until a golden crust forms, then carefully flip and cook for another 2–3 minutes until nearly cooked through. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
03 - Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the same skillet. Add the minced garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute, stirring to prevent browning.
04 - Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and chopped parsley. Simmer for 30 seconds to allow the flavors to meld together.
05 - Return the salmon to the skillet, spooning the garlic butter sauce generously over each fillet. Cook for 1–2 more minutes until heated through and fully coated. Serve immediately, garnished with fresh parsley and lemon wedges.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The garlic butter sauce comes together in the same pan so you never lose a single bit of flavor.
- It looks like something from a restaurant menu but the whole thing takes barely twenty five minutes from fridge to plate.
02 -
- Overcooking salmon is the single biggest mistake home cooks make so pull it from the pan when the center still has a slight translucency.
- Using the same skillet for the sauce captures all the caramelized bits from the fish and that is where the deepest flavor lives.
03 -
- Swap parsley for fresh dill or chives when you want a different flavor without changing anything else about the recipe.
- A splash of white wine added to the sauce right before the lemon transforms the whole dish into something that tastes like a coastal bistro.