Garlic Butter Salmon (Printable)
Pan-seared salmon in a luscious garlic butter sauce with lemon and parsley, 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 garlic cloves, minced
04 - 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
05 - 1 teaspoon lemon zest
06 - 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
07 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
→ Optional Garnish
08 - Lemon wedges
09 - Additional fresh parsley
# How To Make It:
01 - Pat the salmon fillets dry with paper towels and season both sides generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
02 - Melt 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until foamy. Place the salmon fillets skin-side down and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until the bottom develops a golden crust and the flesh becomes mostly opaque.
03 - Carefully flip each fillet. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, minced garlic, and lemon zest to the pan. Cook for 2 to 3 additional minutes, continuously spooning the melted garlic butter over the salmon to baste it.
04 - Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the fillets and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Remove from heat as soon as the salmon flakes easily with a fork. Plate immediately and garnish with lemon wedges and extra parsley.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The garlic butter sauce practically makes itself while the salmon cooks, so you get a luxurious pan sauce with zero extra work.
- It is genuinely weeknight friendly, requiring only a handful of ingredients you probably already have.
- The fillets come out flaky and golden every single time, even if you are not confident cooking fish.
02 -
- Moving the salmon around while it sears prevents a proper crust from forming, so resist the urge to check underneath before four minutes have passed.
- Garlic burns quickly in hot butter, which is why it goes in after the flip rather than at the start when the pan is at its hottest.
03 -
- Take the salmon out of the fridge fifteen minutes before cooking so it comes closer to room temperature, which helps it cook evenly from edge to center.
- The most reliable doneness test is pressing the fillet gently with a fork: if it flakes apart along the natural lines, it is ready to come off the heat immediately.