Garlic Butter Pan-Seared Salmon (Printer-friendly)
Pan-seared salmon fillets topped with rich garlic butter and lemon sauce for an elegant dinner.
# What you'll need:
→ Fish
01 - 4 salmon fillets (about 6 oz each), skin on or off
→ Garlic Butter Sauce
02 - 4 tbsp unsalted butter
03 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 lemon, zested and juiced
05 - 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
06 - 1 tbsp olive oil
07 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
→ Garnish
08 - Lemon wedges, for serving
09 - Additional chopped parsley, optional
# Method:
01 - Pat salmon fillets dry with paper towels and season both sides generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place salmon fillets skin-side down and sear for 4-5 minutes until the skin turns crispy and the fillet is nearly cooked through.
03 - Flip salmon and cook for another 2-3 minutes until it reaches your preferred doneness. Remove from the skillet and set aside on a warm plate.
04 - In the same skillet, reduce heat to medium and add the butter. Once melted, add minced garlic and sauté for about 1 minute until fragrant, being careful not to let it brown.
05 - Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, and half the chopped parsley. Let the sauce simmer for 30 seconds to combine the flavors.
06 - Return salmon to the skillet and spoon the garlic butter sauce generously over the fillets. Cook for 1 more minute so the flavors meld together.
07 - Transfer salmon to serving plates, drizzle with any remaining sauce from the pan, and garnish with fresh lemon wedges and the remaining chopped parsley.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The entire dish comes together in under half an hour, which means you can pull it off on a weeknight without breaking a sweat.
- That garlic butter sauce spooned over the top turns a simple piece of fish into something genuinely special.
02 -
- Do not move the salmon around while it sears, patience is what creates that crust and flipping too early will tear the skin.
- Garlic goes from fragrant to bitter in seconds so have your lemon zest and juice measured and ready before the garlic hits the pan.
03 -
- Start checking the salmon a minute before you think it is done because carryover cooking will finish the job once you pull it from the heat.
- Basting the fish repeatedly with the butter sauce in that final minute is the single thing that elevates this from good to unforgettable.