Garlic Butter Pan-Seared Salmon (Printable)
Pan-seared salmon fillets finished with a rich garlic butter, lemon, and parsley sauce for an elegant dinner.
# What You 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
# Directions:
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 to 5 minutes until the skin turns crispy and the fillet is nearly cooked through.
03 - Flip the salmon and cook for another 2 to 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. Add the butter and allow it to melt completely. Add the minced garlic and sauté for about 1 minute until fragrant, being careful not to let it brown.
05 - Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and half of the chopped parsley. Let the sauce simmer gently for 30 seconds to combine the flavors.
06 - Return the salmon fillets to the skillet and spoon the garlic butter sauce generously over each piece. Cook for 1 more minute so the flavors meld together.
07 - Transfer the 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 garlic butter sauce comes together in the same pan, so you get maximum flavor with almost zero extra effort.
- It tastes like something you would order at a nice restaurant, but it genuinely takes less than half an hour from fridge to plate.
02 -
- If the butter starts browning before you add the garlic, pull the pan off the heat for a few seconds because burnt butter will turn the entire sauce bitter.
- Letting the salmon rest for a minute off heat before serving helps the juices redistribute so the fish stays moist instead of leaking onto the plate.
03 -
- Take the salmon out of the fridge about fifteen minutes before cooking so it comes closer to room temperature, which helps it cook evenly from edge to center.
- Taste the sauce before returning the fish to the pan and adjust salt or lemon juice accordingly, because once the salmon is back in you lose the chance to fine tune.