Garlic Butter Pan-Seared Salmon (Printable)
Pan-seared salmon fillets with rich garlic butter, lemon, and fresh parsley 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
# Steps:
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 is crispy and the fillet is nearly cooked through.
03 - Flip salmon and cook for another 2–3 minutes until just cooked to your preferred doneness. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
04 - In the same skillet, reduce heat to medium and add the butter, allowing it to melt. Add minced garlic and sauté for about 1 minute until fragrant, being careful not to brown it.
05 - Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, and half of the chopped parsley. Let the sauce simmer for 30 seconds to bring the flavors together.
06 - Return salmon to the skillet and spoon the garlic butter sauce over the fillets. Cook for 1 more minute so the flavors meld.
07 - Plate the salmon, drizzle with extra sauce from the pan, and garnish with fresh lemon wedges and remaining parsley if desired.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The garlic butter sauce comes together in the same pan, so you get maximum flavor with almost zero cleanup.
- It looks fancy enough for date night but honestly takes less than thirty minutes from fridge to plate.
02 -
- If the garlic even hints at turning brown, pull the pan off the heat immediately because burnt garlic will ruin the entire sauce with bitterness.
- Letting the salmon rest for a minute off heat before serving keeps it juicy rather than having all those juices run onto the plate.
03 -
- Press down gently on each fillet right after placing it in the pan so the entire skin makes contact and crisps evenly.
- The sauce comes together in under two minutes, so have your lemon juiced and parsley chopped before the salmon leaves the pan.