Garlic Butter Salmon Fillets (Printable)
Pan-seared salmon in rich 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, pin bones removed
→ Garlic Butter Sauce
02 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
03 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
05 - 1 teaspoon lemon zest
06 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
07 - 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
08 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
→ Garnish
09 - Lemon wedges, for serving
10 - Extra chopped fresh parsley (optional)
# How to Make It:
01 - Pat the salmon fillets dry with paper towels and season both sides evenly with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
02 - Set a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of the butter, allowing it to melt until slightly foamy.
03 - Place the salmon fillets in the skillet skin-side down. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until the skin turns golden and crispy and the flesh is nearly cooked through.
04 - Carefully flip each fillet and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter along with the minced garlic to the pan. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, continuously spooning the melted garlic butter over the fillets.
05 - Pour in the lemon juice and sprinkle the lemon zest over the fillets, swirling the pan to combine all the flavors. Remove from heat and garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
06 - Transfer the salmon to warm plates, spoon the pan sauce over each fillet, and serve immediately with lemon wedges and additional parsley if desired.
# Expert Hacks:
01 -
- The garlic butter sauce practically makes itself right in the pan, so you get an elegant finish with almost no extra effort.
- Crispy skin on the salmon is one of those restaurant textures that is shockingly easy to achieve at home once you know the trick.
02 -
- If the salmon curls when you lay it in the pan, press it down gently with a spatula for the first thirty seconds so the skin makes even contact with the surface.
- Adding the garlic after the flip rather than at the beginning prevents it from burning and turning bitter while the skin crisps.
03 -
- The single most important moment in this recipe is leaving the fish completely alone while the skin sears, because moving it too early tears the skin and ruins the crust.
- Remove the salmon from the heat when the center is still slightly translucent because carryover cooking will finish it perfectly by the time it reaches the table.