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:
01 - Pat the salmon fillets dry with paper towels. Season both sides generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
02 - Heat 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until melted and foamy.
03 - Place the salmon fillets in the skillet, skin-side down if using skin-on. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until the bottom develops a golden crust and the flesh becomes mostly opaque.
04 - Flip the fillets and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, minced garlic, and lemon zest to the pan. Cook for 2 to 3 additional minutes, basting the salmon repeatedly with the melted garlic butter.
05 - Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the fillets and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Remove from heat once the salmon flakes easily when tested with a fork.
06 - Serve immediately, garnished with lemon wedges and additional parsley if desired.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The garlic butter sauce practically makes itself while the salmon cooks, so you get incredible flavor without any extra effort.
- It goes from raw to plate in under twenty minutes, which makes it perfect for those nights when takeout feels like the only option.
- Cleaning up is minimal since everything happens in one skillet, leaving you with more time to actually enjoy your evening.
02 -
- Pulling the salmon off the heat thirty seconds before you think it is ready will save you from dry, overcooked fish every single time because carryover cooking is real and ruthless.
- Garlic burns faster than you expect in hot butter, so add it after the flip rather than at the beginning and keep the pan moving.
03 -
- Take the salmon out of the fridge fifteen minutes before cooking so it comes closer to room temperature, which helps it cook evenly instead of staying cold in the center.
- Basting the top of the fillet with spoonfuls of the garlic butter as it cooks is the restaurant secret that makes this taste like you ordered it somewhere fancy.