Pan Grilled Salmon Recipe

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This pan-seared salmon is simple to prepare and beautifully presented. It is golden-crisp on top and barely cooked in the center.

This pan seared salmon is one of my go-to recipes when I need to hit the kitchen fast — it only takes 15 minutes from start to finish — and it’s also elegant. In fact, it’s how salmon is typically prepared in fine dining restaurants (the same goes for steak and scallops). This is really more of a technique than a recipe, and it’s simple to master at home.

Directions
  1. Bring the salmon to room temperature 10 minutes before cooking.
  2. Warm a large nonstick skillet with oil over medium-low heat. Season the fish with salt and pepper. Raise the heat to medium-high. …
  3. The skin can be served or removed easily with a knife or spoon.
  4. Transfer to a plate and serve as desired.

Easy Pan Seared Salmon Recipe with Lemon Butter

Pan Seared Salmon Recipe 🔗

Learn how to pan sear salmon perfectly every time! This 15-minute pan seared salmon recipe (pan fried salmon) is flaky and buttery inside, with a crust on the outside, crispy skin, and herb lemon butter sauce.

Prep: 9min

Total: 15min

Serving Size: 1 serving

Nutrition Facts: calories 542 kcal, Carbohydrate 1.6 g, Protein 34.4 g, Fat 42.6 g, Saturated Fat 16.5 g, Trans Fat 0.7 g, Cholesterol 139.2 mg, Sodium 832.5 mg, Fiber 0.2 g, Sugar 0.4 g, unSaturated Fat 13 g, servingSize 1 serving

Ingredients:

  • 4 6-ounce Salmon fillets ((skin on, about 1 inch thick))
  • 1 tsp Sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp Black pepper
  • 1 tbsp Olive oil
  • 6 tbsp Salted butter ((softened))
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Lemon juice
  • 4 cloves Garlic ((minced))
  • 1 tbsp Fresh dill ((chopped))
  • 1 tbsp Fresh parsley ((chopped))

Instruction:

  1. If your salmon fillets are not descaled, use a knife to gently scrape off the scales.
  2. In a small bowl, mash together the butter, lemon juice, garlic, dill, and parsley. Set aside.
  3. Use paper towels to pat the salmon fillets completely dry – this will ensure even browning.
  4. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, until shimmering and hot. (You can test that it’s hot enough by adding a drop of water to the pan; if it sizzles, the pan is ready.)
  5. Once the pan is hot, right before you are ready to sear the salmon, season both sides with sea salt and black pepper.
  6. Add the fish fillets to the pan in a single layer, skin side down. Use a fish spatula to press down on top of each fillet for the first 10 seconds immediately after adding it to the pan, to prevent curling. Sear, without moving, for 5-6 minutes, until the salmon is 80-90% opaque; only the top will be not quite done.
  7. Use the fish spatula to flip the salmon fillets. Working quickly, immediately add the herb butter mixture to the pan near (but not on top of) the salmon. Cook the salmon for about 1 minute, stirring the butter around the salmon as it melts, but without moving the salmon, until the seared salmon internal temperature reaches your desired doneness: 125 degrees F (51 degrees C) for medium rare, 130 degrees F (54 degrees C) for medium, or 140 degrees F (60 degrees C) for well done.
  8. Flip salmon over and spoon the lemon butter sauce over it. Remove from the pan immediately to avoid overcooking.

FAQ

Is it better to bake or pan fry salmon?

This method, which we recommend if you’re cooking four or fewer fillets, has you sear the fish in a pan on the stovetop first, which crisps the skin delectably and gives you beautiful, succulent fish that doesn’t require constant attention.

How does Gordon Ramsay cook salmon in a pan?

Place the salmon skin-side down in a large nonstick pan that has been heated to medium-high heat, add the olive oil, and season both sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook the salmon for 6-7 minutes, turning it over once.

Do you leave the skin on when pan searing salmon?

Keep the salmon’s skin on when cooking it because it serves as a protective barrier between the delicate flesh of the fish and a hot pan or grill. Start by cooking the salmon skin-side down and allow it to crisp up. It is much simpler to slide a fish spatula under the salmon’s skin than under its delicate flesh.

Do you flip salmon When pan frying?

To avoid the “sticking panic,” cook salmon skin side down and avoid flipping. Unless you have a well-seasoned cast iron grill or one of the really inexpensive portable grills with thin grates, the salmon flesh will likely stick.

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