Garlic Butter Salmon Fillet (Print View)
Pan-seared salmon in rich garlic butter sauce with lemon and parsley, ready in 25 minutes.
# What You 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 parsley
# How-To Steps:
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 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 4–5 minutes until the bottom is golden and the salmon is mostly opaque.
04 - Flip the fillets and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, minced garlic, and lemon zest to the pan. Cook for 2–3 more minutes, basting the salmon occasionally with the melted garlic butter.
05 - Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the fillets and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Remove from heat when the salmon flakes easily with a fork.
06 - Serve immediately, garnished with lemon wedges and extra parsley if desired.
# Expert Hints:
01 -
- The garlic butter sauce spoons over everything beautifully, so make extra rice or bread to soak it up.
- It turns a plain weeknight into something that feels like you ordered room service at a nice hotel.
02 -
- Wet salmon will steam instead of sear, so dry it like your reputation depends on it.
- Adding a splash of dry white wine with the garlic creates a pan sauce that will make people think you trained in France.
03 -
- Take the salmon out of the fridge fifteen minutes before cooking so it cooks evenly instead of cold in the center.
- A thin fish spatula is the one tool that makes flipping delicate fillets feel effortless instead of stressful.