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Looking for an easy way to meet your protein goals and still thrill your taste buds? Say hello to Brown Butter Salmon. With only three main ingredients and about 15 minutes on the clock, you get nutty, caramel notes from browned butter, sweet garlic, and a glossy finish that tastes like a night out.
A Cafe Delites original, this brown butter honey garlic salmon starts with salmon steaks pan fried in browned butter, then kissed under the grill or broiler for about 6 minutes until golden, crispy, and caramelised. The browned butter sinks into every flake, while the honey and garlic create a rich, sticky glaze. If you have been hunting for a weeknight-easy brown butter salmon recipe, this honey brown butter salmon is the one to save.
What Makes This Recipe Work
Brown butter builds deep, nutty flavor in minutes. This Brown Butter Salmon sears in one pan, then finishes under the broiler for a golden, caramelised crust. With only three main ingredients and about 15 minutes, the method is quick, reliable, and easy to clean up.
Honey and garlic reduce into a glossy glaze that clings to the fish, giving crispy edges and a tender, flaky center. The technique works with fillets or steaks, so this brown butter honey garlic salmon fits busy weeknights yet tastes restaurant quality. If you want a brown butter salmon recipe you can count on, this honey brown butter salmon delivers every time.
What Goes Into Brown Butter Salmon
A handful of pantry staples make this Brown Butter Salmon shine. We brown the butter first, then let honey and garlic glaze the fish before a quick broil.
- Salmon Fillets: Four wild caught fillets, about 250 grams each, skin on or off. Thick enough to sear and stay juicy.
- Unsalted Butter: ¼ cup that browns to a nutty, toasty base for the sauce.
- Honey: ¼ cup for gentle sweetness that caramelises under the broiler.
- Garlic: Three cloves, minced, bloomed in the hot brown butter for mellow depth.
Note: Please see recipe card at the bottom for a full list of ingredients with measurements.
How To Make Brown Butter Salmon
- Position And Preheat: Set the oven shelf about 8 inches from the heat element. Preheat to broil (grill) while you start the pan.
- Brown The Butter: Melt butter in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Swirl and cook until the foam settles and it smells nutty.
- Build The Sauce: Pour in honey to dissolve. Add garlic and sauté about 1 minute, then stir in lemon juice to balance the sweetness.
- Sear The Salmon: Add salmon to the skillet, skin side down if using skin. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, basting the tops with the pan butter.
- Season Generously: Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Keep basting as the underside turns golden and the edges start to look opaque.
- Add The Citrus: Tuck wedges around the salmon in the skillet. The heat will help them release juice and perfume the sauce.
- Broil To Finish: Transfer the skillet to the oven. Broil 5 to 6 minutes until the tops are charred at the edges and just cooked through.
- Rest And Serve: Let the salmon rest briefly. Drizzle with the brown butter sauce and serve with steamed vegetables, rice, or a crisp salad.
Swap in Crispy Broccoli Parmesan Fritters for a crunchy, cheesy bite that soaks up the honey brown butter without feeling heavy, and add Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice for a light, citrusy base that echoes the lemon on the fish and keeps the plate bright. Keep Zucchini (Zettuccine) Carbonara for silky ribbons that mirror the salmon’s rich browned butter vibes while staying lighter than pasta.
Recipe FAQ’s
Both work. Skin-on helps protect the flesh and gets crispy in the pan. If using skinless, be gentle when flipping and baste often so it stays moist.
A light-colored stainless or cast iron skillet lets you see the milk solids turn golden. Nonstick works, but watch closely so the butter does not go from brown to burnt.
Brown the butter first, then add garlic for only 20 to 30 seconds. If it darkens too quickly, pull the pan off heat, stir in honey and lemon, then return to low heat.
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Browned Butter Honey Garlic Salmon
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3 cloves garlic, minced*
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice or juice of half a lemon
- 4 fillets wild caught salmon – about 1/2 pound or 250 grams each skin off or on
- 1 large Lemon cut into wedges to serve
- 2 pinches salt to taste
Instructions
- Arrange oven shelf about 8-inches away from heat element in your oven. Preheat your oven to broil (or grill in Australia).
- Place butter in a cast iron skillet (or an oven-proof frying pan if you don’t have a skillet). Cook over medium heat, stirring and swirling pan occasionally for about 3 minutes, or until the foam settles; the butter begins to change in colour to golden brown and has a nutty fragrance.
- Pour in the honey and let it dissolve into the butter. Then add in the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute until fragrant. Add in the lemon juice; stir well to combine all of the flavours together.
- Add the salmon steaks to the butter in the pan; cook each fillet (skin-side down if there’s any skin) for 3-4 minutes or until golden, while basting the tops with the pan juices. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Add the lemon wedges around the salmon. Transfer the pan to your oven to broil / grill for a further 5-6 minutes, or until the tops of the salmon are nicely charred.
- To serve, drizzle with the reserved brown butter sauce. Serve with steamed vegetables; over rice or with a salad.
Notes
- Pre-heat oven to 410°F (210°C).
- Follow Steps 2-3 as above.
- At Step 4 when adding the fillets into the skillet, transfer to oven to bake for 4 minutes (depending on the size and thickness of your fillets).
- Broil (or grill) for 2 minutes to get nice charred edges.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Oh my goodness! I just made this and let me say it was absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing this! I love to cook in my cast iron, and I’ve been looking for a new flavor and way to cook salmon! PERFECTO!!! I served it on a bed of Garlic Quinoa Couscous, a side of garlic wilted spinach and sliced tomato. The color combination was fantastic! And the taste, delicious!
My oven went out and I have my heart set on this recipe. Can I just do it all on the stove top? What would you recommend?
Hi Carly, absolutely! Continue cooking it on the stove until fork tender.
Karina!!!
You are a cafe DELIGHT!!
I can’t EVEN COOK at all, but I made this and it’s ten stars DELICIOUS!!!!!!
Even my parents said, “ we don’t like salmon”
and
We ate all of it!!!!
So yummy!!!
You are so, so sweet! I am so glad that everyone enjoyed everything! Thank you for sharing! XO
BEST SALMON RECIPE EVER!!
So easy!!
I’m not a good cook, but this time I AM!!!
Karina, I cannot believe I never left a review for this dish! It is by far the most perfect salmon we have ever eaten, and my husband is a foodie, but not a lover of salmon.
The blend of the butter, honey and lemon…and yes the garlic is beyond fabulous!
I’ve just read your bio on your blog. Bless you, honey and thank you for fantastic recipes.
Oh wow! That is awesome to hear! I am so glad that you loved it so much! Thank you for sharing and following along with me! XO
Everyone loved it. ❤️Doing it again. Thanks!, ????????
My girlfriend and I cook a lot, we just made this and it’s the best salmon recipe we have ever tried, 10 / 10
Been married to my husband for 27 years~ all that time he has flat out refused to eat salmon because of the fishy smell/taste. A few weeks ago I made this for dinner and put it in from of him. He liked it!!!!! Big moment when he asked me to make it again!!!! Woo Hoo!!!!!
I’m so happy to hear this Claudia! Thank you so much for sharing your feedback!
First time cooking Salmon and it was fabulous! I will definitely make it again! Keep posting your recipes to Facebook…. I’m not a good cook and need all the help I can get! Thanks!
Thanks! That is so sweet of you! I do love salmon! Thanks so much for following along with me!
I don’t have an oven for broiling. Can the recipe work without the last part of broiling for 6 minutes? It looks so yummy 🙁
For the last 6 minutes of broiling I would recommend turning your heat temperature up and placing the oven rack to the highest rack. Keep eye on the salmon but that should still broil it for the remainder of time and have the same crispiness on top. Hope that helps!