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Garlic Butter Salmon is the ultimate dinner indulgence. It’s rich, flavorful, and irresistibly creamy. Perfectly pan seared until golden and crispy on the edges, each juicy salmon fillet is smothered in a creamy garlic butter sauce with just a touch of white wine and lemon.
This pan seared garlic butter salmon is so simple to make. It delivers restaurant-quality flavor in under 30 minutes. If you’re craving a simple sauce for salmon that feels luxurious but takes minimal effort, this recipe will hit the spot.
What Makes This Garlic Butter Salmon Work
This Garlic Butter Salmon strikes the perfect balance between richness and freshness. Pan searing locks in the salmon’s natural juices while creating that irresistible golden crust. The combination of garlic, butter, and a splash of white wine transforms into a creamy garlic butter salmon sauce that’s both simple and luxurious.
It all comes together in one pan, making cleanup a breeze. Whether you’re new to cooking fish or a seasoned pro, this pan seared garlic butter salmon is a foolproof way to get big flavor fast.
What Goes Into This Garlic Butter Salmon
This recipe uses simple ingredients that come together to create a rich and flavorful salmon dish with minimal effort. The creamy garlic butter sauce adds depth and elegance to the tender, pan seared fillets.
Here are a few standout ingredients that bring everything together:
- Salmon fillets – These are the star of the dish, cooked until golden and crisp on the outside, while remaining juicy and tender inside.
- Dry white wine – Just half a cup enhances the sauce with a subtle acidity that balances the richness of the cream and butter.
- Parmesan cheese – Freshly grated for maximum flavor, parmesan melts into the sauce to create a salty, nutty layer of depth.
- Lemon juice – A final squeeze of fresh lemon brightens the entire dish, cutting through the creaminess with a burst of citrus.
Note: Please see recipe card at the bottom for the full list of ingredients with measurements.
How To Make This Recipe
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- Sear the Salmon: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the salmon with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, then sear flesh-side down for 5 minutes per side until golden.
- Melt the Butter: In the same skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, just until fragrant and slightly golden.
- Deglaze the Pan: Pour in the white wine or chicken broth. Let it simmer and reduce by half, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom to build flavor into the sauce.
- Simmer the Cream: Lower the heat to medium-low. Stir in the cream and bring to a gentle simmer, letting it bubble for a minute while stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the Cheese: Mix in the parmesan cheese and let the sauce simmer for another minute or two until the cheese melts completely and the sauce thickens slightly.
- Finish and Serve: Return the salmon to the pan and spoon the sauce over the fillets. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.
Give your Garlic Butter Salmon a fresh twist with Avocado Tomato Corn Salad, Crispy Sweet Potato Wedges with Garlic Avocado Aioli, and Black Beans & Rice. The salad brings zesty lime and creamy avocado, while the sweet potatoes add spice and crunch. The beans and rice round it out with cozy, garlicky flavor.
These bold, vibrant sides cut through the richness of the creamy garlic butter salmon and balance every bite of the pan seared garlic butter salmon and its simple sauce for salmon.
Recipe FAQ’s
Watch the color along the sides of the fillet as it cooks. When it turns pale halfway up from the bottom, it’s ready to flip. This helps you get a tender, juicy, and crispy fillet for your creamy garlic butter salmon.
Low sodium chicken stock is a great substitute. It adds depth without overpowering the creamy garlic butter sauce.
A heavy-bottomed skillet like cast iron or stainless steel works best. It holds heat well and gives your pan seared garlic butter salmon a perfect crust.
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How To Cook Salmon with Creamy Garlic Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 21 ounces salmon fillets skin on or off
- 1/4 teaspoon salt to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups reduced fat cream
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese fresh grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- 1 tablespoons lemon juice 1/2 lemon
Instructions
- Heat oil a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season salmon with salt, pepper and garlic powder all over. Sear in the hot pan, flesh-side down first, for 5 minutes on each side, or until cooked to your liking. Once cooked, remove from the pan and set aside.
- Melt the butter in the same skillet. Sauté garlic until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Pour in the white wine or broth; allow to reduce to half while scraping any bits off of the bottom of the pan.
- Reduce heat to low-medium heat, add the cream and bring to a gentle simmer, while stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.
- Add the parmesan cheese and allow sauce to gently simmer for a further minute or so until the cheese melts and sauce thickens.
- Add the salmon back into the pan, sprinkle with parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice. Taste test sauce and adjust salt and pepper, if needed.
- Serve over pasta, rice or steamed veg.
Notes
- Use a good quality dry white wine such as a pinot griot or chardonnay.
- White wine can also be substituted for chicken broth or left out completely. The flavour in the sauce will be altered.
- I use reduced fat cream (or light cream) for this recipe. Substitute with half and half if you wish, being careful not to bring the sauce to a boil or it may curdle. You can also use evaporated milk as a low calorie substitution.
- Heavy or thickened cream may also be used and will not require thickening with cornstarch. Allow cream to reduce in a gentle simmer until thickened to your liking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Fabulous recipe!! Please make this a Pinterest pin.
Oh. My. Gosh. I made this recipe tonight and I will be making it again and again! I used Pino Grigio and heavy whipping cream. I decided to use Farfalle noodles as my man isn’t a big rice fan. Once it was all said and done I sprinkled red pepper flakes on top. Oh Man! SO good!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe! 🙂
First time making this and WOW. I had to substitute sour cream and dried parsley, so not sure if mine tasted any different than had I had the proper ingredients but it was awesome!
This is now one of my families go-to meals. I have two young boys age 5 and 7 and they LOVE it! It is delicious with rice and veggies. We can’t get enough of the sauce! We are making it tonight and I can’t wait!
Fabulous sauce!! We even dressed our salad with it! Thanks!!
This was delicious! I think you could even add some lump crab to it.
Lovely recipe husband wanted more. What else can you say!!
Hola Karina!
Hope you’re staying safe during these crazy times. Your recipes are defiantly keeping my family together, so that’s why when my mom found a pack of frozen tilapia in the fridge I came straight here for some good ideas. You don’t have specific tilapia recipe, you mainly use salmon which the rest of my family loves but my mom finds too fishy, so I was wondering if there was any sauces/recipes on your blog that would pair well with the tilapia. I bet anything would be yummy and but I thought I would ask a pro!
Oh and by the way, your chocolate cake is TO DIE FOR, new favorite in our home!!
Thank You
Much Love and Virtual Hugs
This is delicious. I just made it again because we loved it so much. It’s fairly easy but the taste is divine. My husband said it’s one of the best dishes I’ve ever made and better than anything he’s ever eaten in a restaurant. It’s definitely a keeper and one I will surely make again.
I do like how easy dinner is with these. Just put your veggies of choice and chicken in a pan and pour over top! In 50 minutes everything was done and I only had one pan to wash. I do love garlic sauces but this one is not a favorite of mine.
I am a college student so I am working here with minimal ingredients. I subbed out the wine with veggie broth (didn’t have any chicken broth). I also had no heavy cream so I used milk and used the (1cup milk to 2tbs cornstarch). I also added spinach for my depleted iron. Had this with steamed veggies. With what I had to make it with, really really good dinner!