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Crispy Pan Seared Salmon with a Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce is a deliciously easy salmon recipe that can be ready in minutes!
The best thing about pan seared salmon is that it’s super crispy on the outside, while soft, tender and flakey on the inside, finished with a silky, buttery sauce. Our family favourite low carb salmon recipe is now yours!
SALMON
Even after pumping out bangers like our Creamy Garlic Butter Salmon and our Honey Mustard Salmon, this simple pan seared salmon recipe has to be one of my family’s favourites. Searing salmon in a hot pan is one of our favourite ways to eat salmon. Not only because it’s delicious, but salmon is also a fantastic source of nutrients, such as omega-3 and vitamin B.
If you’re watching your calories, this pan seared salmon recipe will tick all of your boxes. High in protein and full of healthy fats, every bite of our tangy, garlicky salmon will leave you feeling fuller for longer.
This pan seared salmon uses minimal ingredients but has maximum taste, allowing the flavour of salmon to shine through. You really can’t go wrong with this recipe. Much less fuss than our Creamy Spinach Stuffed Salmon recipe, it comes together fast, making it perfect for any night of the week.
HOW TO COOK PAN SEARED SALMON
Grab all of your ingredients first as this recipe cooks fast!
- Skinless salmon fillets
- Lemon juice
- Olive oil
- Butter
- Garlic
- Parsley
HOW TO PAN SEAR SALMON
Dry room temperature salmon filets with paper towel.
Season all over with salt and pepper.
Squeeze lemon juice over each fillet.
Heat oil in a large non-stick pan or skillet over medium-high heat until hot.
Sear salmon flesh side down, pressing them lightly so the entire surface of the flesh comes into contact with the pan, until crispy and golden.
Flip and sear the other side until the outside is crispy.
Add in the butter, garlic, parsley and lemon juice, stirring the melting butter around each fillet. (The butter will begin to brown slightly.)
SOME TIPS:
- A good quality non stick pan will prevent the salmon from sticking to the pan and causing unnecessary stress.
- You can substitute the butter with 2 tablespoons of olive oil if you’re hesitant to use butter
- Add in a splash of white wine also for a gourmet feel! (I usually add in 3-4 tablespoons)
- Fresh parsley is the only way to go with this! I don’t really recommend cooking or garnishing with dried parsley
WHAT TO SERVE WITH PAN SEARED SALMON
Throw some greenery on your plate and pair your pan seared salmon with some Grilled Asparagus, Buttery Sautéed Green Beans or some Creamy Mashed Potato.
This pan seared salmon recipe is restaurant quality, ready in under 15 minutes! Perfectly cooked, crispy and flaky salmon with a silky, buttery lemon garlic sauce.
De-LICIOUS!
Love Salmon? Try these recipes!
Creamy Tuscan Salmon
Easy Salmon Piccata
Easy Honey Garlic Salmon
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Pan Seared Salmon with Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce
Ingredients
- 28 ounces skinless salmon filets
- 1/4 teaspoon salt to season
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper to season
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice divided
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 8 cloves garlic finely chopped or minced
- 4 tablespoons Italian parsley fresh, chopped, divided
- 1/2 lemon sliced
Instructions
- Pat dry room temperature salmon filets with paper towel. Season all over with salt, pepper. Squeeze 1-2 teaspoons of lemon juice over each filet, and rub all the flavour in.
- Heat the olive in a large non-stick pan or skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Place salmon filets flesh side down, pressing them lightly so the entire surface of the flesh comes into contact with the pan. Sear, undisturbed, for 3-4 minutes until crispy and golden.
- Flip and sear the other side of each filet for TWO minutes. Add in the butter, chopped garlic, 3 tablespoons of parsley, remaining lemon juice and lemon slices. Stir the butter and garlic around each filet.
- Continue to cook the salmon for a further 1-2 minutes, or until salmon reaches desired doneness. (The butter will begin to brown slightly.) Taste test and season with salt and pepper to your tastes, and add more lemon juice if desired.
- Garnish with the remaining parsley and drizzle the butter over each filet. Serve immediately.
Notes
- A good quality non stick pan will prevent the salmon from sticking to the pan and causing unnecessary stress.Â
- You can substitute the butter with 2 tablespoons of olive oil if you're hesitant to use butter
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was fantastic, thank you so much. I put it on top of a Caesar Salad and the flavors were amazing together.
I got hungry at 3 am so I decided to look up salmon recipes. So glad I found this one! Very easy to follow yet tastes amazing. I used dry parsley though because I don’t have fresh ones, but it still came out perfect.
Made this tonight and it was super tasty and easy! My husband and I love salmon and this is going to be my new favorite way to cook it. Thanks!
So delicious!! I’m not the type to cook with exact measurements but I did eye the ingredients to use about the amount called for in the recipe and it turned out so good! I added a splash of Sauvignon blanc to mine! Served with grilled asparagus and brown rice, this meal was quick and so yummy.
I have been looking for a seared salmon recipe and tried this tonight. It was truly excellent and will be cooking again. I did not have parsley so used fresh tarragon which I had on hand instead. Delicious! I did add the white wine as suggested. I also had to cook a little longer, probably depends on size of salmon filets. Great flavors! Thank you.
Thanks for this easy to follow recipe!! I’m a vegan but still love to make my hubby his fav dishes. He said this is the best salmon dish he’s ever had!
You should try it with big portobello mushrooms! Made them for my vegetarian friend and we both LOVED them!
Awesome amazing recipe! Tasted great and looked very presentable! This recipe made it seem like I know what I’m doing in the kitchen when in reality it was such a simple recipe to follow. I served it with a baked potato and veggies. Thank you.
I’m very picky when it comes to eating fish and I really loved this dish! It wassuper easy to make and the ingredients were very simple. I didn’t have fresh parsley on hand so I ended up using parsley flakes but I will try to use a fresh one next time. Thank you for this recipe!
This was delicious, deceptively easy, and best of all, very low sodium. Thank you. I am looking forward to your other recipes.
I made this tonight to impress a guest. It was mainly because the guest likes to eat fish, but not me. Can I just tell you! I loved this recipe and will definitely make it again. I followed your recipe to the letter. Thank you so much!