Easy Honey Garlic Salmon is a throw together recipe cooked in one pan using only a handful of ingredients!
This perfect sweet and savoury, five-ingredient garlicky sauce with a hint of lemon will become your family’s new salmon obsession. This tasty honey garlic salmon can be whipped up in only 15 minutes.
It’s no secret you all are loving this Browned Butter Honey Garlic Salmon two years after posting it, way back when Cafe Delites was still a baby. Following the success of our Browned Butter Honey Garlic Salmon video recipe, a few readers have been writing in to ask if there is any possible way to avoid browning butter.
This recipe does exactly that!
HONEY GARLIC SALMON RECIPE
If you’ve tried some of our other honey garlic recipes like our Easy Honey Garlic Shrimp, Easy Honey Garlic Chicken or our Easy Honey Garlic Pork Chops, you are absolutely going to love this super easy recipe!
To be honest, the browned butter, mixed with that sweet honey garlic sauce is what made our popular browned butter salmon recipe stand out from the rest. But, because the people have spoken, we have simplified this honey garlic salmon recipe and there’s nothing wrong with simplifying a recipe! In fact, you guys are going to love this one, if not more than the previous one.
PAN-SEARED SALMON
The salmon gets cooked right in the sauce. There’s no searing or frying first. Why? Because a lot of people get anxiety at the thought of frying then flipping salmon and having the fillets fall apart on them halfway through cooking.
But how do I get the same crispy edges from searing? Well, once the salmon is half way done, you’re going to broil your fillets for a couple more minutes (or grill them if you’re in Australia) for that extra golden, crispy and caramelised finish.
HONEY GARLIC SAUCE FOR SALMON
This recipe is perfect for when you have no idea what to cook. Grab some salmon fillets and rest assured, you likely have most of the ingredients in the pantry or refrigerator already.
- Butter? ✔️
- Garlic? ✔️
- Honey? ✔️
- Soy Sauce? ✔️
- Lemons? ✔️
For a stronger, lemon flavoured salmon, add the wedges into the pan when your sauce is bubbling (you will get all of the flavour from the lemon skin). For a milder flavour, leave them out.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH HONEY GARLIC SALMON
We have so many delicious sides that would pair perfectly with your salmon. Try our Crispy Garlic Roasted Potatoes, Buttery Sautéed Green Beans, or our Grilled Asparagus.
Craving More Honey Garlic Recipes?
Easy Honey Garlic Chicken
Honey Garlic Butter Salmon In Foil
Honey Garlic Sriracha Chicken
Easy Honey Garlic Salmon
Ingredients
- 4 salmon fillets wild caught, about ½ pound or 250 grams each, skin off or on
- ¼ teaspoon salt to season
- ¼ teaspoon pepper to season
- ½ teaspoon paprika mild, sweet or smokey
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped or minced
- 4 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice fresh squeezed, plus extra to serve
- 2 lemon wedges to serve
Instructions
- Arrange oven shelf to the middle of your oven. Preheat oven to broil/grill settings on medium heat.
- Season salmon with salt, pepper and paprika. Set aside.
- Heat the butter in a skillet or pan over medium-high heat until melted. Add the garlic and sauté for about a minute, until fragrant. Pour in the honey, water and soy sauce; allow the flavours to heat through and combine. Add in the lemon juice; stir well to combine all of the flavours together.
- Add the salmon steaks to the sauce 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 (if desired).
- Optional -- Add the lemon wedges around the salmon (adds a stronger lemon taste). Baste salmon one more time then 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, and the salmon is cooked to your liking.
- To serve, drizzle with the sauce and a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve with steamed vegetables; over rice or with a salad.
Shanell says
Simply amazing!
Jackson Mahoney says
Pure awesomeness! Need a little help as my sauce blackened in oven broil and could not do last basting. How can I avoid next time?!
Maria says
Loved this recipe I skipped the oven broil process because I like tender and still the skillet made it get browned in areas. Thanks for sharing!
Jann says
My guests raved! I substituted half the honey with maple syrup.
Lisa says
SO GOOD! Truly restaurant quality; I will be making this recipe over & over again! Thank you!!
Karina says
Hi Lisa, thank you for your feedback! I am so glad to hear that the recipe turned out really well for you!
Mary Ball says
I found this recipe and tried it spur-of-the-moment. Finally, restaurant-quality salmon at home! The only ingredient I didn’t have on hand was soy sauce so I used white wine vinegar and it was delicious. I cooked two 7-oz fillets in a medium pan. It will definitely be a regular on our home menu.
Melissa says
Wow – the first review for this recipe was in 2017. I’ve just tried it in 2023, and it seems it’s just as amazing now as it was then! 🙂 Totally enjoyed this. I halved the recipe because I only had two salmon fillets and put one fillet for tomorrow’s dinner. It might not last…Lol!
Thank you for this recipe. I’ll be checking out more of your ideas.
Diane Smith says
DEElicious!! Thank you! This is a keeper!
Kathy says
I’m not a real salmon lover but this recipe is delicious, I have to say! Everyone commented that I HAVE to make it like this again! So there you have it. Delicious!!!! Thank you so much for an easy yet fabulous recipe!
Nikki Burden says
It was so delicious. I love salmon and anything honey garlic is a hit in my house. Thank you