Garlic Butter Salmon Fillets (Print version)

Pan-seared salmon in a luscious garlic butter sauce with lemon and parsley, ready in 25 minutes.

# What goes in:

→ 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 fresh parsley

# Cooking steps:

01 - Pat the salmon fillets dry with paper towels and season both sides generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
02 - Melt 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until foamy.
03 - Place the salmon fillets in the skillet skin-side down. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until the bottom turns golden and the flesh becomes 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 to 3 minutes, basting the salmon continuously 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.

# Tips from flavorandfeast:

01 -
  • The garlic butter sauce practically makes itself while the salmon cooks, so you get a pan sauce without any extra work.
  • It turns four basic ingredients into something that tastes like you ordered it at a waterfront restaurant.
  • Cleanup is one pan and a cutting board, which is honestly half the battle on a weeknight.
02 -
  • Take the salmon out of the fridge fifteen minutes before cooking because cold fish straight from the fridge cooks unevenly and the center stays raw while the outside overcooks.
  • A splash of dry white wine added right when the garlic goes in creates a slightly more complex sauce that feels like you tried harder than you actually did.
03 -
  • Press down gently on the fillets right after placing them in the pan to ensure full contact with the surface for an even golden crust.
  • The biggest secret is pulling the salmon off the heat just before you think it is done because carryover heat finishes the job perfectly.

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