Easy Honey Garlic Salmon Recipe
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This Honey Garlic Salmon recipe is one of the easiest ways to cook salmon. It’s one-pan meal that’s both sweet and savory with a delicious sauce made with simple ingredients you likely already have on hand. Plus, this flavorful, delicious seafood dinner is ready in about 15 minutes!
If you love quick meals, try this Easy Salmon Salad recipe with citrus dressing or this quick salmon and greens recipe!
When I see a 15-minute dinner recipe with only a handful of ingredients, I immediately take note. This is one of those, and a recipe I personally love.
It’s simple, requires only an oven-proof skillet, and is light, healthy, and to me… perfect. The salmon is flaky, the sauce is irresistible and the cooking couldn’t be easier!
What to Love About Honey Garlic Salmon
- An easy, healthy, 15-minute dinner recipe
- Flaky, tender, and flavorful
- Perfect for family dining or entertaining
Ingredients for Honey Garlic Salmon Recipe
Specific ingredient measurements are in the recipe card below, but here is a list of the simple ingredients needed:
- Salmon filets around 5 ounces each
- Salmon Seasoning: salt, pepper, and paprika (or a pinch of cayenne for additional heat)
- Honey Garlic Sauce: garlic cloves, honey, soy sauce, lemon juice and red pepper flakes
- Butter for cooking the salmon
- For serving: green onions and lemon wedges
How to Make This Honey Garlic Salmon Recipe
This easy salmon recipe is cooked on the stovetop and finished with a quick oven broil for beautiful, slightly charred edges.
Begin by deboning and seasoning the fillets. Then, whisk the ingredients for the honey garlic sauce and set aside.
Then, preheat the oven to broil and set the rack in the middle.
Cooking the Salmon
Melt butter in an ovenproof skillet (like cast iron) and then saute the garlic for a few seconds. Pour the honey garlic sauce into the skillet and heat.
Add the salmon fillets and cook until golden, while basting the tops with the sauce; about 3 minutes. Baste again and finish off by broiling in the oven for 1 minute.
Serving the Salmon
I like to serve this easy salmon recipe on a platter with greens (in this case I’m using watercress) and top each filet with green onions thinly sliced on the bias and lemon wedges.
How to Know When Salmon is Done Baking
If you don't have a meat thermometer, there are a couple of ways to determine if the salmon is cooked through.
As salmon cooks, it turns from red to pink. You can check for doneness by cutting into the thickest part of the fish with a knife. It should still be slightly translucent in the center and beginning to flake.
Salmon FAQs
According to the FDA, salmon is considered cooked when the thickest part reaches 145 degrees F using an instant meat thermometer.
This is a completely optional step that only serves to char the edges of the salmon. It is cooked on the stovetop until done with a final finish under the broiler.
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Honey Garlic Salmon Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 salmon filets around 5-ounces each
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika or pinch of cayenne for additional hea
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon warm water
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 green onions thinly sliced on bias for serving
- lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- Debone the salmon and season fillets with salt, pepper, and paprika (or cayenne). Set aside and preheat the oven to broil.
- Combine the honey, water, lemon juice, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Heat butter in an ovenproof skillet (like cast iron) over medium-high heat. Once melted, add the garlic and saute for a few seconds. Then, pour in the sauce and cook until warm.
- Add the salmon fillets to the skillet and cook until the salmon is golden, about 3 to 4 minutes. Baste the tops with the sauce as the salmon cooks. Salmon is cooked when opaque throughout or when it reaches an internal temperature of 145℉.
- Baste the salmon one more time and finish off by broiling it in the oven for 1 minute or until the surface becomes slightly charred. Serve with green onions thinly sliced on the bias, and lemon wedges.
Video
Notes
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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