Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Pan Seared Salmon with Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce
A golden sear and warm lemon-garlic butter give salmon plenty of appeal at dinner. The parsley freshens the sauce, with lemon slices cooking alongside the fillets. Spoon the butter over the finished fish and enjoy it promptly while the browned surface still has a little crispness.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Original yield
- Serves 4
- Ingredients
- 10 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Dinner
- Primary protein
- Fish
- Cuisine
- American
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 30 minutes or less
A few quick notes
1. Dry and season first
Pat salmon dry, season all over and rub in the first lemon juice before heating the pan for its initial sear.
2. Press for full contact
Place salmon in hot oil and press lightly so the surface touches the pan, then leave undisturbed until golden and crisp.
3. Add butter after turning
Sear the second side briefly before adding butter, garlic, parsley and lemon, stirring the butter around each fillet as it cooks.
Get to know the ingredients
Skinless salmon
The list uses skinless fillets, dried before seasoning and their first undisturbed pan stage so the surface can become golden.
Minced garlic
Finely chop or mince the garlic before adding it with butter after flipping the salmon, ready for the short final cooking stage.
Divided parsley
Most parsley cooks in the butter with garlic and lemon. Reserve the remaining portion to scatter over fish at serving.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 4. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 5 steps completeMake room for Pan Seared Salmon with Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Drizzle and serve promptly
Taste the pan sauce, add lemon or seasoning if desired, then garnish fillets with reserved parsley and spoon butter over before serving immediately.
A little more help as you go
Use a nonstick pan
A good nonstick pan is preferable here to help prevent sticking during the undisturbed first sear and the later turn.
Watch the butter color
The butter begins browning slightly during the last minute or two as salmon finishes to the doneness you prefer.
A few questions you might have
Can olive oil replace the butter?
You can use two tablespoons of olive oil in place of butter, added at the same garlic-and-lemon stage after turning the fish.
When do lemon slices go in?
Add them with butter, garlic, the larger parsley portion and remaining lemon juice after the second side has seared for two minutes.
Should I move salmon during the first sear?
Leave it undisturbed after the light initial press, allowing three to four minutes for a crisp, golden surface before flipping.
Can I make the sauce more lemony?
The final cooking step allows more lemon juice after tasting, before garnishing and drizzling butter over the cooked fillets.
Does the garlic cook before the fish enters?
It joins later with butter after salmon has seared on both sides, followed by only the short final cooking stage.
Any more cooking 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
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: cafedelites.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
