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This pan-seared salmon features lightly seasoned salmon fillets seared until they’re buttery, soft, and flaky, with a savoy, crisp skin. Ready in under 10 minutes, it’s a restaurant-worthy dish!
Love cooking seafood? Try my pan-seared orange roughy, baked sockeye salmon, and barramundi next.
For those hectic weeknights when my family craves salmon but I’m short on time, I make my pan-seared salmon recipe.
With simple seasonings, the fish’s natural flavor shines through. Searing it at high heat for a short time gives the outside a gorgeous crispy skin while keeping the center flaky and tender.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Simple yet impressive. The ingredient list is short since the preparation packs most of the flavor.
- Anyone can make it. I used to think only the pros could cook salmon perfectly, but I’ve since changed my tune. This method makes it easy for anyone to get soft and flaky fish.
- Quick and easy. Like my sautéed salmon, the fish cooks quickly, so dinner is on the table in no time.
- It’s versatile. Salads, veggies, potatoes, or even over a salmon bowl; the possibilities of how to serve this salmon are endless.
Ingredients needed
- Salmon. Use skin-on salmon fillets, as the skin crisps up nicely once it touches the hot pan, creating an additional layer of flavor and texture. Frozen fillets will work, but they’ll need to be thawed overnight in the fridge.
- Butter. It gives the seared fish a rich flavor and creates the most amazing golden crust.
- Olive oil. Adding a small amount of oil to the pan will help prevent the butter from burning. If you don’t like cooking with butter, use only oil.
- Kosher salt and black pepper. To taste.
How to pan sear salmon
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Prepare the salmon. Pat the fillets dry with paper towels and season them with salt and pepper on both sides.
Step 2- Sear. Heat butter and oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, place the salmon skin-side down. Cook for 4-5 minutes on the skin side until the skin is crispy and golden brown.
Step 3- Flip. Using a fish spatula, carefully flip the salmon fillets over and cook for another 2-3 minutes until fully cooked.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Look for fillets of the same thickness. So they cook evenly.
- Use an instant read thermometer. Look for an internal temperature of 145F/63C to know when the salmon is done cooking. If you don’t have a thermometer, press on the fillets with a fork. If they flake easily, it’s time to remove them from the heat.
- Don’t touch the salmon! I know it can be tempting, but try not to move the salmon until it’s time to flip. This helps ensure a proper sear and crust on both sides.
- Don’t have time to thaw frozen salmon? Submerge the fillets under cold water for 30 minutes, then pat the fillets with paper towels.
Variations
- Cook with aromatics. Sauté diced garlic and onion with the butter mixture before adding the salmon.
- Add Mediterranean flavors. Toss sundried tomatoes, capers, and kalamata olives into the pan, and top the cooked salmon with crumbled feta cheese.
- Garnish with fresh herbs. Cook sprigs of fresh rosemary, dill, or thyme in the pan with the butter.
- Serve with lemon garlic butter sauce. Sauté garlic and lemon zest with the butter, then serve the salmon with fresh lemon juice.
- Add an Asian sauce. For some Asian salmon flavors, drizzle some katsu sauce, eel sauce, or bulgogi sauce.
Storage instructions
To store: Leftover cooked salmon should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
To freeze: Put cooked and cooled fillets in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to three months. Defrost the fillets in the refrigerator before reheating.
To reheat: Place cooked salmon fillets in a skillet with oil over medium heat, flipping often until warm.
Frequently asked questions
Pan-searing and baking both work well for salmon. Baking salmon is a great cooking method for salmon if the fillets are frozen and you don’t have time to defrost them. Cooking salmon in the pan, on the other hand, is much quicker and helps crisp up the salmon skin.
If you are using skin-on salmon fillets, put them in the pan with the skin side down first. The skin will become nice and crispy, making it easy to flip the fillet with a spatula without damaging its integrity.
More delicious ways to cook salmon
Pan Seared Salmon
Video
Ingredients
Instructions
- Pat the salmon fillets dry with paper towels and season them generously with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the butter and olive oil.
- Once the butter has melted and the skillet is hot, carefully place the salmon fillets skin-side down in the skillet.
- Cook the salmon for 4-5 minutes on the skin side, without moving them, until the skin is crispy and golden brown.
- Using a spatula, carefully flip the salmon fillets over and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes until the salmon is cooked through, but still moist and tender in the center.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally updated April 2023, updated and republished August 2024
Wow! What a great recipe this is, I’ve made this as you do, but not in years. I loved it so mush and so did my Family. Smoochie the Baby Pooch please, for me. Thanks!
Looks really tasty. Salmon is my favourite fish and it is so healthy.
I was honestly surprised about how delicious this was considering how simple the ingredients are. My children loved it as well. I cooked it a bit different. I cooked it 90% of the way skin side down, removed the pan from the stove top, flipped the salmon over and let it cook for 3 more minutes. Can’t wait to try more recipes!
Thanks, Shirley!
My family loves salmon so I’m always looking for new unique delicious ways to make it. This recipe was amazing & did not disappoint. It was packed with SO much flavour & was a huge hit. Thanks for this, it’s a keeper!
Great to hear that!
This is nice and awesome thanks for share us.Fantastic Blog…I will definitly share your blog with other people.Thank you
So welcome!
Hello Arman! Glad to get connected with you and your blog, too! I would take your Mom’s Asian Pan Seared Salmon anytime over a French dish – looks so delish! Glad to know you got to know some Pinoy bloggers. Have you been to Manila yourself? Perhaps you can go with your dad one time. Sent a personal like to your FB page, too. 🙂
I haven’t been yet- But I’m hoping to in the near future!
Thanks so much, Abigail- Appreciate it!
Whoa… they actually banned you from French?? That’s so intense. Either way, this recipe looks fantastic – the combo of soy sauce and tabasco seems like it would be a really intriguing one. Going to have to try it when we have salmon next!
Haha yes! Mainly because I couldn’t do the written aspect took well! Please do- It’s so simple but really flavourful!
Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! 🙂 I can’t wait to see what you share this week! Its LIVE!
Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com
Love this dish, it looks amazing it, pinning it now. And go you for standing up and shouting – I’ve got a degree in French, lived there for 12 years, married a Frenchman and can’t stand bad French accents! And the best way to learn a language? Get a boyfriend/girlfriend of that nationality! It worked a million times better than my 11 years of French schooling, degree included!
#Recipeoftheweek
Sophie…I am adding that to my dating criteria. Merci!
Merci, mon ami!
Hahaha, you’re so hilarious Arman! What a great story, can’t believe she wrote a two page letter. I’ve been taking Japanese for a year now but basically rely on translation sites to understand the textbook. I can’t form a grammatically correct sentence and lack your amazing pronunciation skills. Studying Japanese gives me a serious headache and I keep kicking myself for not picking English. Oh well, just one more year of Japanese to go.
But…..think of how useful you’ll be when you go to Japan 😉
You could speak to the locals!
My high school taught Spanish, French and Latin. I took Latin because I really like languages that are super useful and spoken everywhere (not). Free translation sites did not exist for Latin… but did for my college French classes.
LOL. That made me laugh. Put it in the burn book.
Excellent!
I’ve used several of your recipes. They are absolutely fantastic, thank you.
Thanks Serena- I’ve been compiling a list of places to check out in Toronto!
I would love to one day learn French again but I think my patience would end up killing me!
You’re still a stubborn goat. It’s part of your charm.
I think these are some of your best pictures yet, and I don’t even eat fish. For real, nicely done mon amie!!
Thanks buddy! I appreciate it and will send cookies and granola….jars. Because I have none left.
I am seriously terrible with languages but I can translate tabasco, frank’s red hot and sriracha no problem!
That, my friend, is all you need. #truth.
Haha she totally worded that rather rudely, I think. Eff French – bet you took something far cooler that year. 😉
I totally did. I took Health lol!
I can’t believe they turn students down from this!! I studied Spanish, and it was just start at the bottom and work your way up kind of thing. Sure, if I didn’t pass the first one I couldn’t move on, but they never restricted anyone from starting. What a snatch, I hope she spills chocolate croissants on her white clothes forever.
That is a terrible thing to say, Brittany. Imagine if she was wearing those white clothes at a later stage and had chocolate crumbs left on that. She’d have an instant sweet treat.
You disgust me.
Test.Test
Aww poor high school Arman! Whatever though, Asia is better than France anyways (actually not really, France is like my all time favourite country but I’m trying to make you feel better lol). This salmon looks awesome!
That made me laugh. And it did make me feel better.
Ferme la bouche! Dumb teacher. I for one, could read and write French fairly well but my pronunciation was dreadful. Who would have got along better in France? You, of course. Speaking the language is so much more important than being able to correctly compose an essay. I highly doubt you would be barred entry to the Eiffel Tower if you failed to hand in an essay. If anyone wants to send me to Paris to test this theory I will happily comply.
I took French in high school but the first year the school could not afford a french teacher so they had the Spanish teacher, Mr. Rollalazo, teach French 1. Needless to say, we all spoke French with a Spanish accent. 🙂 I do wish I had kept up with my studies following graduation but, alas, much of my former knowledge has gone by the wayside. C’est la vie!
I have been craving salmon lately. In fact, I am trying to figure out how to telepathically get my mom to select salmon as our Christmas dinner. So, celebrate away!
Hahaha ferme la bouche! You ferme la bouche!
I hope you try this recipe out- It would be une fantastique Christmas dish 😉
hahaha funny story!
Love the sound of this salmon too – my favourite fish.
Thanks, Dannii. Oh that silly French teacher.
THIS FRENCH GIRL LOVES HER SALMON… ESPECIALLY ASIAN STYLE!!! The French and their snooty pretentious ways can SUCK IT! LOL!! Lets celebrate with salmon mon ami!
YOU ARE NOT FRENCH.
Wait, are you? Wait you are! Gigi Dubois. Je suis desolet.
Genevieve Germaine Dubois – that’s my name. If that doesn’t scream French, then I don’t live on Earth. LOL!!!!
You stubborn goat, you.
I still need to finish my Rosetta Stone french…I’ll get around to it eventually, I swear. And you have to have a decent accent when you use that thing otherwise it won’t pick up that you’re saying the word correctly. The first few lessons I was ready to throw my laptop out the damn window.
Excuse me. A stubborn goat is accurate.
That’s right!!!! I remember you starting this a while back and it was also your monthly goal. What happened, huh 😉
I took 6 years of French and had the WORST accent ever. I could have used your mad skillz 😉 Salmon sounds fab – pinning!
We should have tag teamed, Deanna- you do the written, I do the vocal. We could have KILLED it.
I wanted to take French in high school but it wasn’t offered so I took Spanish instead and continued on with Spanish in college. Sadly today I remember very little of it. 🙁
The salmon looks delicious!
Thanks, Jen!
hehe…loved your story! In high school I took Spanish and Latin – problem is, I can barely remember any of it at this point. If you don’t use it, you lose it!
Love this salmon! It’s funny because just last night, I was telling Justin we should make salmon this weekend. Good timing!
Latin?! wow, Holly- if you’d studied here you’d be worshipped- barely any students take latin here!
Mmm I love salmon. I totally thought about using the translation sites, but I was warned against them and didn’t want to get in trouble. I was a bit of a goody goody as a student.
Haha, that doesn’t surprise me Kelly- goody two shoes 😉
I saw this on Instagram this morning while riding the train and I wanted to faceplant into my phone. I love salmon and the way you presented it….just, WOW.
Thanks, Lauren. You’re invited over for dinner. Always.
I was skimming posts on Bloglovin and your photos caught my attention–LOVE.
Thanks buddy! You’ve been a huge inspiration 🙂
Bon app—I love you, you stubborn goat you! I took Spanish but I’d take this sexy salmon over tacos any day.
Bon app- stop making me blush.
How about we become whores and have both? Salmon tacos. BOOM.
You? Stubborn? I am shocked… NOT. 😉
I don’t know if this is strange, but it looks amazing. I’m going to crash your mum’s place one day.
Dude, the Tabasco!!!! Try it- for a cayenne fan, it’s epic.
You’re always welcome. With a waffle in tow.
I’ve done that! Tabasco is like ketchup to some Americans. 😉
LOL! now that’s a story… maybe i will boycott herbs de provence just for you
LOL. I just nearly spat my water out. Herbs DE provence. I used to walk around saying that like a twat.
Well at least you weren’t banned because you did something wrong or were badly behaved – you totally did the right thing, the school were in the wrong. I was exactly the same as you, my pronunciation was amazing but essay writing and vocab, not so much. We had to take French (or German) up until the age of 16 then could stop if we wanted. I stopped!
Salmon is the bomb! 🙂
Haha, technically I did….because I used the translation website!
You know by my diner review how much I love salmon. This looks fabulous as always and thank you for sharing.
You like salmon? No way.
Those two fillets probably isn’t even in one of your salads, yet the price…oh bloody Australia.
I did French for 5 years and still never got the accent right! This recipe is basically exactly how I make my salmon, minus the tabasco sauce which I will have to try next time. I haven’t even been allowed salmon this week so desperately craving!
I hope you managed to score cheap salmon and faceplanted the mofo!!!!
Haha those translation sites were hilarious…and so off most of the time! I took French too and soon realised that using it wasn’t going to cut it with my teacher. I also too Spanish for a couple of years but I had the opposite issue- my reading/writing were great but my accent was cringe-worthy.
I know, right! I literally once copied and pasted an essay and it came out heinous!
Those French sure are stuffy, huh?! haha I’ve always been terrible at languages so I would have gotten kick out, too – English for the win!
Hahahaha. Love it. English FTW.
I know I’d love this salmon! Super simple & delish.
“I felt like bloody Joan of Arc getting burnt at the stake. (not really, but I wanted a dramatic French correlation)”
You are the best.
I took French in HS too but I was terrible. When I visited Paris I was ordering gelato and I was like “Je voudrais…” and the hottie behind the counter was like “I speak American.” I was like OH WELL OK THEN.
Hahahahaha.
My one line in Paris- Je voudrais une crepe au chocolat. Si vous plais.
We need to road trip to Paris.
I took spanish In high school (don’t remember a thing!) and german in college. Loved german and actually lived there for a summer. We are currently learning French, because I am in love with France after our trip. And this salmon? Yes!!
I was lusting after your amazing French pictures!!
Arman! These photos look great! You must be practicing with your new camera, they look really good. Also, this recipe sounds delicious, we love salmon over here.
Thank YOU so much for motivating me with your amazing pictures!
Haha…I wouldn’t say that you’re a stubborn goat, you just have a lot of moxie for demanding to get back into French. I took Japanese in high school to “rebel” against my mom. She wanted me to take Spanish because she thought it would be more useful in California. Ok, so maybe she ended up being right, but I haven’t admitted that to her yet!
Hahahaha oh mothers. They always have the best intentions and it’s us who go against them!
Arman this looks so yummy! I love asian inspire dishes – such bold flavors
Thank you, Sam!
Yum! I am trying to have fish once a week to assist with my training, and this is very similar to one i LOOOOVVEE for salmon, interesting to use the tabasco sauce though….just not sure we can find it here! Hahaha free translator, I forgot that existed, but YES I used it for German and French….a lot, but they can allllwaayyys tell by your context hahah
Ohhhhhh you can try the hot sauce (Tapito or something?!) which is similar but add a tad more!
They can always tell, can’t they!
I was one of the few to take French for five years during school! I loved it. It might have been my best subject lol. Everyone else took Spanish.
Damn, I admire your persistence! Nice one, Meredith!
I loved french (and actually have a killer accent as well) but I took latin. I can read (ish) other languages, but I can’t process other accents/languages/English well when it is spoken.
Thus, I eat according to the ethnicity. It is my way of communicating with them.
Wow, you took latin too? you’re like the united nations…walking style.