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This pan-seared salmon features lightly seasoned salmon fillets seared until they’re buttery, soft, and flaky, with a savory, crisp skin. Ready in under 10 minutes, it’s a restaurant-worthy dish!
★★★★★ REVIEW
“Wow! What a great recipe this is, I’ve made this as you do, but not in years. I loved it so much and so did my family. Thanks!” – Laura
Table of Contents
I make my pan-seared salmon recipe for those hectic weeknights when my family craves salmon but I’m short on time. 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. It’s quick and easy to make and so versatile- Salads, veggies, potatoes, or even over a salmon bowl; the possibilities of how to serve this salmon are endless.
If you love pan-seared seafood, try my pan-seared orange roughy, pan-seared coho salmon, pan-seared rockfish, and barramundi next.
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.
- 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
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Step 1- Prepare. Pat the fillets dry with paper towels and season them with salt and pepper on both sides.
Step 2- Pan-sear. Heat butter and oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high. Add salmon skin-side down and cook 4–5 minutes.
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.
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
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.
Frozen fillets will work, but they must be thawed overnight in the fridge.
More delicious ways to cook salmon
If you tried this pan-seared salmon recipe or any other recipe on The Big Man’s World, please rate the recipe and let me know how it went in the comments below. It really helps others thinking of making the recipe.
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
- 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.
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.