Free recipe
Pan-Seared Salmon
Built around salmon fillets and olive oil -- the method starts by take the salmon out of the fridge 15 minutes before cooking.
This seafood pan-seared salmon builds its flavor from salmon fillets, olive oil and butter, and comes together in about 40 minutes with medium-level technique. The method starts by take the salmon out of the fridge 15 minutes before cooking.
A 40-minute cook time that's mostly hands-off simmering or roasting.
A few technique steps to focus on, but nothing that needs special equipment.
Built around salmon fillets, so the flavor comes from real ingredients, not a spice packet.
Ingredients
- 4 salmon fillets, skin on
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 lemon
- Fresh dill or parsley
- Salt and black pepper
Nutrition (estimated, per serving)
Calculated from this recipe's own ingredient list; treat as an estimate, not a lab measurement.
Method
Take the salmon out of the fridge 15 minutes before cooking and pat the skin very dry with paper towels - dry skin is the secret to a crisp finish.
Season both sides with salt and pepper.
Heat the olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat until shimmering.
Lay the salmon in skin-side down and press gently with a spatula for 10 seconds so the skin stays flat. Cook without moving it 4-5 minutes until the skin is crisp and golden.
Flip the fillets and add the butter and garlic. Tilt the pan and spoon the melted butter over the fish for 1-2 minutes to baste it.
Cook until the salmon is just opaque in the center (it flakes gently with a fork); it keeps cooking off the heat, so do not overdo it.
Squeeze over the lemon, scatter with dill, and serve.
The step worth not rushing: Lay the salmon in skin-side down and press gently with a spatula for 10 seconds so the skin stays flat. Cook without moving it 4-5 minutes until the skin is crisp and golden.
