Description
A delicious and easy recipe for garlic butter salmon, featuring perfectly seared fillets with a rich garlic butter sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 fillets salmon ((6 ounces each))
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 cloves garlic ((minced))
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley ((chopped))
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika ((optional))
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) if finishing in the oven, remove salmon from refrigerator for 10 minutes, pat fillets dry with paper towels, and season both sides generously with salt, pepper, and optional paprika.
- Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of butter, and sear salmon fillets skin-side down undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes until a crust forms and pink color rises up the sides.
- Flip the fillets gently, reduce heat to medium-low, add remaining 3 tablespoons of butter and minced garlic, and stir constantly for 30 seconds to 1 minute until garlic is fragrant and golden without burning.
- Tilt the pan to pool the sauce, baste the top of the fish repeatedly with the foaming garlic butter for 2 to 4 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 125°F to 130°F (52°C to 54°C).
- Remove pan from heat, carefully pour in fresh lemon juice to deglaze and emulsify the sauce, sprinkle with chopped parsley, drizzle remaining sauce over fillets, and serve immediately.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: main course
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 0
- Sodium: 400
- Fat: 23
- Saturated Fat: 10
- Unsaturated Fat: 9
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 2
- Fiber: 0
- Protein: 34
- Cholesterol: 90
Keywords: Store leftover salmon in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days; reheat gently in a skillet with a splash of water or broth to prevent drying out, avoiding the microwave. For a dairy-free version, substitute butter with olive oil or plant-based alternatives, and note that raw marinated fillets can be frozen for up to 3 months while cooked salmon should not be frozen due to texture degradation.