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Garlic Butter Salmon

Garlic butter salmon with pan-seared, flaky fillets and a fast garlic-lemon butter sauce. Cook skin-side down for crispy edges, then finish just until tender and spoon sauce over the top.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Salmon fillets
  • 4 salmon fillets About 6 oz each
Garlic butter sauce
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper
Serving
  • 1 lemon slices For serving

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Prep and season
  1. Pat the salmon fillets dry with paper towels, then season both sides with paprika, salt, and black pepper.
  2. Set the salmon aside while you preheat your skillet.
Pan-sear the salmon
  1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  2. Add 2 tablespoons butter and let it melt.
  3. Place salmon skin-side down and cook for 4–5 minutes, until the surface looks opaque at the edges.
  4. Carefully flip and cook another 3–4 minutes, until the center flakes easily.
  5. Remove salmon and set aside.
Make garlic butter sauce and finish
  1. Reduce heat to medium.
  2. Add remaining butter and minced garlic, cooking for 30 seconds until fragrant.
  3. Stir in lemon juice and lemon zest.
  4. Return salmon to the skillet and spoon the garlic butter sauce over the fillets for 1 minute, letting the sauce coat the tops.
  5. Garnish with parsley and lemon slices, then serve immediately.

Notes

For best results, dry the salmon well so it sears instead of steaming; refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days and reheat gently (avoid high heat). Freezing is not recommended for this dish’s texture. For a lighter option, replace half the butter with olive oil or a 50/50 butter-olive oil mix.