Make this Lemon Butter Pan Seared Salmon with 7 ingredients and in 30 minutes or less. This salmon is pan seared in a delicious lemon butter sauce leaving it so tender and flavorful.
If you love this pan friend salmon recipe, check out some of our other delicious and salmon recipes: Dill Salmon and Eggs Scramble, Baked Lemon Pepper Salmon, and my favorite, Lemon Dill Salmon Burgers.
Incredible Pan Seared Salmon (best way to cook salmon!)
Salmon has been on the menu in the Fit Foodie kitchen left and right. First, it was our amazing baked salmon in foil, then leftover salmon patties, then salmon burgers, then grilled salmon, and now… pan seared salmon!
This pan seared salmon recipe is the best way to cook salmon. It’s quick, flavorful, and ready in less than 30 minutes. Plus, the lemon butter sauce is so dreamy.
Why make this pan seared salmon recipe?
- 30-minute meal: dinner is ready in less than 30 minutes!
- Healthy: salmon is high-protein, packed with omega-3 fatty acids, and low-carb making it an excellent healthy meal.
- Perfectly flakey: pan seared salmon slightly crisps up the outsides of your salmon fillets, while leaving the insides super tender.
What You Need
Salmon fillets: the star of the show here is beautiful, fresh salmon fillets. We used 4 1/3-lb. fillets right from the butcher.
Salt and Pepper: salt and pepper may seem basic, but don’t skip this part!
Butter: butter is the fat used to pan sear salmon. If butter isn’t your jam, you can also try olive oil.
Minced Garlic: we are garlic people. It’s such a fragrant addition to this recipe. Feel free to use minced garlic or to mince your own.
Lemon: a little bit of citrus will brighten up this buttery pan seared salmon!
Fresh Dill: fresh dill is like the cherry on top. It pulls all of these wonderful flavors together.
Can I use a large salmon fillet for this?
If you’re having a hard time finding salmon fillets, feel free to buy one large fillet that is around 1.33 lbs. Cut it into 4 equal fillets using a very sharp knife.
How to Pan Sear Salmon
Wondering how to cook salmon on the stove? Don’t be intimidated about cooking your salmon on stove because it’s super simple. Here’s how to pan sear salmon in 4 simple steps:
- Heat: Heat a large, nonstick skillet or cast iron pan (we used a cast iron pan and highly recommend using one) over medium-high heat. Add butter and garlic.
- Sear: Once the butter is fragrant and bubbling, place the salmon skin-side up and sear for 4ish minutes. If you have a thick piece of salmon, sear for an extra minute or two.
- Flip: Flip salmon and sear for 3-4 minutes or until it’s no longer bright pink in the middle and a meat thermometer reads 145ºF.
- Let rest: Remove salmon from the pan and squeeze fresh lemon juice on top. Let it rest for 5 minutes before eating. Serve with fresh dill.
Salmon internal temperature
When making pan seared salmon, always have a meat thermometer on hand so that you can measure the internal temperature of your salmon. It should read no less than 145ºF to be considered safe to consume.
What side of salmon do you sear first?
We recommend searing the salmon skin-side up first and then flipping it over and searing the skin.
How do you know if your pan fried salmon is done?
The best way to know if your salmon is fully cooked is to use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. It should read at least 145ºF.
The look and feel of your salmon should be firm to touch, light pink in color, and easy to flake.
Is it better to bake or pan fry salmon?
Neither is better than the other, but we prefer pan seared salmon because it cooks faster and we just love the crispy edges.
What to Serve with Pan Seared Salmon Fillets
Greek Yogurt Dill Pickle Sauce: This healthy dill pickle dip doubles as a sauce and is a favorite in our house. Eat it with chips or serve it on top of a salmon filet.
Roasted Red Potatoes: Make these crispy roasted red potatoes for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! They are perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. They are ready in under an hour and perfect for meal prep!
Arugula Salad:This is a simple and delicious arugula salad recipe. It is made with arugula, dried fruit, veggies, and fruit. It is the perfect side dish to any meal!
Oven Roasted Asparagus: Oven roasted asparagus is the best way to eat asparagus! It’s a healthy side dish recipe that’s cooked to perfection.
What to do with Leftover Pan Seared Salmon
Got leftover pan seared salmon? Here are some ideas to use up that extra flakey fish!
Storage
If you have leftover pan seared salmon, let it cool completely. Then, transfer it into an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
Perfect Pan Seared Salmon (with lemon and butter!)
Ingredients
- 1.33 lbs. salmon 4 1/3-lb. fillets
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3-4 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 medium lemon juiced
- 1.5 tablespoons fresh dill
Instructions
- First, prep salmon by patting it dry with a paper towel to remove moisture. Then, season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Place 3-4 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon minced garlic into a large nonstick skillet and heat over medium/high heat.
- Place salmon skin-side up in the pan and sear for 4 minutes. Flip salmon and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes or until barely pink in the middle.
- Once flakey and cooked to an internal temperature of at least 145ºF, remove the salmon fillets from the heat.
- Squeeze fresh lemon juice on top of salmon and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve with a sprinkle of fresh dill.
I love that there was none of the ugly white “curd” when I cooked salmon this way. This recipe is a keeper!
For the serving size, is it 1/2 lb of salmon?
1/3 lb! the 1/2 refers to half of the recipe!
This recipe is simple yet delicious. I skipped the capers and used a normal non-stick frying pan. Poured the olive oil into the pan instead of coating the salmon with it. Perfectly accompanied by my favorite salad composed of tomatoes, onions, feta cheese with lemon juice and olive oil. Thanks!
So glad you loved it!!
I love the recipe. Anyways, this one is off-topic, may I know where did you buy your golden fork? It’s beautiful.
West Elm!!
There’s no butter or garlic in the world that can sustain 8 minutes of medium – high heat without burning. Recommend using a resilient oil (avocado or olive) to sear the salmon in and adding the butter/garlic for the last 2-3 minutes of pan time.
I guess Lee H didnt make the recipe yet was to busy to look at the details add ing the garlic and butter at the end saved three other pieces of salmon after the first tasted worse then a can of cat food smells!!!!!
I’m SO guilty of editing food photos when I’m hungry. Plus looking at food photos, and food MENUS. NOT a good combination at all!
Seeing this recipe just made me realize that I still haven’t tried salmon to this day. I’ve always thought it looks good in pictures and stuff but I never actually tried it. I suppose maybe because it’s kind of expensive? I dunno. I think I’ll have to change that soon though, starting with this recipe 🙂
OMG THAT IS INSANE. Buy it the next time it’s on sale!
Salmon is my go-to! It’s so quick and you when you’re in a pinch you don’t have to think too much about it. It tastes great with pretty much any flavor.
H. Bowden
AGREED!
This salmon recipe is so simple yet so perfect, I LOVE it!
I would have to agree 100%!
How perfect is this dinner? Salmon is my favorite fish!
I adore salmon and this is a great recipe. Looks delicious.
I LOVE salmon and could honestly eat it every night! So happy that my Mom brought up salmon from Costco. I cut it up into pieces and freeze it. Love this recipe!
I love salmon and it is super healthy not only heart healthy, but has anti-inflammatory properties as well. I try to eat it 3-4 x a week, but keep looking for new twists I can use.
I need to eat it WAYYYYYYYY more. I feel like I’m always eating chicken.
Try out Sizzlefish.com and use promo code: HEALTHY10
Favorite meal EVER. Salmon is just so DANG GOOD and I could definitely eat it every single night if I had the chance. Can’t wait to make this!
I LOVE salmon, but just like you I always ask myself why I don’t have it more often. I love how easy, quick, versatile and flavourful (+healthy) it is. Never tried putting dill on my salmon, now you made me curious to try it!
Can’t wait Casserole Week and everything you have planned for us (I LOVED OO Week), since I love making casseroles: easy, no fuss and so yummy!