Honey Garlic Salmon Fillets (Printable)

Pan-seared salmon with a glossy honey garlic glaze, served with rice and fresh vegetables.

# What You Need:

→ Fish

01 - 4 salmon fillets (5.3 oz each), skin-on or skinless
02 - Salt, to taste
03 - Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Sauce

04 - 3 tablespoons honey
05 - 3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari for gluten-free
06 - 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
07 - 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
08 - 1 tablespoon water

→ For Cooking

09 - 2 tablespoons olive oil or unsalted butter

→ For Serving (optional)

10 - Steamed rice
11 - Steamed or sautéed seasonal vegetables
12 - Sliced green onions
13 - Sesame seeds

# How To Make It:

01 - Pat salmon fillets dry and season both sides evenly with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
02 - In a small bowl, whisk together honey, soy sauce or tamari, minced garlic, lemon juice, and water until blended. Set aside.
03 - Warm olive oil or butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
04 - Place salmon fillets skin-side down if applicable, and cook undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes until skin is crisp and golden.
05 - Flip the fillets carefully and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes.
06 - Reduce heat to medium-low. Pour the honey garlic sauce around and over the fillets, spooning it continuously as it simmers and thickens to glaze the salmon, about 2 to 3 minutes.
07 - Remove from heat once the salmon is opaque and flaky, and the sauce is glossy. Serve immediately with rice and vegetables, optionally garnished with green onions and sesame seeds.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The salmon stays impossibly moist while the sauce gets sticky and caramelized, creating this perfect tension of textures.
  • Everything happens in one pan in about 15 minutes, so it's fancy enough for guests but practical enough for a Tuesday night.
  • The garlic transforms into something almost jam-like that coats every bite with that sweet-savory balance that keeps you coming back for another forkful.
02 -
  • Don't flip the salmon more than once—every flip risks tearing the delicate flesh and losing that textural contrast you worked for.
  • The sauce continues to thicken slightly after you remove the pan from heat, so pull it off the stove when it looks just slightly thinner than you want the final result to be.
03 -
  • Quality salmon makes an enormous difference—buy from a fishmonger if you can and ask when it came in, then cook it that same day.
  • The skin gets crispiest if you start skin-side down in a cold pan and let the residual heat do some of the work, then increase the temperature once you add the oil.
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