Pan-Seared Salmon
Published Feb. 14, 2024
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 15 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 4(6-ounce) salmon fillets, skin on or off
- 1tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- Black pepper
- Half a lemon, for serving
- Chopped fresh parsley, dill or tarragon, for serving (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
387 calories; 26 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 7 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 35 grams protein; 424 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Heat a (12-inch) nonstick, cast-iron or stainless steel skillet over medium-high until it’s very hot. (A drop of water flicked onto the pan should turn to steam almost immediately.)
- Step 2
Meanwhile, pat the salmon fillets dry with paper towels. Pour the oil over them and toss to coat, then season all over with salt and pepper.
- Step 3
When the pan is hot, add the fillets skin-side up, spacing them evenly. Cook until the salmon is browned on the bottom and releases easily from the pan, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the fillets, reduce the heat to medium and cook until the salmon is cooked through but still slightly rare in the center, 4 to 5 more minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets.
- Step 4
Remove the fish to a platter or individual plates and rest for 5 minutes, then squeeze the lemon on top and sprinkle with fresh parsley, if desired.
Tip
- For a rich, restaurant-style finish, remove the pan from the heat and add 2 tablespoons cubed, unsalted butter and a smashed, peeled garlic clove. Tilt the skillet and spoon the melted butter over the salmon fillets a few times, until coated.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
louella
I follow Jacques Pepin recipe: Heat pan to very hot. Add salt and peppered salmon skin side down. Put cover on. Cook for 5-7 minutes depending on thickness. There will be plenty of fat from the salmon. Remove salmon. Wipe out pan. Add some butter, then some sliced shallots, then add capers and lemon juice. Pour over fish. Yum. Nice crispy skin. Moist salmon. Easy.
Bob Baumohl
Great method if you have a nice exhaust fan. Otherwise my apartment smells like fish for days.
Gwyneth
That fish smell in your city kitchen? It goes away if you start small pot of water boiling on the stove to which you add a few cinnamon sticks and a handful of cloves. Keep it simmering while you cook the salmon, or any fish! Works like a charm. Afterwards, pop that cinnamon clove mixture in the fridge to use again.
greg rainman
Mimi: yes, a non stick is totally fine here! Medium high until it’s hot shouldn’t damage the pan or cause any breakdown of the chemical coating. Once it’s hot, just throw the salmon on. And crispy skin is also super easy with a hot pan and salted skin. Just don’t move the fillets much. Typically I start skin side down, and flip when the salmon meat is cooked halfway up the fillet (it goes from pink the white). Just made this last night and my ex says it’s a keeper, unlike me!
David L H
I brush Mayo over the salmon to keep the fish moist before I place it in pan scaleside up. I saute some spinach and place it over jasmine rice before serving the salmon draping it over the combination. I then pour the buttered sauce over it all.
MWR
Key here, like cooking salmon on a grill, is to keep the fish on the heating surface long enough to 'release,' usually between 2-4 minutes (non-skin side) as noted here. If you try to flip the fillet before that magical moment, it'll stick to the surface and you'll have salmon hash. I sprinkle some kosher salt crystals on the (cast iron) pan, which not only seasons the fillet, but also seems to reduce the risk of sticking even more.
Augusta Nimmo
I always use non stick, crispy skin not a problem
Philip Helmers
I find that this method of cooking skin-side up first, then flipping, ends up with skin so crispy that I call it "salmon bacon". I oil the pan, not the salmon, with high-heat oil such as grapeseed, and season the salmon with Creole or similar seasoning, which provides heat, salt, and color. My family adores it every time.
Ida
I almost didn’t make this because it seemed so simple, but the preparation was perfect! Everyone in the family loved it. Followed the directions and highly recommend trying the skin side up first. I usually do the other way, but flesh side down on the hot cast iron really made a difference and I’ll always make it this way from now on. Also highly recommend the garlic butter finish. Added some dill to the pan as well and it was heavenly!
Bonnie
Turn burner down a bit.
Charley
Simple and good. Do use the melted garlic butter and don’t overcook.
Lucy
Take this whole mess outside to the gas grill. Heat your cast iron pan directly on the grill surface. Start skin side up as directed on a sizzling hot pan. When it crisps up nicely, flip to skin side down, reduce the flame, close the grill lid, and let it roast til desired doneness. All the smell and spatter stays outdoors.
Libby
I followed the recipe pretty much to a T and it was great! I especially liked the hint about waiting for the fish to release while cooking skin side up. It works! I also took their tip about mashing a clove of garlic with a little butter and dill for the top. And don’t overcook the fish. My husband loved it!
Mark Whittier
Cooking salmon until it's "slightly rare" in the center is tricky without an insta-read thermometer. Prying the fillet open with a paring knife works, if you don't mind that approach. With a decent thermometer, aim for 125 degrees at center, if it's fatty Chinook salmon. Leaner salmon like Coho is best at 150 degrees, when the proteins begin to set and firm up. Leaving it on the counter for an hour before cooking allows the salt to penetrate the meat better and makes for more even cooking.
Judy786
Love this recipe easy for a weeknight dinner and is tasty. Followed this recipe with the tip for a restaurant taste awesome finish. Did the salmon flesh side down in a cast iron skillet set the timer and did not move came out golden brown no sticking!
Mo
Put premium frozen salmon fillet in air fryer skin side up on 370 for 13 minutes. Rest for up to 5. Sprinkle salt. It’s restaurant quality - phenomenal - but not all frozen salmon is created equally. I use Sprouts farm raised Atlantic Salmon.
JR
Salmon is a favorite of my other half. I like it, but there are many other seafoods that are my go to favorites. Anyway, we both loved this recipe. Quick and easy to cook for dinner on a Wednesday night. Next time we will try the recommendation for mashed garlic butter sauce too.
Ida
I almost didn’t make this because it seemed so simple, but the preparation was perfect! Everyone in the family loved it. Followed the directions and highly recommend trying the skin side up first. I usually do the other way, but flesh side down on the hot cast iron really made a difference and I’ll always make it this way from now on. Also highly recommend the garlic butter finish. Added some dill to the pan as well and it was heavenly!
Meh
this was a very helpful recipe
Christopher
I mean no disrespect but does anyone really need a recipe to cook farmed salmon? Microwave, stove top, oven, it's very hard to get wrong. Microwave is fine for frozen. Fresh, bake at 300 in a deep backing dish for about 12 minutes. Now a recipe for cooking wild salmon with little fat, would be very helpful.
Mark Whittier
You can't go wrong with an insta-read thermometer from Therma-pen. Same technique as this recipe, just shoot for 125 degrees at center for ideal doneness with fatty Chinook salmon. Snobs would tell you 122 degrees, but some find that too rare for their liking.
Warren
Step one: buy the best salmon you can afford from a reliable fish market Cast iron pan, on high. Skin side down for 3-4 minutes until skin is blistered, flip reduce to medium and cover pan for 3 minutes. Salmon should be rare-mid rare in centre, rest for 5 minutes
pnaz
When will I know it is mid-rare?
pnaz
IMHO, after testing many recipes, this is the opposite of what should be done. Skin side down on high heat pan with oil/butter with skin pressed down for 20 seconds. Then turn heat to medium low and let salmon cook almost all the way through. Allows the salmon to cook without the albumen(white stuff) leaking out when cooked in high. Press down occasionally so skin crisps. The skin with fat will insulate the salmon from cooking too fast. Flip over when almost cooked through for about 20-30 sec.
Gwyneth
That fish smell in your city kitchen? It goes away if you start small pot of water boiling on the stove to which you add a few cinnamon sticks and a handful of cloves. Keep it simmering while you cook the salmon, or any fish! Works like a charm. Afterwards, pop that cinnamon clove mixture in the fridge to use again.
KI
Make sure you have a good exhaust fan.
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