Pan-Seared Pacific Salmon with Lemon Herb Butter
intro
Succulent, crispy-skinned wild Pacific salmon seared to flaky perfection, finished with bright lemon herb butter for a light, flavorful, restaurant-quality weeknight meal.
Ingredients
Steps
Pat Dry and Season Salmon
Pat the 4 skin-on Pacific salmon fillets completely dry on all sides with paper towels, then season the flesh side evenly with ¾ teaspoon of kosher salt and all of the ground black pepper; let the fillets rest at room temperature for 10 minutes to allow seasoning to penetrate and reduce sticking during searing.
Make the Lemon Herb Butter
While the salmon rests, make the lemon herb butter: in a small bowl, microwave the 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter for 20 seconds until fully melted, then stir in minced garlic, chopped dill, chopped parsley, 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, and the remaining ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt; set aside at room temperature.
Heat Oil in the Skillet
Heat 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat (190°C/375°F) until the oil shimmers and just starts to send up thin wisps of smoke, about 3 minutes.
Sear Salmon Skin Side Down
Carefully place the salmon fillets in the hot skillet skin-side down, pressing each fillet gently with a slotted fish spatula for the first 10 seconds to ensure full skin contact with the pan; cook without moving the fillets for 4 minutes until the skin is deep golden and crispy.
Flip and Baste the Salmon
Use the fish spatula to carefully flip each fillet to the flesh side, then reduce the heat to medium (175°C/350°F); spoon 2 tablespoons of the prepared lemon herb butter over each fillet as it cooks, and continue cooking for 3 to 4 minutes until the salmon reaches an internal temperature of 63°C/145°F at the thickest point and flakes easily with a fork.
Plate and Rest the Salmon
Transfer the cooked salmon fillets to a serving platter, top each with a thin slice of fresh lemon and a light drizzle of any remaining herb butter from the pan, then let rest for 2 minutes before serving to allow juices to redistribute.
Tips
2.Resist the urge to move or lift the salmon while it sears skin-side down; disturbing the fillets early will tear the skin and prevent even, crisp browning.
3.Remove salmon from the pan as soon as it reaches 63°C/145°F at its thickest point; residual heat will continue to cook the fish as it rests, and overcooking will result in dry, tough flesh.
OMG this salmon recipe is a total game changer! I’ve always been intimidated to pan-sear salmon because I’d either overcook it to a rubbery mess or the skin would stick to the pan, but this method worked perfectly first try. The lemon herb butter is SO good I could’ve drunk it straight, no joke. My two picky kids devoured their servings and asked for seconds, which never happens with fish! We had it with roasted asparagus and quinoa for our Sunday family dinner, already added it to our weekly meal prep rotation.
Made this for our neighborhood potluck last weekend and it was a huge hit! I doubled the recipe because we had 12 people coming, and every single fillet was gone by the end of the night. Only reason I’m not giving it a full 5 stars is I wish the recipe noted to let the salmon rest at room temp for 10-15 minutes before searing — my first couple fillets went straight from the fridge to the pan and curled up bad, but once I let the rest sit out a bit they cooked up perfectly flat with that crispy skin everyone wants. The lemon herb butter is chef’s kiss, people were pulling me aside all night asking for the recipe!
25 minute cook time? Sign me up. I work 10 hour shifts at the local hospital and don’t have the energy for fancy, ingredient-heavy meals on weeknights, and this checked every single box. I grabbed some Pacific salmon from the grocery store seafood counter on my way home, seared it up per the instructions, and got perfectly crispy non-stick skin and flaky, tender fish. That bright lemon herb butter adds so much flavor without requiring a run to a specialty grocery store. I swapped the dill for dried parsley because that’s all I had in the crisper, and it still slapped. 10/10, will be making this at least every other week when I need a quick, fancy-feeling dinner.