Sticky sweet and garlicky, this glazed salmon recipe comes together in just 20 minutes, and in one pan. Hands down, the most addicting salmon ever!
This ultra easy salmon recipe is a winner when it comes to weeknight dinners!ย We love easy main dishes, like my Honey Lime Shrimp, and Blackened Tilapia Bowls.ย This is one of myย Dinnerย recipes youโll definitely want in your recipe rotation!
HONEY GARLIC SALMON RECIPE
Have you ever made a recipe that truly surprised you?ย Normally I’m not a huge salmon lover, but after one bite of this ultra tender salmon, I was absolutely in love.ย I literally did a little dance in the kitchen because I finally found a way that I can enjoy salmon!
We all know how nutritious salmon is… loaded with omega 3’s, high in protein and tons of vitamins, so I’m glad I can enjoy those benefits.ย And now, so can you!
You won’t believe how such a simple recipe can pack SO much flavor.ย Each bite is full of sweet and savory flavors and delicate textures.
HOW TO MAKE GLAZED SALMON
I know some people, myself included, worry about pan-searing a salmon filet, going to flip it over, and…. well now your beautiful filet is mangled and in several pieces.
For that reason, I kept this recipe simple… so simple in fact, that there is NO pan-searing.ย No flipping required.
- Pat salmon filets dry and season with spices on all sides.
- Heat butter and oil, then add garlic, water, soy sauce, sriracha, honey and lemon juice.
- When hot, add salmon filets (skin side down if your filets have skin), and cook 3 minutes.
- While salmon cooks, use a spoon to baste the filets.
- Broil for 5-6 minutes, until salmon is sticky sweet, slightly charred, and cooked to desired doneness.
COOKING TIPS FOR SALMON RECIPES
- Buy good salmon – I prefer to buy fresh salmon from the grocery store, instead of frozen filets in bags, since those tend to be very thin.ย Cooking Light has a great article on how to pick the best salmon at the grocery store.
- Use it quickly – Salmon can go “off” or bad pretty quickly, so I prefer to buy my salmon no more than 1 day ahead of time.
- To skin or not to skin – if you decide to pan-sear your salmon, leave the skin on (and sear skin side first).ย The skin provides a layer of protection against the hot pan, and it’s a LOT easier to slide a spatula underneath crispy skin than underneath tender flesh.ย Plus, you’ll get crispy skin!ย To cook this recipe as written, it really doesn’t matter if your filets have skin or not.
- Don’t overcook – Salmon is prone to overcooking, and the line between not done enough and dry and overdone is pretty fine.ย The USDA recommends salmon be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 F degrees.ย ย However, different peopleย prefer their salmon to be more rare or more well-done, like a steak.ย To be on the safe-side, I stick to the USDA’s recommendation.
VARIATIONS OF THIS RECIPE
- Pan-Sear – if you’d prefer, season salmon as directed, then pan sear in the pan.ย Flip over and sear on the other side, then remove to a plate.ย Add sauce ingredients to pan and cook until warmed through.ย Add salmon back to pan and spoon sauce over the salmon.
- Bold Lemonย – feel free to add lemon zest to the sauce, or even add a few slices of lemon to the pan while you cook and broil the salmon for a more bold lemon flavor.
- Try Lime – switch the lemon juice for lime juice for a slightly different flavor.
- Green Onions – I love to top these salmon filets with some sliced green onions for a different flavor twist.
MAKING HONEY GARLIC SALMON AHEAD OF TIME
I think this recipe tastes best when made right before eating, but you can whisk together the sauce ahead of time if you’d like.
However, this salmon recipe also tastes amazing cold, on top of a salad.ย So if that’s your intention, then yes, make it a few hours to a day ahead of time ๐
STORAGE
Any leftover salmon should be refrigerated in an airtight container and consumed within 3 days.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT FOR THIS RECIPE
- 12โณ wide skilletย โ I love this pan, and love that it’s oven and broiler safe (a must for one pan recipes).
BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN TO CHECK OUT OTHER READERSโ COMMENTS FOR TIPS AND REVIEWS.
AND DONโT FORGET, IF YOUโVE MADE THIS RECIPE, LEAVE A COMMENT AND PLEASE GIVE IT A STAR RATING LETTING ME KNOW HOW YOU ENJOYED IT!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
SALMON
- 4 (6 oz each) salmon filets
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (or regular paprika)
- 1/4 tsp blackening seasoning (optional)
SAUCE
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup honey
- 3 Tbsp water
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp sriracha sauce
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Pat salmon dry, then season with salt, pepper, paprika and blackening seasoning (if using). Set aside.
- IMPORTANT: Adjust oven rack to middle position, then preheat broiler. If you broil this with the rack up high the sauce will burn.
- Add butter and oil to a large, oven-safe skillet over MED-HIGH heat. Once butter is melted, add garlic, water, soy sauce, sriracha, honey and lemon juice and cook 30 seconds or so, until sauce is heated through.
- Add salmon, skin side down (if using salmon with skin), and cook 3 minutes. While salmon cooks, baste frequently with sauce from the pan by spooning it over the top of the salmon.
- Broil salmon for 5-6 minutes, basting with sauce once during the broil, until salmon is caramelized and cooked to desired doneness.
- Garnish with minced parsley if desired.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
- If you'd prefer, season salmon as directed, then pan sear in the pan.ย Flip over and sear on the other side, then remove to a plate.ย Add sauce ingredients to pan and cook until warmed through.ย Add salmon back to pan and spoon sauce over the salmon.
- A couple of readers have reported having a watery sauce, which I've never personally encountered during all the testing for this recipe. If you feel the sauce is a bit watery, you could reduce the amount of water used, or simmer the sauce a bit before adding the salmon.
Video
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
C says
This was great and incredibly easy!
Morgan says
I tried it in a cast Iron skillet and it does work the same. Itโs delicious! A wonderful recipe! I did however substitute ย vinegar for lemon juice, and chili garlic sauce for sriracha: But it was still amazing!
Brandi says
Hi Morgan!
I tried this recipe in my cast iron skillet. When I put the salmon under the broiler, the sauce burnt up…it became black and crispy!!
My skillet is ovenproof, but my broiler is in the top compartment of my double oven. Do you think the heat was too high in this small space? My top oven/broiler is smaller than my lower oven.
I know this recipe is delicious…just need to figure out what happened.
Thank you!
Morgan says
Does this recipe work the same in a cast iron skillet?ย
The Chunky Chef says
Absolutely! Any oven-safe skillet works ๐
Madeline Roldan says
I made this and it was great
Nalo Frazier says
This was sooooo good. Definitely making this again. My husband enjoyed every bit of this sweet, a little spicy and garlicky sauced salmon. Nailed it! I paired it with fresh roasted brocolli and homemade mashed potatoes.
Gary says
There is no way putting the broiler to “High” for 5 minutes cooks the salmon even close to enough. A 3 minute sear in the pan gets a nice crust but doesn’t even begin to cook the salmon. This is a great recipe if you love raw uncooked salmon.
The Chunky Chef says
Actually it does cook the salmon, but everyone enjoys their salmon cooked to different internal temperatures, like a good steak. Which is why I detailed that in the body of the post and mentioned to cook to desired doneness in the recipe itself.
Kayleigh says
Actually when I cooked mine and I put it in the oven I found the sauce started to burn quite quickly under the broiler. So I removed it after only about two minutes and just let the salmon sit in the hot pan off direct heat for another couple of minutes. It was perfectly cooked. And tasty! It doesnโt sound like you actually cooked the recipe before reviewing it.
Hicham Gharbi says
It depends on the thickness of the salmon pieces you are picking. On that video, it looks like sockeye salmon was used, which is usually thinner than some farmed raised salmon. Just looking at the video that was shared, the cook time seems to be enough. But you would have to increase you cook time for thicker pieces of fishes. Thank you for sharing your concern with other people.ย
Leslie Knudsen says
Absolutely delicious. Melted sauce in microwave. Sauteed salmon in skillet and when about two minutes from cooked added the sauce and kept basting. OMG, with jasmine rice!!! Thank you so much.
Mari says
Amazing! Iโm not always a fan of salmon but I made this as my husband loves it. This recipe blew me away with how moist and delicious it turned out! My husband and I agreed that this is 5 star restaurant quality. This will be the only salmon recipe I ever use! We had leftovers and it was just as delicious the next day. Thank you!!!
Jerry Simpson says
I don’t usually leave coments, but this recipe merits mention. It was awesome serve over a spinach/pasta salad
Caroline Bowers says
I donโt have an oven safe skillet so I stuck to pan searing. About 4 minutes of each side and then spooned the sauce over the top!! It was absolutely delish. Perfect flavor and a great crusty glaze over the top!ย
Lisa says
LOVED this recipe. I didn’t read the reviews before trying it, the picture alone caught my eye. My fiance and I began eating it and the first comment out of his mouth was “omg this is restaurant quality, maybe even better” which makes me laugh now after seeing so many reviewers saying the same. Bookmarked this to make over and over again. Highly recommend!
Carol Erb says
Made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! It is very easy to put together! Thanks for the recipe.
Felicia Van Ostenbridge says
Delicious! ย I can not tolerate spicy food so I left out the blackening seasoning and the sriracha. ย My family loved this dish and my son even commented it was โrestaurant qualityโ . Very easy too!ย
Sara says
Delicious! ย Made some couscous to go with it to use that extra sauce. ย Itโs a keeper!
Becky says
The recipe is so delicious. Be cautious when thickening the sauce. It gets solid really quick because of the honey.
Julie says
Very very good! Melt in your mouth ย salmon.I cooked it entirely in broiler and oven.I think you could do the same on BBQ.I just made a little pan of foil that held the glaze onto the salmon and basted every few mins.
Greg says
OMG, this was really good; restaurant quality! Normally grill my salmon, looking for something different. Super easy to make and not a lot prep/cook time. Canโt wait to make it againย
Jon says
So tasty – halved the honey and the family gobbled it up! ย Just wish my salmon was wild caught.ย
cathy says
very good
Jamie Smith says
Made this tonight and it was amazing! Seriously this sauce can go with any meat! Question for you- if I wanted to make a large batch of this sauce for future cooking, do you think it would store well in the refrigerator?
The Chunky Chef says
So glad you loved this recipe! I think the sauce would store well for 1-2 weeks ๐
Linda Catanzariti says
Made just as the recipe is. FANTASTIC! will be making again and again.