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.
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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.
Nancy says
Delicious!!
shae says
My family requests this at least twice a month. My favorite salmon recipe and comes out *chefโs kiss* every time!! Broiling it is key!
RM Jr says
Holy Crap!
This was absolutely frigginโ AMAZING!
My entire family (4 of us) just LOVED everything about it..!!!
Definitely a 5 star meal & I wish I could double that rating and give it 10 STARS
Janet Durrenberger says
Made this for Sunday dinner today. My husband who will only eat shrimp and fried catfish swore he never knew what he was missing!! It was delicious, quick and easy. Thank you!!
Jen says
I LOVED this recipe!! Like buying it from a high end restaurant! I’ve cooked a variety of this recipe before but it never went under the broiler… that’s a deal breaker! Flavors are amazing together (and I was even out of lemon juice! So I can’t wait to cook it again with ALL the ingredients!). The sauce thickened up nicely and went great over rice. This will definitely be printed and into my family recipes! Thanks for a great recipe!
Mary McCarter says
My husband sort of sighs and resignedly eats salmon when I serve it – but he LOVED this recipe! It was delicious. I made it exactly according to the recipe and at first I thought the sauce was too runny, but once it went into the broiler it was perfect and sticky and delicious. I also thought it might be too much garlic, but all the flavors were well balanced. I cooked one big piece of salmon and cut it in half after it had been in the broiler, and after 6 minutes it was a bit pink in the middle so I turned off the oven and let it sit in the hot oven for a few minutes, and it came out perfect. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
Relz says
I tried this yesterday and ngl I measured everything haphazardly (loosely following instruction) because I made a quarter of the recipe only. And i did not have an oven safe skillet so I transfered the salmon from a pan to a baking pan for the broiling part.
It came out DELICIOUS. Like- woah the sauce is so nice though my honey goes on the sweeter end so i added some vinegar to replace the lemon (too lazy to squeeze some) and it gave a nice tang to it. The honey caramalized beautifully giving this candy coated feel. The fish is cooked thoroughly and was very juicy.
It’s so much better eated right out the oven
Jeff says
Cat is crazy….
Awesome recipe. Entire family loved it.
Sauce was a bit thin after broiling, but thickened it up on the stovetop.
Will definitely be making this again. ๐๐๐ป
Corey says
This came out amazing and so much easier than I thought. Perfect weeknight dinner for my husband and me! Added this to our โfamily recipeโ folder because we will be making it again!
Cat says
This was by far the worst salmon recipe I’ve ever tried– I followed the measurements perfectly, but it was WAY too sweet and completley over powered everything. It was like having candy-flavored fish. Just disgusting and unfortunately ruined our meal.
The Chunky Chef says
It’s unfortunate that you didn’t enjoy the flavor of this salmon recipe. It’s definitely going to be somewhat sweet with the first word of the title being “honey”, but we certainly don’t find it overpowering and disgusting (otherwise why on earth would I post it). Everyone has different tastes and preferences, and not liking something doesn’t make it gross, just not the recipe for you ๐
Lisa says
This has been my GO TO salmon recipe for about the past 4 years! I have FOUR kids between the ages of 3 and 16… this is the ONLY meal they will ALL eat, every single time! They ALL clean their plates and most of the time, ask for seconds! I usually make this with green beans and seasoned baby potatoes. Never fails! Making it again tonight!!๐
PeterW says
I just cooked this scrumptious recipe for the first time.
It is also husband proof.
๐
cece says
Am I able to store the sauce? And if so, for how long and how? I want to make this recipe but I’ll just be making the salmon for myself, but I plan to continue making the recipe throughout the month so I would love to store the sauce ๐
The Chunky Chef says
You can store the sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about a week ๐
JoAnn says
Very tasty โฆ yummy!
Anna says
Tried this recipe tonight and it was sooo delicious! Thank you ๐
Priscilla says
This was delicious. I plan on using this sauce on other proteins.
Karie says
This is a must have for my favorite recipes file!!
Marcia says
Excellent, marinated for 4 hours, added a little cornstarch to extra marinate , topped the salmon with the thickened sauce. Lemon slices and onions. Baked 20 minutes, then turned on broiler for a couple minutes. Sprinkled on parsley and served with a rice pilaf and green beans, and of course a nice white wine.
Absolutely delicious.
Bri says
Is broiling mandatory?
The Chunky Chef says
If you want a thicker and sticky sauce, yes.
Anon says
Wow! Really enjoyed this salmon recipe! I donโt usually leave comments but had to for this one! Defo a keeper recipe!