A simple, elegant Pan-Seared Salmon Recipe in a lemon browned butter sauce. Master this easy (10 minute) method for how
to cook salmon in a pan. You love the simple ingredients.
Ingredients
You can use 1 to 1 1/2 lbs of salmon for this recipe; whatever the size of your pan allows. Ours was a 10″ skillet and we used 1 1/4 lbs, but there is enough sauce for a slightly larger fillet. Literally, all you need is:
Salmon
Lemons
Butter
Parsley
Salt and pepper
Directions
Season salmon on both sides with 1/2 salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper. Grate 1 tsp of lemon zest then squeeze 2 lemons for
4 Tbsp lemon juice.
Heat a large (10-12") light-colored pan over medium heat and right away add 4 Tbsp butter, swirling and stirring
frequently to prevent splatter until it starts to turn light brown and the bits of butter solids turn brown (about 3-7
minutes depending on your heat).
Add seasoned salmon and cook uncovered on the first side 3-4 minutes until golden brown then flip salmon and cook another 2 to 3 minutes or until flaky and fully cooked through with an internal temperature of 145˚F.
In the last 2 minutes of cooking, add 1 tsp lemon zest and 4 Tbsp lemon juice to the pan. Spoon the sauce over the
salmon as it cooks. Transfer salmon to plates, drizzle with sauce, and sprinkle the pan-cooked salmon with freshly
chopped parsley and black pepper to taste. Serve right away.
More Tips
Have ingredients prepped:
This recipe moves fast and salmon takes just minutes on the stove, so have your ingredients
ready before you turn on the stove.
Use a light-colored pan (such as stainless steel or white enamel coated) so you can watch the color changing.
DO NOT add butter to a very hot empty pan or it will be likely splatter. Add the butter as the pan is heating up.
Stir and swirl often, otherwise, the milk solids and water can pool under the butter and erupt/ splatter as the pressure builds up.