Honey Garlic Salmon

I’ll level with you — salmon wasn’t a regular in our house growing up. Nana Ruth was a catfish and trout woman, and if it didn’t come out of a local river, it wasn’t making it to her table. But the world’s a little bigger now, and when everybody started talking about honey garlic salmon like it was the best thing they’d ever made on a Tuesday night, I figured it was worth trying.

Turns out, they were right.

This is one of those recipes that makes you look like you spent an hour in the kitchen when really you spent twenty minutes, and ten of those were just waiting for rice to cook. The salmon gets a gorgeous golden sear, and then you pour this sticky honey garlic sauce into the pan and it turns into something that tastes like it belongs at a restaurant — except it cost about $4 a serving and you’re eating it in your pajamas.

The sauce is dead simple: honey, soy sauce, garlic, a splash of rice vinegar, and a little butter at the end to bring it all together. If you want some heat, a squeeze of sriracha does the trick. The whole thing comes together in one skillet and there’s barely anything to clean up, which is the kind of cooking I can get behind on a weeknight.

Jake surprised me by loving this one. He’s not usually a fish person — he’ll eat it if it’s fried, but he’s never asked for seconds on salmon before. But he took one bite of this, went quiet for a second, and then said, “Can you make this again Thursday?” That’s about the highest compliment food gets in this house.

Serve it over rice with something green on the side — steamed broccoli, roasted asparagus, whatever you’ve got. The sauce is good enough that the kids will eat the vegetables just to have something to drizzle it on.

How to Make Honey Garlic Salmon

Start by patting the salmon dry. This is the step most people skip, and it’s the difference between a gorgeous golden sear and a sad, steamed fillet. Paper towels, both sides, then a good sprinkle of salt and pepper. Use skin-on fillets if you can get them — the skin protects the bottom from overcooking and gets beautifully crispy.

Get your skillet ripping hot. A tablespoon of olive oil in your skillet over medium-high heat, and wait until it shimmers. Place the salmon presentation-side down first — that’s the pretty side without the skin. Four minutes without touching it. You want that golden crust, and fussing with it too early will tear the surface.

Flip and finish the sear. Three more minutes on the second side, then pull the fillets to a plate. They’ll look gorgeous and they’re about 90% done — the sauce step finishes the cooking gently.

Build the sauce in the same skillet. Drop the heat to medium, toss in your minced garlic for about thirty seconds (just until it smells incredible), then pour in the honey, soy sauce, and rice vinegar. Let it bubble for a minute or two — you’ll see it thicken into this gorgeous sticky glaze. Swirl in the butter until it’s glossy and rich. A squeeze of sriracha here if you want a little kick.

Return the salmon and coat it. Slide those fillets back in and spoon that sauce over the top. One more minute in the pan and you’re done. Serve over rice and spoon every last drop of that sauce over everything — the rice, the vegetables, all of it.

If this salmon becomes a favorite, my Furikake Salmon Rice Bowls are another way to make fish exciting on a weeknight. And on the nights you want chicken instead, try my Sweet & Spicy Honey Butter Chicken or my Sheet Pan Honey Garlic Chicken — both have that same sticky-sweet glaze the kids love.

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Honey Garlic Salmon

Pan-seared salmon fillets glazed with a sticky honey garlic sauce made in one skillet. Ready in 20 minutes and costs about $4 a serving.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword honey garlic salmon, main dishes, weeknight dinners

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Maggie

Ingredients

• 4 salmon fillets about 6 oz each, skin-on or skinless
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• sriracha optional, for heat
• salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Pat salmon fillets dry and season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place salmon presentation-side down and sear for 4 minutes until golden. Flip and cook for 3 more minutes. Remove to a plate.
3. In the same skillet, reduce heat to medium. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add honey, soy sauce, and rice vinegar. Stir and let the sauce bubble for 1 to 2 minutes until slightly thickened.
4. Add butter and swirl until melted and glossy. Add a squeeze of sriracha if you like heat.
5. Return salmon to the skillet and spoon the sauce over the fillets. Cook for 1 minute to coat.
6. Serve over rice with steamed vegetables. Spoon extra sauce over everything.

Common Questions

More Recipes You’ll Love

• Sheet Pan Honey Garlic Chicken & Vegetables
• Creamy Tuscan Chicken Skillet
• Spring Pea & Lemon Pasta
• Old-Fashioned Smash Burgers

What I Use for This Recipe

A couple things from my kitchen that make this one easier.

Lodge 6-Quart Enameled Dutch Oven(~$60)

For every stew, pot roast, and soup that needs low-and-slow love. The pot I reach for on Sundays.

Lodge 10.25-Inch Cast Iron Skillet(~$20)

The skillet that never leaves our stovetop. Pre-seasoned, affordable, and built to last.

ThermoPro Instant-Read Thermometer(~$12)

Stop guessing. Best twelve dollars I ever spent on my kitchen.

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