Pan Seared Salmon

Easy Pan Seared Salmon – Ready in under 10 minutes, for a healthy, effortless weeknight dinner. Simple to make, seasoned with only salt, black pepper, garlic and dill (optional). Serve with your favorite salad or vegetable side dish.

This pan seared salmon recipe was originally posted back in June 2014. I updated the photos and created a quick video to show you how I make it.

This is by far my favorite and the easiest way to prepare salmon. It works both with skinless or skin on fish.

It produces tender, perfectly cooked with with a crispy outside and wonderful flavor. The flavor that you get from searing does not compare to the one flavor of poached or oven baked salmon.

This Pan Seared Salmon is perfect for people on Keto, Low-Carb Diet, because it contains good fats.

What is pan searing?

Pan searing is cooking technique, where you cook meat, fish or veggies in a very hot pan with or without oil. I recommend different ways of searing different foods. Searing is meant to deliver flavor. When meat touches a hot pan, it quickly starts to caramelize and forms nice crust, while building an intense flavor.

Today I’m sharing my favorite way to sear salmon, that is very quick and easy!

What ingredients do I need to make this Easy Pan Seared Salmon?

• salmon fillet – either skinless or skin on, you can use Atlantic, Sockeye, Coho or even Salmon Trout
• salt
• black pepper
• garlic (powder or pressed fresh garlic)
• dill – either dried, fresh or frozen
• oil (olive or vegetable)
• lemon juice (optional)

How to make Pan Seared Salmon?

What side to cook first, if using skin on salmon fillet? Skin on or the skinless side?

I believe this is a personal preference. I’ve heard that if you cook the skin on side first, the skin shrinks and this is true. This is not an issue for me and it is a lot easier to turn, sliding a spatula under the skin, than if you do the skinless side first.

Heat oil in a skillet to medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes.

Add salmon, skin side down. Season with salt, black pepper, garlic powder. Top with dill. Cook for 2 minutes.

Using a spatula, gently turn the fish. You can now season the skin side with just salt.

Cook for 1-2 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat. Let the salmon cool inside for 2 minutes, then transfer to a plate.

Tips to make the perfect pan seared salmon:

• Bring salmon at room temperature, take it out of the fridge 20 minutes before cooking.
• Buy good quality fish, preferably wild with not a lot of fat.
• Skin on salmon works better that skinless salmon.
• Use a good pan, that heats up evenly. Make sure the pan and oil are hot. You can use Olive oil, but if you are concerned about the lower smoking point of olive oil, use vegetable oil. I personally love searing meats in a well heated cast iron skillet without oil, but when it comes to fish, we do need the oil.
• Do not overcook the fish. Cooking is mostly done on the skin side – around 3 minutes and then you finish the skinless side for 2 minutes. If you are concerned about undercooking the fish, you can leave it in the pan, away from the burner and cover the pan with a lid for 5 minutes. This will help cook the fish further.

What to serve seared salmon with?

• Lightened Up Potato Salad Recipe
• Cucumber And Onion Salad
• Grilled Zucchini Salad

More Salmon Recipes:

• This Cajun Salmon from Cooktoria is an ultra-easy and flavorful dinner to make during your busy weeknights. It’s ready in less than 30 minutes.
• Easy One Pan Garlic Dill Lemon Baked Salmon
• Miso salmon with cold marinated asparagus
• One Pan Lemon Garlic Salmon