Restaurant-Style Pan Seared Salmon
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
Restaurant-quality pan seared salmon—crisp on top and just barely cooked in the center—is easy to make at home.
Golden and crisp on top and just barely cooked at the center, this pan seared salmon is one of my go-to recipes when I have to hit the kitchen running. Not only is it fast—15 minutes start to finish—it’s also elegant. In fact, it’s the way salmon is typically prepared in fine dining restaurants (the same method is often used for cooking steak and scallops). This is really more of a technique than a traditional recipe, and it’s simple to master at home.
The key to perfect pan-seared salmon lies in choosing the right size fillets, seasoning them well, and allowing them to cook undisturbed. This technique, especially leaving the salmon untouched in hot oil, ensures a beautiful, golden crust that elevates the dish to restaurant quality.
“Supremely simple and delicious!”
What You’ll Need To Make Pan Seared Salmon
The ingredients are simple: olive oil, salt, pepper, and salmon. I recommend using 6-ounce salmon fillets; these are often sold already portioned and ready to cook at the fish counter. This size will ensure that the salmon cooks fully on the interior without overcooking on the exterior.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by seasoning the salmon with salt and a few grinds of pepper. Don’t skimp on the salt—the biggest mistake most home cooks make is under-seasoning their food.
Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Cook the salmon, skin side up, until golden and crisp, about 4 minutes. Resist the urge to fiddle with the fillets as they cook. Letting the fish sear untouched in hot oil creates a lovely, flavorful, and golden crust.
Carefully flip the fillets and reduce the heat to medium. Continue cooking until done to your liking, 4 to 5 minutes more.
Transfer to a platter and serve. Enjoy!
Video Tutorial
More Salmon Recipes
Restaurant-Style Pan-Seared Salmon
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 (6-oz) salmon fillets, 1¼-in (3-cm) thick (I have my fishmonger remove the skin, but it's fine to leave it on if you like)
Instructions
- Season the salmon with the salt and a few grinds of pepper. Heat the oil in a 12-in (30-cm) nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Cook the salmon, without moving, skin side up, until golden and crisp, about 4 minutes. Carefully flip the fillets and reduce the heat to medium. Continue cooking until done to your liking, 4 to 5 minutes more. Transfer to a platter and serve.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
I followed this recipe for dinner tonight and it turned out perfect! The salmon was cooked evenly throughout, with a thin golden crispy top layer that added a lot of flavor. Not overcooked or undercooked. I don’t normally eat the skin, but cooking it in oil this way fried it really nicely so we tried it and it was delicious too! The whole family loved it. This is going to be my new go-to for salmon. Thank you!
This is my new last minute go to meal! Added basmati rice with some lemon zest and rosemary and steamed baby broccoli with garlic and tomatoes!!!
Please explain why skin side up first?
Hi Diane, the reason I recommend that is that the first side usually gets the prettiest sear, so it will look nice when you serve it. Hope that clarifies!
Live in the Pacific Northwest where fresh salmon is plentiful. Best quick way to cook in my opinion.
Absolutely delicious. I cooked an additional 5 minutes in the toaster oven as the salmon was not cooked throughout.
Looks easy and tasty. I usually bake salmon but this is worth a try.
The recipe sez start with salmon skin side up but the picture shows skin side down? Which is it?
Hi Carol, maybe it looks that way in the pic, but the first image of the salmon in the pan does show the skin side up. Sorry if it’s not clearer (and hope you enjoy the salmon if you make it)!
Simple… and delicious. My 6 years old enjoyed too..thank you for sharing 🙂🙂🙂
Very good recipe
What if the skin is already off?
Hi Stan, it’s fine to follow the recipe as is with skinless salmon. Enjoy!
Thank you for this simple and easy recipe. I made this dish for my family last night and it was a “Hit”. As a side I served it over seasoned rice and steamed broccoli. Chef’s kiss!