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Sometimes the best way to cook salmon is to keep things simple. With just a few basic ingredients, this pan-seared salmon recipe lets the natural richness and flavor of the fish really shine.
Golden and crisp on the outside and perfectly cooked in the center, this pan-seared salmon is one of my go-to recipes when I need to get dinner on the table fast. It’s elegant enough for company but takes just 15 minutes from start to finish.
The technique is the same one used in fine dining restaurants to cook everything from steak to scallops. The key is choosing the right size fillets, seasoning them well, and letting them cook undisturbed in the pan to develop a beautiful golden crust.
“Supremely simple and delicious!”
What You’ll Need to Make Pan-Seared Salmon
The ingredients are simple: salmon, olive oil, salt, and pepper. I recommend using 6-ounce salmon fillets, which are often sold already portioned at the fish counter. They’re a good size for this quick cooking method.
How to Make Pan-Seared Salmon
Season the salmon: Season the fillets with salt and a few grinds of pepper. Don’t skimp on the salt—underseasoning is one of the most common mistakes home cooks make.
Sear the salmon: Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Add the salmon, skin side up, and cook undisturbed until golden and crisp, about 4 minutes. Resist the urge to peek or move the fillets; leaving them alone is the key to developing a beautiful crust.
Flip and finish cooking: Carefully flip the fillets and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for another 4 to 5 minutes, or until done to your liking. The salmon should flake easily with a fork but still be moist in the center.
Storage & Reheating
Salmon is best enjoyed fresh, but leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, place the salmon in a 275°F oven, loosely covered with foil, until warmed through.
What to Serve with Pan-Seared Salmon
This salmon pairs beautifully with simple sides that won’t overpower its flavor. I love it with roasted Brussels sprouts and mashed cauliflower, but roasted asparagus, rice pilaf, or crispy roasted potatoes are also delicious options. A green salad is also a great choice for a lighter meal.
Video Tutorial
Pan-Seared Salmon (Restaurant Style)
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.
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.
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Yum PERFECT!! Served with homemade pesto and rice! As always…thank you Jenn!!!
Perfect timing at 5 & 4. Great tip to turn down the heat at flipping time!
This was the best salmon I’ve ever made! Perfect crust and so easy. Truly tasted like it was from a restaurant. Only downside is that it smoked a lot and really stunk up my house. Next time (and there will be a next time) I’ll run the vent fan from the beginning—I turned it on halfway through
I am giving this recipe 5 stars because we just had a *delicious* dinner, but I did make a small change and now I have a question. My frying pan looked like the one in the photo, with a very thin lining of olive oil across the bottom of the large pan. However, I used MUCH more than a tablespoon (I’m embarrassed to say how much, and I was eyeballing it, but I would guess perhaps 1/2 cup or more?) Was this a bad mistake? While the fish was outstanding, I did note that it was on the “done” side of perfect, and probably could have gotten away with 3.5 / 3 minutes of cooking per side instead of 4 / 4 — now I’m thinking that might be because I used more oil than the recipe called for. Anyway, delicious. Thanks, Jenn!!
Hi G, glad you enjoyed this despite it being a bit overcooked. Yes, I think the amount of oil caused it to cook more quickly so next time, I’d cut back significantly and you’ll get better results. 🙂
So easy and so good!
I made this last night with wild caught Alaskan Coho salmon and tonight with wild caught Alaskan King salmon. Yum and yum! It’s nice enough to serve to company. I did cover the pan for a few minutes on each side while cooking just to keep the splattering down. Thanks for this easy method to cook one of our favorite fish.
I spread a balsamic glaze on the salmon before pan-searing, which gave it an extra crispy “shell” and tangy sweetness.
Hi Jenn,
It came out excellent, like you said crispy on the outside, moist on the inside. However I used butter instead of oil (the French debate about butter vs olive oil) it made the skin that much more tasty in the end, and sprinkled it with organic garlic powder and organic dill weed. Then topped it with a slice of lemon. I used fresh Atlantic salmon.
I was amazed! I made this recipe. I left the skin on the salmon but I goofed and put the skin side down. In a minute I turned it over and discovered the skin slid right off each piece easily so I removed it. I finished cooking 4 minutes on that side then 5 minutes on the other. It turned out beautiful and delicious! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
This is so good! Really easy and amazing. Do it exactly as Jenn says.
The best at-home salmon I’ve ever made! Thanks, Jenn.