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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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Always wanted to know how to get crispy skinned salmon, this is the recipe, terrific! Just be sure the pan is hot prior to adding fish or fish will stick. I used well seasoned cast iron
Love the simplicity of this meal. Easy to make & so tasty!
I am usually impatient & flip my fish & meat too quickly & it never turns out very well. I followed your recipe for the pan seared salmon & was amazed how crispy & good it turned out! A little patience goes along way! Thanks for the recipe!
I made the salmon for dinner tonight with the intention of eating half of piece. I could not stop myself from finishing the whole thing. It was absolutely delicious 😋. I used honey mustard and added extra honey; warmed them up in the microwave and drizzled it over the salmon. My husband thoroughly enjoyed it. I squeezed some fresh lemon and drizzled honey on my piece. Fabulous!!!
Thank you for another winning recipe.
Tried this for the first time tonight and it was SO easy and SO delicious! Will definitely be a weekly staple in my house
This recipe is amazing! It has taught me to recreate my favorite way to eat salmon in my own home. It was a huge hit with my whole family. Thank you!
This recipe saw me through my first attempt at a salmon dinner. I paired it with lightly steamed broccoli crowns and oven baked potatoes. (I’m just learning my way around the kitchen..I’m still just astonished when when every thing can hit the plates at the same time..it’s magic lol). I started out a little bit nervous as salmon is one of my fiancée’s favorites and I was cooking it at his request. We both agree…it turned out amazing! Thank you SO much!
I have been preparing our weekly salmon recipe using the convection broil feature on my oven. The salmon is seasoned and in an oiled Pyrex dish. But we’ve recently been buying two dinners worth of wild salmon from our farmer’s market provider. For the second dinner this week, I decided to your restaurant approach. I used my recently acquired carbon steel skillet which performed beautifully. I followed the skin side up starting point and then turned it over at medium with skin side down. It still seemed a little underdone so I stuck it into an already hot 350 degrees oven for 10-15 minutest.
In a professional kitchen, would they then stick the skillet in a 500 degree broiler to finish it?
Your recipe will be part of my repertoire. Thanks!
Hi, I think that professional chefs would generally finish it off in the oven. The temp may be a bit higher than 350 degrees, but it’s not likely that they’d broil it.
If the skin is removed at the fish market, do you still follow the directions as shown for fish with skin on????
Hi Sheila, Yes cooking process would be the same. Enjoy!
This simple way of cooking salmon produces a crisp, tasty skin and a silky, moist interior. Because I use frozen salmon, I dry the salmon steaks thoroughly with a paper towel before popping them into the skillet.