Honey Garlic Salmon Recipe
I love salmon and one of the best salmon recipes is Honey Garlic Salmon.
The delicious honey and garlic sauce makes this salmon recipe extremely juicy, moist and packed full of flavors.
This is one of the easiest salmon dishes to make at home. This salmon dinner takes only 15 minutes from start to finish.
Salmon
United States is a salmon powerhouse because nearly one-third of the world’s wild salmon supply comes from here.
As a result, there are many types of salmon available in the market.
To get the freshest and best salmon, here are my buying tips:
- Wild caught salmon. If you find wild salmon in your market, buy it. Wild salmon comes from the pristine waters of Pacific Northwest and Alaska and packed full of omega 3 fatty acids.
- Farmed salmon. If you are buying farmed salmon, choose those imported from Norway. Avoid the ones from China. Chinese farms use potentially carcinogenic (cancer-causing) chemicals to raise the fish.
- For the freshest fish, shop on the day when your grocery stores restock their fish.
- Wild salmon looks orange in color whereas farmed salmon is pale orange in color.
- Avoid salmon color that is bright orange or red. It means food dye has been added to the fish.
To learn more about the difference between wild caught vs farmed salmon, click here.
How to Cook Salmon?
How to cook salmon on the stove?
To make this Honey Garlic Salmon recipe, you will need the following ingredients:
- Salmon fillet.
- Minced garlic.
- Honey.
- Apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.
- Salt and pepper.
First, season the salmon fillets with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper.
Next, make the honey garlic sauce by mixing the ingredients together.
The final step is heating up a skillet or pan and cook the salmon with garlic and the sauce.
You can add an extra step of broiling the salmon fillets in the oven.
Broiling on high heat chars the surface of the fish, making this recipe extremely delicious and restaurant worthy.
Salmon Nutrition
Wild caught salmon is packed of nutrition. Here are the nutrition facts of raw, wild Atlantic Salmon, provided by USDA.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cooking Methods for Salmon Recipes
There are many ways to make this easy salmon recipe:
- You can cook the salmon in a skillet on the stove top, as shown in the recipe card.
- You can bake it in the oven at 400°F for 8 minutes, uncovered.
- You can also wrap the salmon with a sheet of aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
Can I Freeze Cooked Salmon?
I don’t recommend freezing cooked salmon because it will affect the texture of this salmon recipe. The flesh will become tough and rubbery after freezing.
You can certainly store cooked salmon in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Just wrap it tight with a sheet of plastic wrap.
To serve, just reheat the salmon in a microwave for 1 minute.
Do You Eat the Skin on Salmon?
When it comes to cooking salmon, one of the biggest questions is whether or not to cook with skin on or skin off.
Salmon skin is edible. Personally, I don’t eat salmon skin unless the salmon is deep-fried and the salmon skin becomes crispy.
For easy cooking, there is no need to remove the skin. Cook the salmon as is, with skin on, then discard the skin if you don’t want to eat it.
Just make sure that the skin is completely cleaned with no scales.
How Many Calories per Serving?
This salmon recipe is only 327 calories per serving.
What to Serve with This Salmon Recipe?
Salmon is best served with healthy side dishes. For a healthy meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
5 Secrets to 20 Min Dinners
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Honey Garlic Salmon (The Best Recipe!)
Easy salmon with honey garlic sauce is one of the best salmon recipes. It's garlicky, sweet and sticky with simple ingredients. Takes only 15 mins to make dinner using this Honey Garlic Salmon recipe!
Ingredients
- 12 oz. salmon cut into 2-3 fillet strips
- salt
- black pepper
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon warm water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 lemon sliced into wedges
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Directions
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1Season the surface of the salmon with salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Set aside.
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2Mix the honey, water, apple cider vinegar or lemon juice and a pinch of salt together. Stir to combine well.
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3Heat up an oven-safe skillet (cast-iron skillet preferred) on high heat. Add the olive oil. Pan-fry the salmon, skin side down first, for about 1 minute. Turn the salmon over and cook for 1 minute. Turn it over again so the skin side is at the bottom.
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4Add the garlic into the pan, saute until slightly browned. Add the honey mixture and lemon wedges into the skillet, reduce the sauce until it's sticky.
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5Finish it off by broiling the salmon in the oven for 1 minute or until the surface becomes slightly charred (optional step).
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6Top the salmon with parsley and serve immediately.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Watch the cooking video on this page for step-by-step guide.
Double the sauce by using 4 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons warm water and 3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or lemon juice, if you like it saucy.
Lizzie
I consider myself to be a salmon connoisseur and this truly is the BEST salmon recipe I have ever made. It’s always a huge hit with anyone I’ve made it for. Thank you thank you thank you! After making this recipe countless times, a couple notes/tips for anyone making it:
– I found that heating the skillet on high heat is too aggressive and quickly burns the honey and creates a cleanup nightmare; I have a gas range and found that heating at medium/slightly below medium is perfect. After simmering the sauce and spooning it over the salmon for a couple minutes, I’ll remove the salmon from the skillet, place it on a baking sheet, and bake it @ 400* until it reaches an internal temp of 135-140*, then remove from the oven and let it sit for about 3-5 minutes. Perfect every single time.
– The fresh parsley on top is nice if you already have it on hand, but really not necessary/doesn’t add a lot flavor-wise. I don’t bother buying it specifically for this recipe, and it’s still great without it.
– If you don’t have cayenne on hand, I’ve found that red pepper flakes are a great substitute.
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Lizzie, thanks for your sweet comment and thanks for your suggestions. I really appreciate you making my recipe even better and fool proof.
Shanadeen Begay
I replaced the honey with blackstrap molasses. I added capers, soy sauce, wasabi, and tumeric to the sauce and it was delicious!
Rasa Malaysia
Nice!?
Nancy
Rasa~I made this tonight and it was fabulous! I love fish but never cook it because I didn’t have any good recipe….this is really good.Thank you so much!!
Rasa Malaysia
Thanks Nancy, thanks for trying my recipe. Please try more recipes on my site!
TJ
This recipe was delicious, thank you! I made it for myself and got my French fry loving daughter to try it. She approved, so I highly recommend it!
Rasa Malaysia
Awesome!
Kamila
I love this recipe. Minimal ingridients but perfect cooked salmon
Linda
My husband and I really enjoy this recipe. We have it about once a month. Thank you for sharing your tips on buying salmon! We eat only wild caught now.
Rasa Malaysia
Awesome Linda, please try more recipes on my site!
Silvia Pearson
thank you for sharing the best salmon recipe! this is our favorite now, I have made it a few times already!!!
Rasa Malaysia
Awesome Silvia, thanks for trying. Please try more recipes on my site!
Kimberly Olson
I can’t wait to try this!
Rasa Malaysia
Yes you must!
Lori
I’ve made this several times. This recipe is amazing! Our family LOVES it!
Deb Heinbuck
First comment I have ever left for a Pinterest recipe but this was beyond a doubt the best Salmon we have ever made! Restaurant quality!
Rasa Malaysia
Amazing!?