This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my privacy policy.
FREE EMAIL BONUS:
5 Secrets to 20 Minute Dinners!
Tips, tricks, and recipes for dinner in a hurry!
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. Other than my baked cod, this salmon with honey garlic sauce is definitely one of the easiest salmon dishes to make at home.
This salmon dinner takes only 15 minutes from start to finish, perfect for those busy weeknights after a long day of work!
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.
You can learn more about the difference between wild caught vs farmed salmon on Bon Appetit.
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.
For more great recipes like this, sign up for our newsletter. We’ll send daily recipes you’ll love!
Sign up for our newsletter!
Honey Garlic Salmon (The Best 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
Instructions
- Season the surface of the salmon with salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Set aside.
- Mix the honey, water, apple cider vinegar or lemon juice and a pinch of salt together. Stir to combine well.
- Heat 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.
- Add 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.
- Finish it off by broiling the salmon in the oven for 1 minute or until the surface becomes slightly charred (optional step).
- Top the salmon with parsley and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi Rasa, I’m keen to try out this recipe but have a couple of questions – once the salmon is in the skillet you say we have to wait until it’s half done after which we must add in the garlic and sauce. Does the salmon stay in the pan once the garlic and sauce are added? Secondly, at what temperature do you broil salmon, for how long, and do we add the sauce to the salmon when broiling? Thanks a million in advance!
Yes, garlic and sauce stay in the pan. My oven has a broil feature so I just boil for less than 1 minute.
Hiya, I’d like to make this tonight, but you didn’t answer the question above, which was the same one I have – does the *salmon* stay in the pan when you add the garlic and sauce? If not, do you put it back in after the sauce is reduced? I would think if you left the fish in all that time, it’d get overcooked. But you don’t say.
Fish inside the pan.
I love salmon, maybe that`s way I`m always looking for salmon recipes. Thanks for sharing :)
I cooked you Honey Garlic Salmon the other night and it was so delicious that I am going to cook it again tonight. I’m not a big fish eater, but I am required to eat more fish by my doctor. Your recipe made it much easier and more enjoyable. Thanks so much! Marilyn Evans
Thanks Marilyn for trying my honey garlic salmon. Please try more recipes on my site. :)
Hey, this looks very good and I will love to try it. Do you cook the salmon in the honey mixture or do you pour it on at the end?
Cook together.
I am planning on making this recipe tonight, it looks fabulous and has so many great reviews. I was wondering, do you prefer the vinegar or the lemon juice when preparing this salmon?
Both are fine. Taste the honey sauce and then adjust per your taste.
I made this last night for dinner using fresh salmon. I decided to use the vinegar rather than the lemon juice. Delicious!! I loved the sauce and will probably double the recipe next time. My husband really liked this recipe too. Will definitely make this again. Thanks for sharing!
Does the cayenne pepper make it spicy? Is it suitable for young children?
Yes it’s a bit spicy you cans skip it.
This looks amazing. Sorry. Triple amazing
How long should the salmon be cooked on the pan? I’m hoping to make this tonight and am not the best at cooking fish! Thanks!!
This looks so good ?
Is it safe to try this with tilapia?
I think so, I think it will taste great.