This tender, flaky Honey Garlic Salmon is one of those dream dinner recipes that is full of flavor, but also super quick to make. In just 20 minutes you can have a sweet, savory salmon recipe that the whole family will love.
Don’t worry, the sauce isn’t too sweet! It’s balanced out with lots of fresh garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and a little apple cider vinegar. You’ll love this salmon served over white rice with roasted vegetables or a side salad. Easy, healthy, and flavorful weeknight dinner? Check!
If you love this recipe, be sure to try our 30-Minute Miso Salmon or this 20-Minute Chili Bourbon Salmon next. Or check out all of our easy seafood recipes! Salmon is definitely our favorite protein to cook, so there’s lots of great easy dinner inspiration!
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Ingredient Notes
- Fresh salmon fillets: If you love crispy salmon skin as much as we do, be sure to leave the skin on. Skin off is fine if you prefer. This is Atlantic salmon, though you can check out our salmon guide for more information on the different species.
- Kosher salt and black pepper: To season the salmon.
- Honey: The base of the sauce is made from sweet honey.
- Garlic: 3 cloves finely chopped or grated.
- Ginger paste: or a 1-inch piece of fresh ginger that’s been peeled and grated.
- Soy sauce: Be sure to use reduced-sodium soy sauce to control the level of salt in the dish.
- Apple cider vinegar: This adds a slightly sweet and tangy taste to help balance out the honey garlic sauce.
- Neutral oil: When pan searing salmon fillets, you definitely want to make sure you use a neutral oil with a high smoke point. Look for grapeseed, avocadoi oil, or canola oil.
- Unsalted butter: Used alongside the neutral oil for cooking the salmon in.
For serving: thinly sliced scallions, sesame seeds, and lime wedges (and lots of them!).
How To Make Honey Garlic Salmon
- Prep the salmon. Pat the salmon filets dry with a paper towel, then season with Kosher salt and black pepper.
- Make the honey garlic sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together honey, garlic, ginger paste (or fresh grated ginger), soy sauce, and apple cider vinegar. Set aside.
- Pan sear the salmon. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add a little neutral oil. Cook the salmon skin-side down first for about 4 minutes, then flip and cook an additional 2 minutes before adding the honey garlic sauce. The fish will need another 2-3 minutes to cook, depending on thickness.
- Baste with the sauce. While the salmon is finishing in the pan, either spoon or brush some of that delicious sweet and savory sauce right on top of each fillet.
- Garnish, then serve! We love sesame seeds and scallions. They add the perfect finishing touch!
FAQs
Can this be made with frozen salmon?
Yes, you can use frozen salmon for this recipe. Just be sure to thaw the salmon in the refrigerator overnight or under cold running water for 30 minutes.
Is honey garlic salmon gluten-free?
Soy sauce is not gluten-free. If you prefer, you cab substitute with tamari. The rest of the ingredients are gluten-free.
Can you eat salmon skin?
Oh absolutely! Especially when it’s as crispy as it will get in this recipe. Pan fried salmon fillets with crispy skin are the best. Of course, if you prefer, you can ask the fish monger to remove the salmon skin.
How long to cook salmon?
When pan frying over medium-high heat, we recommend 4 minutes on the first side (skin-side down), then a total of 4 minutes longer on the second side. If adding sauce to the pan, pour that in after 2 minutes on the second side. Salmon cooked to medium should register 125F on an instant-read thermometer.
Expert Tips
- For even crispier salmon skin, allow the salmon to sit uncovered overnight in a fridge, skin-side up. The air circulation will help to dry out the skin, yielding even crispier skin when pan-fried.
- Cook the salmon within 1 day of buying! This helps to ensure freshness. Seafood has a shorter shelf life than other proteins. Best to enjoy any leftovers within 3 days.
- Allow the salmon to come to room temperature if it’s been sitting in a fridge.
- Make sure your pan is really hot before adding the salmon. Otherwise you risk the skin sticking to the bottom of the pan. Once you add the salmon, don’t mess with it. Leave it alone for 4 minutes until you’re ready to flip the salmon and it lifts away easily from the pan.
We recommend the Thermapen MK4 to check for doneness on all meats!
How To Serve
- Roasted or Blistered Vegetables: Such as blistered haricots verts, shishitos peppers, sautéed baby bok choy, roasted broccoli, or broccolini.
- With rice: White rice or seasoned sushi rice are our go-to’s, but of course brown rice or even another grain, such as quinoa are great options.
- With a side salad. Consider trying with our Warm Brussels Sprouts Slaw with Asian Sesame Vinaigrette!
- If you want to make a salmon rice bowl: Add other toppings such as edamame, carrots, pickled ginger, cilantro, thinly sliced jalapeño or serrano peppers, crispy onions or quick pickled red onions — the possibiltles are endless!
Make-Ahead, Leftovers, & Storage
- To make-ahead: You can prepare the sauce up to 1 day in advance, then refrigerate in an airtight container. For extra crispy salmon skin, leave the salmon uncovered overnight in a fridge, skin-side up to help the air circulate and dry out the skin.
- Leftovers and storage: Allow leftovers to cool completely then store in an airtight container in a fridge for up to 3 days. Remember that seafood has a shorter shelf life than other proteins.
- To reheat, place salmon in a baking dish and bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes, or until heated through. Alternatively, leftovers can be gently reheated in a skillet over medium-low heat.
- We do not recommend freezing leftover salmon. You can, of course, use frozen salmon for this recipe. Just be sure to thaw completely overnight in a fridge before cooking. Pat very well with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
Substitutions and Variations
- Salmon: You can make this same recipe with arctic char or trout, just be sure to reduce the cook time slightly as both fish are generally thinner than salmon fillets.
- Soy sauce: To make this salmon recipe gluten-free, use tamari instead of soy sauce.
- Limes: Lemon wedges are great too!
- Up the spice level: If you want even more heat, add ¼ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes to the sauce. Yum!
Love salmon as much as we do? Try these easy recipes next!
How To Roast Salmon (Quick & Flaky!) Sheet Pan Salmon with Roasted Broccoli & Potatoes Tender, Slow Baked Salmon with Compound Butter Tender, Flaky Salmon en Papillote Salmon Escabeche (Escabeche de Pescado)
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20-Minute Honey Garlic Salmon
This boldly flavored Honey Garlic Salmon is a weeknight dinner life saver! It's got a sweet, slightly spicy sauce with honey, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and a little vinegar. The best part? This easy salmon recipe can be on the table in just 20 minutes! Enjoy over rice with your favorite simple vegetable side dish, such as blistered string beans or sautéed bok choy. DF
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 212kcal
Equipment
Mixing bowl and whisk
Large stainless steel or cast iron skillet
Tongs or a fish spatula
Spoon or pastry brush
Ingredients
- 4 (6oz) salmon fillets skin on
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ⅓ cup honey
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped, about 2-3 Tbsp
- 2 tsp ginger paste or a 1-inch piece of fresh ginger peeled and grated
- 2 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp neutral oil such as grapeseed, avocado oil, or canola oil
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 scallions thinly sliced, for serving
- Sesame seeds for serving
- Lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- Prep the salmon. Pat salmon dry with a paper towel, then season with 1 tsp Kosher salt and ¼ tsp black pepper.
- Prepare the honey garlic sauce. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together ⅓ cup honey, 3 cloves chopped garlic, 2 tsp ginger paste, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, and 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar.
- Cook the salmon. Heat a large stainless steel or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add 2 Tbsp neutral oil and 2 Tbsp unsalted butter. Once melted, add the seasoned salmon fillets skin side down then cook for 4 minutes. Use tongs or a fish spatula to carefully flip the fish over. Cook for 2 minutes more, then pour in the honey garlic sauce. Reduce the temperature to medium-low. Cook the salmon for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly and the salmon has reached an internal temperature of 120F.
- Baste the salmon. While the salmon finishes cooking, be sure to spoon some of the sauce on top of each fillet. Alternatively, you can brush the sauce on top.
- Garnish, then serve. Serve the salmon in rice bowls with a roasted vegetable (such as broccoli, broccolini, bok choy) or blistered veggies (string beans or shishitos peppers). Garnish with thinly sliced scallions and sesame seeds, then serve immediately with lime wedges.
Notes
- If salmon is cold, allow it to sit out at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before cooking.
- To make-ahead: You can prepare the sauce up to 1 day in advance, then refrigerate in an airtight container. For extra crispy salmon skin, leave the salmon uncovered overnight in a fridge, skin-side up to help the air circulate and dry out the skin.
- Leftovers and storage: Allow leftovers to cool completely then store in an airtight container in a fridge for up to 3 days. Remember that seafood has a shorter shelf life than other proteins.
- To reheat, place salmon in a baking dish and bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes, or until heated through. Alternatively, leftovers can be gently reheated in a skillet over medium-low heat.
- We do not recommend freezing leftover salmon. You can, of course, use frozen salmon for this recipe. Just be sure to thaw completely overnight in a fridge before cooking. Pat very well with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
Nutrition
Calories: 212kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 874mg | Potassium: 80mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 236IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 0.4mg
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Photography by Alana of Your Home Made Healthy.
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