🐟🍋 Lemon garlic butter salmon
Lemon garlic butter salmon is a quick, restaurant-style dish where salmon is pan-seared and finished in a rich butter sauce with garlic and lemon. It’s fast, flavorful, and hard to mess up.
🧾 Ingredients
- 2–4 salmon fillets
- Salt & black pepper
- 2–3 tbsp butter
- 3–4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 lemon (juice + slices)
- 1 tbsp olive oil (optional, helps prevent burning)
- Optional: chili flakes, parsley
👩🍳 Method
1. Season salmon
- Pat salmon dry.
- Season both sides with salt and pepper.
2. Sear
- Heat oil + a little butter in a pan over medium-high heat.
- Place salmon skin-side down (if skin-on).
- Cook 3–4 minutes until crispy, then flip and cook 2–3 minutes more.
3. Make garlic butter sauce
- Lower heat.
- Add butter and garlic to the pan.
- Let garlic become fragrant (don’t burn it).
4. Finish with lemon
- Squeeze in lemon juice.
- Spoon sauce over salmon repeatedly.
5. Serve
- Garnish with parsley or lemon slices.
🍽️ What to serve it with
- Rice or buttered noodles
- Mashed potatoes
- Roasted vegetables
- Simple salad
💡 Tips
- Don’t overcook—salmon should stay slightly moist inside
- Dry surface = better sear
- Lemon goes in at the end to keep flavor fresh
⚡ Quick 3-step version
- Season + sear salmon
- Add garlic butter
- Finish with lemon
If you want, I can also give you a honey garlic salmon glaze, a spicy Cajun version, or a baked oven-style method for beginners.
