This honey garlic salmon recipe is fast, simple, and the honey garlic sauce is addictive! Your whole family will love this easy weeknight dinner.
You can't go wrong with honey glazed salmon. With this recipe, you can have dinner on the table in under 20 minutes. Perfect for busy weeknights.
I wanted to make this pan-seared salmon recipe as easy and fuss-free as possible. I thought of adding cornstarch to thicken the sauce, but I didn't find that it needed it. There's a ton of similar recipes on the internet, so I wanted to ensure my version is one that I'd keep coming back to.
This honey salmon recipe only has a handful of everyday ingredients:
- Salmon
- Olive oil
- Soy sauce
- Lemon Juice
- Honey
- Garlic
How to make honey garlic salmon
- Season the salmon pieces. Sear them over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes/side or until the salmon is just cooked through.
- You then take the fish out of the pan and add the sauce ingredients into the pan (lemon juice, soy sauce, honey, garlic). Cook until it's thickened, add the fish back in, and voila!
Pro tip: It's totally up to you if you eat the skin. You could make this with skinless salmon or just peel the skin off once it's cooked.
What to serve with honey garlic salmon
I love serving this with rice and a veggie (broccoli or carrots work great!) or salad.
I sprinkled a little parsley on top of this dish for the photos. This step adds a bit of freshness, but you can skip it if you wish. I also like to squeeze some lemon over top. Lemon and salmon are a match made in heaven, and the sauce is really sweet, so I like that sweet-tangy balance.
This honey garlic glazed salmon is also great for picky eaters. Slap a sweet sauce on salmon and it suddenly becomes even more appealing. 😉
I'm pretty excited about this recipe, and I hope you will enjoy it!
More easy salmon recipes to try:
- Sweet Chili Salmon
- Baked Teriyaki Salmon Recipe
- Garlic Butter Salmon
- Maple Salmon Sheet Pan Dinner
- Spinach Artichoke Salmon
- Easy Salmon Burger Recipe
Will you give this easy honey garlic salmon recipe a try?
Questions? Ask me in the comments below.
Honey Garlic Salmon Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh salmon cut into 4 pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3 cloves garlic minced
Instructions
- Season the salmon with salt & pepper.
- Add the oil to a skillet over medium-high heat, and when it's hot, add the salmon skin side up. Cook it for 4-5 minutes/side or until it's just cooked through. If the oil is splattering everywhere, turn the heat down a bit.
- Meanwhile, add the lemon juice, soy sauce, honey, and garlic to a bowl and stir until it's mixed.
- Take the fish out of the pan and set aside.
- Pour the sauce mixture into the pan and let it bubble for a couple of minutes to thicken up. Add the fish back in the pan and spoon the sauce over it. Serve fish with a squeeze of lemon if desired.
Notes
- This recipe is delicious served with rice.
- The sauce is really sweet, so I like to squeeze some lemon over top before I eat it.
- I used wild sockeye salmon.
- This is the Lodge 10.25" cast iron pan pictured in the post.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Laura says
Tried this easy recipe tonight for the first time, and it will not be the last! It was absolutely delicious and will be my go-to salmon recipe!
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
Awesome! Thanks for trying the recipe, Laura 🙂
Terry Sage says
Simple to make, and was delicious. Will be making this again. T Sage
Natasha says
Fab!! So glad to hear that, Terry. 🙂
Adele says
Yowza!!! Couldn’t be easier! Btw, I’m from Midwest. We don’t often use fish as much as meat. I’ve had many different types of salmon and I’m unfamiliar w/all the varieties. Thanks Natasha for the clarity. Wild Sockeye. So thats the one that I’ve had and not given up in my search of a great tasting “unfishy taste” of salmon. Move over Portillo’s Hotdogs...😂 this recipe will go viral in my house!
Natasha says
Hahaha I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Adele!! 🙂
Andrea says
WOW! I loved this recipe!! I didn’t think I could pull something like this off, but the recipe was so easy to follow and it was DELICIOUS!! Thank you!!
Natasha says
Aww that makes me happy!! Thank you!!
Marj says
Very tasty and quick to prepare!
Natasha says
Great! So glad you liked it, Marj!
Amy L. says
Natasha, this was another winner and we really enjoyed this salmon recipe! And yes, that sauce is addicting! I'll be making your Honey Garlic Soy Sauce Chicken and Tomato Spinach Shrimp Pasta to carry us through the weekend. Thank you for making our dinners great!
Natasha says
I'm so happy that you enjoyed it, Amy!! So glad you like my recipes. XO
Elaine says
We love salmon but have only enjoyed it grilled. We've tried a few cooktop & oven recipes but this is the first one that we both have said it's a keeper! Will definitely be making this again. So easy, yet delicious. Thank you!
. Thank You
Natasha says
Oh wow that's awesome! Thanks for letting me know!
Natasha says
Oh wow... sorry to hear that. I wonder what went wrong? Others seem to like the recipe.
Brian T Lowe says
I've baked salmon once and it was great. I'm gonna trust you with this recipe and hope for the best. Based on the reviews I'll love it. Although, I don't understand how anyone can say so much about salmon. Lol.
Natasha says
Haha hope you enjoyed it, Brian!
sue sawa says
Natasha,
I made this for dinner tonight and it was excellent. I used a coated fry pan instead of a cast iron pan. Clean-up was easy. I served it on a bed of arugula with roasted carrots and brussel sprouts as our sides. Will be making this again and again and again.
Thank you. Five stars for me.
Natasha says
So happy you enjoyed it, Sue! 🙂
Mar-Yun B Whittaker says
❤ great instruction
Natasha says
Thank you!!
Sarah says
When you initially put the salmon in do you cook with for 4-5 minute per side? I know you start with the skin side up.
Natasha says
You put it in the pan, cook it for 4-5 minutes, flip it, and then cook it another 4-5 minutes. If the salmon is especially thin, you may be able to cook it a little less, though. Hope this helps! 🙂
Elaine says
Best salmon recipe yet!. Hubby will eat salmon but prefers it grilled. Tonight however, this was a winner! Thank you, served with herbed rice & green beans.
Natasha says
Yay I am so happy to hear it, Elaine!
Ms. Berna C says
I made this with salmon steaks and served it with quinoa and broccoli.....delicious. Thank you for sharing.
Natasha says
Wonderful! You're welcome!
MaryCay says
We are not really salmon eaters at our house so my basic question - is there a difference in the types of salmon? Is there one that is mild?
The sauce sounds delicious!
Natasha says
Hi MaryCay! Yup, there's definitely differences in salmon taste, but salmon in general is an oily, "fishy" tasting fish. Personally, I find the ones that are lighter in color usually taste milder. There are quite a few varieties, but I doubt your local grocery store carries more than a couple (I usually see Atlantic salmon which is lighter in color and usually farmed and sockeye salmon which is darker in color, wild caught, and more flavorful). Also, make sure to buy it well before its expiry date.
Jackie says
Made this for date night with roasted cherry tomatoes and rice and it was soo good! I was afraid it would be too sweet but with a squeeze of fresh lemon as suggested in the recipe it’s amazing! Thank you for the recipe!
Natasha says
I am so pleased to hear it, Jackie! Thanks for leaving me a comment. 🙂
Trevor says
You can’t beat a nice bit of salmon, add to that your sauce and it’s elevated even higher.
I added One of my home grown chillis and fried some mushrooms before adding the sauce to the pan, delicious meal.
Natasha says
So glad you liked it, Trevor!
Hannah says
Thank you for this recipe! I know this may be a dumb question (and maybe you already mentioned this and I missed it) but how long after you put the salmon back in the pan (with the mixture) do you leave it in for (the second time you put the salmon back in the pan)? Thanks!
Natasha says
Not a dumb question! The salmon should be cooked by that point, so I pretty much just spoon the sauce then dish it up. 🙂
Lauren Collins says
Do you think this would work in an oven? I don’t have a cast iron skillet.
Natasha says
I'd just use a normal skillet if you have one, but yes, I think it would work in the oven. Not sure on timing, though, without testing it. Let me know how it goes!
Jada says
I added some rosemary and dried lemon peel, marinated the salmon in the mixture then proceeded to cook as instructed. I made it with roasted asparagus and rice. So delicious!
Natasha says
Sounds delicious! So glad you liked it!
Lorie says
Do you use a cast iron for fish? How do you ensure no sticking? Any tips?
Natasha says
Hi Lorie! I didn't have issues with it sticking. My best tip is to ensure the pan is really hot, and resist the urge to move the fish around. If it doesn't seem to want to lift, let it cook until it naturally releases. Hope you like the recipe! 🙂
Melissa Griffiths says
My mouth is watering now - this looks SO good!
Natasha says
Thanks so much, Melissa!
Marissa says
This looks so juicy and flavorful, Natasha! I love that it's simple enough for a weeknight, but elegant enough to serve at a dinner party! Just lovely...
Natasha says
Aww thanks so much, Marissa!!