This honey soy sauce glazed salmon recipe is quick & simple to make with a handful of everyday ingredients. You'll love the addictive savory-sweet sauce!
This crispy pan-seared salmon with a honey glaze is one tasty dinner. Salmon and sweetness just go so well together, don't you think? Quickly searing the salmon to perfection adds so much flavor, and a squeeze of lemon juice at the end helps to balance the sweetness. Oh, and there's butter in the sauce too, which just takes the yummy factor over the top!
This recipe is ready in about 30 minutes, so you can impress the family on a busy weeknight. I'd even serve this to guests because who can resist honey glazed salmon? 😛
You may also like my Honey Garlic Soy Sauce Chicken or these Honey Soy Pork Chops.
I know that pan-frying fish can be intimidating if you've never done it before, but it's really not too difficult/fussy if you follow a few simple tips.
Pan-fried salmon success tips:
- Make sure the pan is hot and that you pat the salmon dry - this will help ensure it doesn't stick to the pan when you try to flip it. If it's sticking, give it a little more time to release naturally.
- Don't try moving the salmon around the pan... just let it cook undisturbed.
- Most salmon fillets you buy from the grocery store will be around 1" thick, and my cooking times/guidelines in the recipe below will work, but in general it's a good idea to watch the color of the salmon change (the light pink color moves up slowly as it cooks) - this will give you an idea of how close it is to being done. It will continue to cook for a little bit after you take it off the heat. It doesn't take much to overcook salmon, so keep that in mind.
Recipe notes & tips:
- You can definitely replace the garlic powder with a clove or two of minced garlic if you wish. I went for a slightly more subtle garlic flavor in this recipe.
- Leftovers will keep in the fridge for about 2-3 days. Leftovers can be warmed up, but they're also tasty cold in a salad!
- Kitchen tools: you may want to use a splatter guard for easier clean-up, and I used kitchen tongs to easily flip the salmon.
Other tasty salmon recipes to try:
What to serve with honey glazed salmon:
Try rice (white jasmine is my favorite), or even garlic mashed potatoes. For vegetable sides, try steamed broccoli (or broccolini), or my favorite easy asparagus recipe.
I hope you'll enjoy this easy honey soy glazed salmon! Questions? Ask me in the comments below.
Honey Soy Sauce Glazed Salmon
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh salmon cut into 4 pieces
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter divided
- Fresh lemon juice to taste
Sauce:
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Take the salmon out of the fridge 15-20 minutes prior to starting the recipe if possible. Cut the salmon into 4 equal pieces and pat it dry with paper towel. Season with salt & pepper.
- Add the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter to a skillet over medium-high heat. Let the pan heat up for a few minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the sauce ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk it together. Set aside.
- Cook the salmon (skin-side down) for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium and flip the salmon over and cook for another 2-3 minutes (should be almost cooked through).
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter to the skillet and let it melt, then pour in the sauce (just pour it in between the salmon pieces). Let it bubble/thicken for 30 seconds or so, and then take the pan off the heat (the pan will still be hot and the sauce will continue to thicken, but this avoids burning it). Flip the salmon over & spoon the sauce over it.
- Squeeze some lemon juice over the salmon (I just use one wedge of lemon) and then serve immediately. I highly recommend adding the lemon juice to help balance the flavors and ensure it's not too sweet. The salmon skin goes nice and crispy and is delicious when you eat it right away, but feel free to peel it off it you prefer.
Notes
- The salmon I used in this recipe was about 1" thick. If your salmon is thicker or thinner, you may need to adjust cooking time a bit.
- It's ok if you've got a bit over a pound of salmon, just make sure it's not too much over or the salmon pieces will be crowded in the pan and not cook properly.
- 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.
CC says
I never cook. My husband does but was coming home late so I decided to. These were super easy and delicious. Followed recipe except I didn’t cut the salmon in half. So made 2 larger steaks. They were fine. As long as you heat up the cast iron well the salmon can easily be turned. Thanks for the recipe. I looked like I knew what I’m doing in the kitchen:)
Natasha says
That's awesome!! I'm so glad it worked out! 🙂
Marla says
This was bomb!!! A picky fiancee even ate the crispy skin! Thanks for all the truly wonderful recipes!. I love that many of your recipes serve only 2!
Natasha says
Well that's fantastic!! Thanks so much for leaving me a review, Marla.
Deb says
Easy, fast, FANTASTIC!!!!
Natasha says
Thank you! 🙂
Valerie Catling says
Just tried this recipe it was awesome. Thanks will make it again. Happy New Year Stay Safe
Natasha says
Fantastic!! Thank you! Happy New Year to you as well. 🙂
Karla says
This is, without a doubt, THE BEST glazed salmon recipe I've ever tried. It has been bookmarked and will show up regularly in our menu rotation. Thank you so much for sharing!
Natasha says
That's wonderful to hear!! Thank you for commenting! 😀
Jeanna says
I make salmon often and wanted something a little different to mix it up. This sauce was super tasty and my family loved it. I will definitely add this to my routine.
Natasha says
Wonderful! Thanks so much for letting me know! 🙂
Kelly says
I have a question, if you don’t have any low sodium soy sauce but just the regular soy sauce do you just add more honey or do you have another solution to make it a bit sweeter?
Natasha says
I don't think making it a bit sweeter is the concern... it's more that it'll just taste way too salty. You could maybe try using half the suggested soy sauce amount and replacing the rest with water?
YtheWait says
I love seafood and i loved the recipe!!!!!!!!!!!!
Natasha says
Wonderful!! Thanks for commenting!
Donna says
Couldn’t get the sauce to become a glaze, didn’t stick to the fish, won’t make it again.
Natasha says
That's very weird. Did you add the cornstarch as indicated in the recipe? The sauce thickens for me in less than a minute, and it gets very thick if you let it cook a bit longer than that. If you added cornstarch and cooked it at a fairly high heat as the recipe suggests, I really don't see how it is possible it didn't thicken.
Kelly says
Just made this tonight and it was super delicious and very easy to make. Definitely making this one again because it’s already a favorite!
Natasha says
I'm so glad to hear that, Kelly!! Thanks for leaving me a comment! 😀
Afshan says
I love seafood and i loved the recipe. Will try this recipe when I am able to find a fresh salmon.
Natasha says
Thanks! Let me know if you make it 🙂