Lemon Honey Glazed Salmon

This lemon honey glazed salmon recipe is healthy, flavorful, and refreshing. I’ll teach you how to sear the salmon, and then we’ll top it with a delicious lemon honey sauce.

There’s no better way to cook fish than searing it, in my opinion. It locks in the flavor and gives that beautiful crisp exterior and soft interior. There’s really nothing better than a perfectly cooked piece of salmon.

If you are feeding younger mouths, I’ll tell you that my kids love this — and they don’t always eat fish. So that’s a huge plus in my book, especially considering how beneficial, and important, salmon is in a diet. 

Salmon is one of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids. These fats are essential to include in our diet because our bodies don’t make them. Omega-3s help reduce inflammation and blood pressure.

In addition to serving this healthy salmon recipe, I like pairing it with a vegetable my children will love. Popular vegetable sides in my house include roasted carrots, sauteed peas, and oven roasted broccoli. 

Ingredients 

• Salmon fillet — Sliced into equal pieces. This helps so all pieces cook evenly.
• Honey — The sweetener for our sauce.
• Chives — Minced. I recommend fresh chives over dried!
• Parsley — Minced. Again, fresh is better! There is more flavor in fresh herbs than in dried herbs.
• Lemon zest — In addition to the lemon juice, lemon zest gives us more of a punchy lemon flavor.
• Lemon juice — The liquid base to our lemon honey sauce.
• Cayenne pepper — Just a pinch to add the slightest amount of heat.
• Salt & black pepper
• Vegetable oil — This is what we’ll put in the HOT skillet to sear the salmon.

Step-by-Step Instructions

How to Make Lemon Honey Glazed Salmon

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place a 12-inch cast iron skillet in the oven as it’s preheating. Doing this allows the skillet to get HOT, everywhere! Not just in patchy spots.
2. Make the sauce. In a small bowl, combine the honey, chives, parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, and cayenne. Whisk to incorporate and then set aside.
3. Using a paper towel, dab the salmon to remove excess moisture. Season both sides of the salmon with the salt and pepper. 
4. When the oven reaches 450°F, turn off the oven and, using hot pads, carefully remove the skillet from the oven and place it over medium heat on your stovetop.
5. Sear the salmon. Add the vegetable oil to the hot skillet. Place each salmon fillet in the skillet. Cook for 3-4 minutes, flip and cook the other side for 5-8 minutes or until the center is fully cooked. The middle of the meat should read 130°-135°F with an instant read thermometer. 
6. Spoon the lemon honey sauce overtop. Serve immediately.

How to Sear Salmon

To get that deliciously crisp sear on the salmon, I’m going to share a few tips.

• First, make sure you have a large enough pan to accommodate the salmon fillets. Like I mentioned above, I used my 12-inch cast iron skillet to cook this salmon.
• Remove the salmon fillets from the refrigerator prior to cooking. You don’t want to place a super cold fillet on a piping hot pan. If you do this, the cold salmon is more likely to seize up and cook unevenly.
• Dab the salmon with a paper towel prior to cooking. Removing some of the fillet’s excess moisture helps the fish to crisp up. And if you didn’t already know this, a wet fillet is more likely to stick to the pan. We don’t want that!
• Use a HOT pan. This is a must when making pan-seared salmon.
• Pro tip: Place the cast iron skillet in an oven preheated to 450°F. Doing this will ensure the skillet is HOT! And not spotty hot, but evenly heated throughout. (I put mine in while the oven is preheating and while I’m making the lemon honey sauce.)
• Now that you have a hot skillet, place the skillet over medium heat. Pour the vegetable oil into the hot pan and then carefully lay the salmon fillets into the skillet. Be careful! The oil will most likely splatter, so be cautious.
• Cook the first side for 3-4 minutes. Using a spatula, flip each fillet over and continue cooking the other side until the meat is fully cooked and an instant read thermometer reads 130°F.

What to Serve with Lemon Honey Glazed Salmon

• Orzo Rice
• Oven Roasted Broccoli
• Roasted Frozen Cauliflower
• Buttered Vegetables
• Baked Sweet Potato

FAQs

How do you pan sear salmon?

See my section above titled “How to Sear Salmon.” 

Is salmon good for you?

Yes! Salmon is one of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are fats that are essential to our diet because our bodies don’t make them. They help reduce inflammation and blood pressure as well as improve cell function. Healthline.com goes into things a bit deeper, if you are interested.

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More Fish and Seafood Recipes

• Tilapia Cakes
• Brown Sugar Crusted Salmon
• Shrimp Scampi with Linguini
• Sheet Pan Chili Lime Salmon
• Salmon Burgers with Lemon Dill Sauce

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