Salmon with lemon garlic butter combines rich flavors with an enticing aroma, making it an irresistible choice for any meal. Treat yourself to this mouthwatering dish that promises to delight both your taste buds and your guests!
A Luscious Combination of Flavors
This main dish combines a pan-cooked salmon fillet with garlic butter and fresh lemon. The salmon sits atop a bed of fresh asparagus, spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes, creating a complete meal full of flavor and texture.
The Perfect Dish for Any Occasion
Whether you’re hosting a dinner party, preparing a cozy meal for two, or simply treating yourself after a long day, this dish is incredibly versatile. Its elegant presentation—perfectly cooked salmon drizzled with a lemony, garlic butter sauce is appetizing and delicious. Pair it with a glass of white wine, and you have a restaurant-quality meal right at home.
Cooking Tips for Salmon with Lemon Garlic Butter
There are a few tricks to cooking the perfect salmon. First, you will need a meat thermometer to ensure that you don’t under or overcook it. My favorite, a Thermapen ONE, is exceptionally accurate. However, other thermometers with good reviews also read accurately. Just ensure it has a probe to insert into the salmon to obtain a temperature reading.
If you rinse the salmon, be sure to dry it thoroughly with a paper towel to prevent any water from dropping into the hot grease and spattering.
Prepare all the ingredients, as this dish cooks quickly, and ensure everything is at your fingertips and ready.
Start Cooking
To begin the cooking process, use a nonstick skillet or seasoned cast-iron pan. Heat the skillet until it’s hot, then add the salmon fillet, skin-side down. If it’s skinless salmon, place the side where the skin was on the bottom to cook first. Tuck any thin ends under the salmon to make a more uniform-sized fillet.
Cook it for 4 minutes on the first side. Then, flip the fillet and cook for an additional 3 minutes on the other side. Adding a lid to the pan helps prevent splatters and retain heat, allowing the salmon to cook quickly. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the fillet to take a reading. Sometimes, in thick fillets, you might also need to take the temperature from the side of the fillet to get an accurate reading. Here is a temperature chart to help you cook to your preferred doneness.
- Rare: 120°F
- Medium rare: 125°F
- Medium: 130°F
- Medium Well: 135-140°F
- Well-done: 140 to 145°F
Check the temperature as the salmon cooks and adjust the time to suit the preferred doneness. Note that salmon will continue cooking for a short time after you remove it from the heat. Therefore, its internal temperature may rise after it is off the heat.
Cooking the Vegetables for Salmon with Lemon Garlic Butter
This dish has asparagus stalks, sundried tomatoes, fresh baby spinach leaves, and pomegranate arils. You cook all of them, except the pomegranate arils, after the salmon, in just a touch of cooking oil. Add salt, and then sauté the asparagus for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the sun-dried tomatoes quickly and sauté for about 30 seconds. Then, add the spinach leaves and stir them just long enough to wilt them. Plate these vegetables underneath the cooked salmon. Then turn your attention to making the sauce.
Cook the Sauce for Salmon with Lemon Garlic Butter
Making the sauce is the final step for this dish.
Cook the shallots and then add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add, and then reduce the chicken broth to about half its original volume. Finish it with the lemon juice and promptly pour it over the salmon. Garnish with pomegranate arils and chopped green parsley or onions. Serve immediately.
Health Benefits of Salmon
Salmon, considered a fatty fish, contains vitamin D. Fortunately for those of us eating it, its fat is instrumental in helping our bodies absorb vitamin D. In the case of this recipe, the added butter and cooking oil act as another helping hand in the absorption of this vitamin. Additionally, salmon is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and selenium.
Other Salmon Recipes You Might Enjoy
Click on each name or photo to link to the recipe.
Salmon with Lemon Garlic Butter
Equipment
- nonstick skillet or cast-iron skillet
Ingredients
Salmon Ingredients
- (2) 6-ounce salmon filets
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Vegetable Ingredients
- 8-10 asparagus stalks
- 1-2 teaspoons cooking oil
- salt to taste
- ⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes
- ½ cup fresh baby spinach leaves
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate arils (for garnish)
Garlic Lemon Butter Sauce Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1-2 tablespoons minced shallots (or minced purple onion)
- 1 clove garlic, minced (minced from a jar can be used)
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
Salmon
- Heat oil in a skillet on medium heat and add the salmon fillets. Separate the fillets so they are not touching each other. Tuck any thin ends under the salmon to make a more uniform-sized fillet.
- Cook the salmon for 4 minutes on the first side. Then flip the fillets and cook for an additional 3 minutes on the other side. Check the temperature with a meat thermometer using the following as a guide for doneness.Rare: 120°FMedium rare: 125°FMedium: 130°FMedium Well: 135-140°FWell-done: 140 to 145°FCheck the temperature as the salmon cooks and adjust the time to suit the desired doneness.
- Remove the salmon from the pan and cover. It will continue to cook while it is covered.
Vegetables
- Wipe out the skillet and add cooking oil, asparagus, and salt. Using medium heat, sauté the asparagus for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the sun-dried tomatoes and sauté for 30 seconds. Finally, add the spinach leaves and sauté for an additional 10-15 seconds.
- Remove from the heat and add the vegetables to the covered salmon.
Sauce
- Using the same pan in which the vegetables were cooked, melt the butter over medium heat.
- Add minced shallots and sauté until translucent, about a minute or two. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Do not brown the garlic.
- Add the chicken broth and cook until it is reduced by half.
- Stir in the lemon juice and pour over the salmon and vegetables. Garnish with pomegranate arils. Serve immediately.