Lemon Pepper Garlic Salmon Skillet (Printable Version)
Pan-seared salmon with lemon, pepper, and garlic in a single skillet. Ready in 25 minutes.
# Ingredient List:
→ Salmon
01 - 4 salmon fillets (about 6 oz each), skin-on or skinless
→ Marinade & Seasoning
02 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
03 - 1 large lemon, zested and juiced
04 - 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
05 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
→ Garnish
07 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
08 - Lemon wedges, for serving
# How to Make It:
01 - Pat the salmon fillets dry with paper towels and season both sides with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
02 - In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and minced garlic until well combined.
03 - Heat a large nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles on contact.
04 - Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil mixture to the hot pan. Place the salmon fillets skin-side down (if skin-on) and sear for 3–4 minutes until the skin turns crisp and the flesh becomes opaque halfway up the sides.
05 - Carefully flip the salmon fillets and pour the remaining lemon-garlic oil mixture over the top. Cook for another 2–3 minutes until the salmon is just cooked through and flakes easily with a fork.
06 - Remove the skillet from heat. Sprinkle fresh chopped parsley over the fillets and serve immediately with lemon wedges alongside.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The lemon and garlic combination makes people think you spent an hour when you barely touched the stove for fifteen minutes.
- It is genuinely difficult to mess up as long as you trust the sear and do not overcook the fish.
02 -
- Moving the fish around in the pan while it sears is the fastest way to tear the skin and lose your crust so keep your hands busy elsewhere.
- Letting the fillets sit at room temperature for ten minutes before cooking changed my results dramatically because cold fish hits the pan unevenly.
03 -
- Start checking for doneness at the two minute mark after flipping because salmon goes from perfect to dry in under a minute.
- Pouring the garlic lemon mixture over the fish after flipping instead of marinating it beforehand keeps the garlic from burning while still infusing every bite.