
This is a quick recipe for pan-seared salmon fillets drizzled with an easy-to-make, garlicky pan sauce. The sauce, made with finely chopped garlic, lime juice, soy sauce and brown sugar is the perfect blend of sweet and savory. Serve along with steamed white rice and stir-fried sugar snap peas for a simple, Asian-inspired dinner.

Salmon Fillets with Garlic-Soy Pan Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 6 ounce salmon fillets, skin on
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame, or vegetable oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Vegetable oil
For the pan sauce:
- 2 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons soy or ponzu sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lime juice
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
Instructions
- Prepare the sauce by combining the garlic, soy sauce, water, lime juice and brown sugar in a small bowl. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, then set aside.
- Arrange the salmon fillets, skin side down on a plate. Drizzle with sesame oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Preheat a heavy skillet (nonstick or well-seasoned cast iron) over medium-high heat. Film the bottom with a small amount of oil and add the salmon, skin side down. Cook without moving until the skin is nicely seared and releases easily, 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully turn the fillets with tongs and continue cooking to desired doneness, 2 to 4 minutes additional.
- Transfer the salmon to a plate and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.
- Keeping the pan over medium-high heat, add the sauce mixture and bring to a rapid simmer. Cook, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens slightly, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Note: This will not be a thick, syrupy sauce.
- To serve, plate individual servings of salmon and drizzle with pan sauce. Stir-fried sugar snap peas and steamed white rice make perfect accompaniments.
Excellent! Really tasty and quite easy.
Glad you enjoyed the salmon Marie. Thanks for letting us know.
Tried it last night and the outcome was fabulous…. I went a little wrong in my measurement estimates, made some modifications based on what ingredients I had in store, but in the end I was extremely happy that I chose this recipe.
Glad you liked it!