This is our guide for cooking tender pan fried salmon that’s perfectly cooked—with a crispy golden crust, and no more guesswork! Whether you’re enjoying your delicious fried salmon on its own, with salad or sides, or you’re adding a sauce or other flavors to it, this recipe is the perfect starting point.
Perfectly Crisp, Tender Results
I would say about 9 times out of 10, when someone tells us they’ve been cooking from the blog, they mention how much they love our Crispy Scallion Ginger Salmon. In fact, there have been multiple friends of friends I’ve met who—before they ever knew me—were making that salmon recipe.
It’s a fun feeling, and it genuinely makes me so happy knowing how many people I’ve guided in cooking pricey salmon fillets! Today, I’m shining a light on how to pan-fry salmon for any application, with this straightforward pan seared salmon recipe.
The keys to perfectly cooked salmon include:
- Preheating the pan thoroughly before adding the oil and fish. If you’ve ever had your fish stick to your pan, not properly preheating it is the culprit. (Read more about why in my mom’s article on preventing food from sticking to a pan/wok.) Even if using a non-stick pan, preheating it will ensure that a crisp crust quickly forms on the fish. You won’t need a lot of oil, as the salmon will release quite a bit of fat, but a small amount will help the salmon brown nicely.
- Cooking it until it just turns opaque inside. This is what you might consider a salmon cooked “medium,” which is ideal. (If you enjoy your salmon medium-rare, you’re looking for a slightly translucent, jewel-like orange center to your salmon. As with steak, it’s totally a matter of personal preference! )
- Cooking smaller 6- to 8-ounce portions that are about 1-inch (2.5cm) thick. This will ensure that your fried salmon crisps and cooks through completely, without overcooking. If you have a larger piece, slice it into individual portions before cooking.
- Not moving the fish after you’ve added it to the pan. Allowing the fish to sear undisturbed will give you a nice crust and golden-brown color! Add those filets to the pan carefully, so you won’t have to move them.
TIp!
When choosing a piece of salmon at the fish counter, try to get center-cut filets. Filets from the middle of the fish are a more even thickness than pieces that come from closer to the tail.
If you do have a tail piece, you can prevent it from overcooking by moving the pan slightly off the heat where the thinner tail section is. That is, the thicker part of the filet will be positioned over the hottest part of your burner, while the thinner part will be slightly off the heat.
What signs should I look for?
If you look at the cross-section of the salmon filet, you can monitor the cooking in real time and have a pretty solid gauge for doneness. For this reason, it’s important to avoid contact with the pan on at least one side of the salmon filet. If it touches the heat, your “is my salmon done?” visual tracker is gonzo.
As the salmon cooks on one side, it will gradually turn opaque from bottom up. Then, you flip it, and watch it turn opaque from bottom to center again on the next side. Keep in mind that the salmon will also continue to cook a bit off the heat.
Our other goal with fried salmon is of course crispy skin. That’s why it’s essential to preheat your pan before adding the fish. We start skin-side down. That said, this method will work with salmon filets with no skin as well.
WHAT DO I DO IF MY SALMON FILETS HAVE SCALES?
When we were blogging this recipe, there were a few thin scales that were still flaking off the salmon skin. I started trying to delicately pick them off, but Sarah, in very older sister fashion, quickly intervened and said that when it comes to salmon, the scales wouldn’t even be detectable once cooked and crisped up.
Of course—in an affront to little sisters the world over—she was right. So there’s no need to fret over some salmon scales! That said, you can still rinse your salmon filets under cold water and rub the skin with your fingers to remove any loose ones.
Simple Ways to Flavor Salmon
Pan-seared salmon is such a versatile starting point to a meal. Serve it on top of a salad or with a side of broccoli. Have it with risotto or a side of steamed rice. Serve with mashed potatoes, celery root, sweet potato, or butternut squash puree. There are also many directions you can take when it comes to flavor.
In this post, I’m sharing one of my favorite ways to eat salmon, period! It’s been a weeknight go-to for our entire family for a long time.
That said, if you want more guidance on how to season your salmon beyond salt, we’ll share some of our favorite flavor combinations:
- All-purpose seasoning: Back when my mom was doing 7am-6pm workdays, commuting to and from New York City, she would grab a large salmon filet, sprinkle it with Lawry’s seasoned salt, pan-fry until the outside is crispy, and we’d break pieces off with our chopsticks, eating it with stir-fried veggies and rice. You can use your favorite all-purpose seasoning and do the same! Try Sarah’s Everyday Vegetable Stir-fry on the side.
- Lots of Dill: These days, we love rubbing our salmon with a few liberal pinches of dill that we’ve dried on our windowsill, salt, and pepper. It’s so good. The key is a thick dill layer. Like, the salmon should look green. I always have some extra dill lying around, and my mom always salvages it before it goes bad! Synergy.
- Lemon & Capers: Lemon and seafood just go together! Cook a couple cloves of chopped garlic in a couple tablespoons each of butter and oil. Add the zest and juice of a lemon, along with 1 tablespoon of capers. Let the sauce bubble and thicken for a minute, and drizzle over the salmon!
- Crispy Scallion Ginger: This is the recipe here, but basically, while the salmon pan fries, you prepare the scallion ginger sauce that you pour over the top!
- Roasted Tomatoes: Top your salmon filets with my dad’s roasted tomatoes, and you not only have a delicious meal, you have a dish pretty enough to serve to company!
- “Sushi”-inspired: This is what we’ve shown in the pictures here: cooked salmon seasoned with salt (maybe add some black pepper and ground coriander if you want even more flavor), served with roasted seaweed snacks, avocado, soy sauce, and some kind of rice, whether it’s white rice, black or forbidden rice, or quinoa rice!
We actually prefer to make fried salmon on its own with just salt, then adding sauces or other flavorings, as in the methods above.
Dill is an exception, as it doesn’t burn easily. But if you marinate your salmon with garlic or sweeteners like brown sugar or honey, you risk burning the salmon. (These types of marinades are better suited to oven-baked salmon.)
However you decide to flavor your salmon, we hope you find this guide/recipe helpful!
It might seem a little Type A, but the path to being less Type A in the kitchen is being a little Type A when you’re trying something for the first few times :)
Pan Fried Salmon Recipe Instructions
Start by rinsing your salmon filets. Pat dry with a paper towel, and sprinkle the salmon on both sides with salt.
Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat. A standard 10-inch to 12-inch skillet can fit 4 salmon filets comfortably, depending on how large they are. You want about an inch (2.5cm) of space between them so they don’t steam. If using a stainless steel, carbon steel, or cast iron skillet, heat until a splash of water beads and jumps around the pan. If it’s smoking vigorously, it is too hot. Using a nonstick skillet? Simply heat until the oil shimmers in the pan.
Swirl the oil in the pan. (We suggest using a neutral high smoke point oil, like vegetable, canola, or avocado oil. Olive oil’s smoke point is lower.)
Place the salmon filets skin-side down, about 1 inch apart. Cook for 4 minutes on the first side, without moving the fish.
After 4 minutes, flip the salmon pieces, using another spatula to hold the uncooked side steady if needed.
Reduce the heat to medium, and cook on the second side for another 4-5 minutes. It’s a good idea to rotate the pan once after flipping. Sometimes there are hot spots, and one piece of salmon may cook faster than others.
Recipe Notes
- If your filets are thicker than 1 inch, you may need an extra minute or two on each side.
- If you have an oil splatter screen, you may want to get it out. It really makes the experience of pan-frying fish less messy. (You can easily find one on Amazon.)
- Usually on at least one side, you can still see the pink center on the cross section of the filet. We use this as an indicator of how cooked or raw the salmon is. As the raw center of the salmon filet gets smaller and smaller, you have a great gauge for whether the salmon is medium rare or medium. I cook until there is a very thin line still visible, as I know the fish will continue to cook after I remove it from the pan.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge, and eat within 3 days.
- To serve your salmon like we have in the photos, lay out roasted seaweed sheets, avocado, a small dish of your favorite soy sauce, and rice! Dip a piece of salmon in the soy sauce. Place it on top of your rice, add a little avocado, then use your chopsticks (or hands) to wrap it all up in a piece of seaweed. It’s best enjoyed in one bite!
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Recipe
Pan Fried Salmon (Perfect Every Time!)
Ingredients
- 4 salmon filets (6- to 8-ounces/170-220g each)
- Salt
- 2 teaspoons oil
Instructions
- Start by rinsing your salmon filets. Pat dry with a paper towel, and sprinkle the salmon on both sides with salt.
- Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat. A standard 10-inch to 12-inch skillet can fit 4 salmon filets comfortably, depending on how large they are. You want about an inch (2.5cm) of space between them so they don’t steam. If using a stainless steel, carbon steel, or cast iron skillet, heat until a splash of water beads and jumps around the pan. If it’s smoking vigorously, it is too hot. If using a nonstick skillet, simply heat until the oil shimmers in the pan.
- Swirl the oil in the pan, and place the salmon filets skin-side down, about 1 inch apart. Cook for 4 minutes on the first side, without moving the fish. Flip, using another spatula to hold the uncooked side steady if needed. Reduce the heat to medium and rotate the pan 180°. Cook on the second side for another 4-5 minutes.
