Restaurant-Style Pan Seared Salmon
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Restaurant-quality pan seared salmon—crisp on top and just barely cooked in the center—is easy to make at home.
Golden and crisp on top and just barely cooked at the center, this pan seared salmon is one of my go-to recipes when I have to hit the kitchen running. Not only is it fast—15 minutes start to finish—it’s also elegant. In fact, it’s the way salmon is typically prepared in fine dining restaurants (the same method is often used for cooking steak and scallops). This is really more of a technique than a traditional recipe, and it’s simple to master at home.
The key to perfect pan-seared salmon lies in choosing the right size fillets, seasoning them well, and allowing them to cook undisturbed. This technique, especially leaving the salmon untouched in hot oil, ensures a beautiful, golden crust that elevates the dish to restaurant quality.
Table of Contents
“Supremely simple and delicious! I made this last night and must admit that the ingredients and cooking technique seemed ‘too simple.’ I went ahead and followed Jenn’s recipe exactly, and it was delicious! Don’t doubt it, just make it.”
What You’ll Need To Make Pan Seared Salmon
The ingredients are simple: olive oil, salt, pepper, and salmon. I recommend using 6-ounce salmon fillets; these are often sold already portioned and ready to cook at the fish counter. This size will ensure that the salmon cooks fully on the interior without overcooking on the exterior.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by seasoning the salmon with salt and a few grinds of pepper. Don’t skimp on the salt—the biggest mistake most home cooks make is under-seasoning their food.
Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Cook the salmon, skin side up, until golden and crisp, about 4 minutes. Resist the urge to fiddle with the fillets as they cook. Letting the fish sear untouched in hot oil creates a lovely, flavorful, and golden crust.
Carefully flip the fillets and reduce the heat to medium. Continue cooking until done to your liking, 4 to 5 minutes more.
Transfer to a platter and serve. Enjoy!
Video Tutorial
More Salmon Recipes
Restaurant-Style Pan-Seared Salmon
Restaurant-quality pan seared salmon—crisp on top and just barely cooked in the center—is easy to make at home.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, 1¼ in thick (I have my fish monger remove the skin, but it's fine to leave it on if you like)
Instructions
- Season the salmon with the salt and a few grinds of pepper. Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Cook the salmon, without moving, skin side up, until golden and crisp, about 4 minutes. Carefully flip the fillets and reduce the heat to medium. Continue cooking until done to your liking, 4 to 5 minutes more. Transfer to a platter and serve.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 384
- Fat: 26 g
- Saturated fat: 6 g
- Carbohydrates: 0 g
- Sugar: 0 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Sodium: 336 mg
- Cholesterol: 94 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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My husband made this salmon together with your recommended sides of the pilaf and green beans for dinner last night – it was FABULOUS. We felt we were in a restaurant. I would highly recommend all three of these recipes.
This is the most successful pan seared salmon receipe that I have come across
Thank you so much helping me in my cooking for my family
Great recipe, made beautifully cooked salmon.
I have made this several times. I have access to fresh wild salmon and have no motivation to hunt for something better. This is simple and delicious. Only change I made is not using non stick pan. That is because I discovered my cast iron has turned out to be non stick. All I can say is my salmon is absolutely fantastic!
Worked perfectly on bourbon-soaked salmon from the meat counter at our favorite grocery. Thank you!
This is the easiest way for salmon perfection! From now on, this is my go-to recipe for cooking moist, flavorful salmon that comes out great every time. Prep was easy, as well as clean up. I would recommend this recipe to everyone I know who wants to cook salmon that’s as good or even better than restaurant quality. Thank you!
Thanks so much for this simple, delicious recipe. We live in Seattle and have salmon frequently. This recipe was enjoyed by all! It is harder to find the portioned center fillets, but easy to find half of a fish that is fairly flat with some thickness in the middle. I cut them into smaller servings and watched the time for the flatter pieces. Served this alongside your kale salad. Delicious. Your recipes are so dependable and my family enjoys every one! Thank you.
Great. My teen boy loved it!
OMG!!! THIS BY FAR WAS THE EASY, MOST TASTY, SIMPLISTIC RECIPE EVER!!!! I USED IT ON STEELHEAD TROUT, SALMON’S COUSIN! LOL!!! IT WAS SO FLAVORFUL WITH SIMPLE SEASONING AND SIMPLE TO COOK!!! MY GO TO RECIPE HANDS DOWN!!!! YES, I AM SHOUTING!!!! THANK YOU A 100 TIMES OVER!!!!
My salmon was sticking to the pan when I went to flip it. I can’t figure out what I did wrong. I used a little more oil than the recipe called for to make sure it was well covered, but that is the only thing I did differently. How do you keep the salmon from sticking? All the yummy crispy parts came off. It still tasted good, but I want to figure out how to do this properly.
Hi Amanda, Did you use a nonstick pan?
It was a nonstick pan. I am truly stumped!
I’m stumped too as you shouldn’t have had a problem with a nonstick pan! If you want to try it again, I’d let it cook a little longer on that side and then nudge it with your spatula to see if it releases easily before trying to flip it.
Ive always cook it Skin side down first and watch for the color of the fish on the edges to start changing when’s it’s a touch past half way Baste the top and flip it ( nows when I slide a butter knife under the skin to remove it and scrape off the Sewer looking Gray Sludge stuff VERY Unappetizing looking ) by the time I do this I baste it and flip it face up baste it and turn off heat and let rest for a couple minutes perfect every time About 6 – 7 minutes total cook time
We made this salmon for family and everyone loved it. We followed your directions and it turned out perfectly. Wish I had taken a picture because it had a beautiful, lightly browned crust on top. Thank you so much for this excellent recipe!
Best Salmon I have made at home in a pan. Not going back to baked again!