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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Always wanted to know how to get crispy skinned salmon, this is the recipe, terrific! Just be sure the pan is hot prior to adding fish or fish will stick. I used well seasoned cast iron
Love the simplicity of this meal. Easy to make & so tasty!
I am usually impatient & flip my fish & meat too quickly & it never turns out very well. I followed your recipe for the pan seared salmon & was amazed how crispy & good it turned out! A little patience goes along way! Thanks for the recipe!
I made the salmon for dinner tonight with the intention of eating half of piece. I could not stop myself from finishing the whole thing. It was absolutely delicious 😋. I used honey mustard and added extra honey; warmed them up in the microwave and drizzled it over the salmon. My husband thoroughly enjoyed it. I squeezed some fresh lemon and drizzled honey on my piece. Fabulous!!!
Thank you for another winning recipe.
Tried this for the first time tonight and it was SO easy and SO delicious! Will definitely be a weekly staple in my house
This recipe is amazing! It has taught me to recreate my favorite way to eat salmon in my own home. It was a huge hit with my whole family. Thank you!
This recipe saw me through my first attempt at a salmon dinner. I paired it with lightly steamed broccoli crowns and oven baked potatoes. (I’m just learning my way around the kitchen..I’m still just astonished when when every thing can hit the plates at the same time..it’s magic lol). I started out a little bit nervous as salmon is one of my fiancée’s favorites and I was cooking it at his request. We both agree…it turned out amazing! Thank you SO much!
I have been preparing our weekly salmon recipe using the convection broil feature on my oven. The salmon is seasoned and in an oiled Pyrex dish. But we’ve recently been buying two dinners worth of wild salmon from our farmer’s market provider. For the second dinner this week, I decided to your restaurant approach. I used my recently acquired carbon steel skillet which performed beautifully. I followed the skin side up starting point and then turned it over at medium with skin side down. It still seemed a little underdone so I stuck it into an already hot 350 degrees oven for 10-15 minutest.
In a professional kitchen, would they then stick the skillet in a 500 degree broiler to finish it?
Your recipe will be part of my repertoire. Thanks!
Hi, I think that professional chefs would generally finish it off in the oven. The temp may be a bit higher than 350 degrees, but it’s not likely that they’d broil it.
If the skin is removed at the fish market, do you still follow the directions as shown for fish with skin on????
Hi Sheila, Yes cooking process would be the same. Enjoy!
This simple way of cooking salmon produces a crisp, tasty skin and a silky, moist interior. Because I use frozen salmon, I dry the salmon steaks thoroughly with a paper towel before popping them into the skillet.