Honey Glazed Salmon (Pan Seared with Lime and Ginger)
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My honey glazed salmon is seared in butter first, then finished in a sweet and sticky glaze of honey, soy sauce, lime, ginger, and garlic that bubbles down around the fish right in the pan. It all happens on the stovetop in about 20 minutes, with one pan to wash.
My honey glazed salmon recipe is the kind of quick dinner that tastes like something you’d order at a fancy seafood restaurant. I start by searing the fillets in butter and oil, seasoned side down, and only pour in the glaze after the flip. When I was recipe testing, I found that order is what makes my recipe work: the crust forms in plain fat, and the honey spends just a few minutes in the pan, long enough to bubble into a sticky glaze around the fish but not long enough to scorch.
The glaze itself is honey, soy sauce, fresh ginger, garlic, and lime juice, with a spoonful of sriracha if you want heat. Lime keeps the sweetness in check and gives it a brighter, sharper edge than lemon does.
I use skinless fillets. The skin goes soft once it sits in the sauce, and without it the glaze coats both sides. If your fillets come with the skin on, here’s my guide to how to remove salmon skin. Steelhead is my favorite here, since the extra fat keeps it tender. If you’d rather use the oven, my honey teriyaki salmon bakes in a similar sauce.
What to serve with honey glazed salmon
Honey glazed salmon makes a quick, flavorful meal on busy weeknights. I almost always serve it over rice, because the glaze left in the pan is too good to waste. Spoon it over a bowl of basmati rice and it soaks right in. Start the rice before you sear the fish so both are ready at the same time.
For a vegetable, sautéed green beans are my go-to, and they’re what you see on the plate in the photos. Roasted broccoli or seared bok choy work just as well, and a squeeze of lime over the top ties them back to the glaze.
Honey Glazed Salmon (Pan Seared with Lime and Ginger)
Ingredients
The Salmon
- 4 6-ounce skinless salmon fillets (see notes)
- ½ teaspoon EACH: sweet paprika, garlic granules, salt, and pepper
- 1 tablespoon EACH: butter and avocado oil (or another neutral-flavored oil)
Instructions
- Season the top of the salmon fillets with paprika, garlic granules, salt, and pepper.4 6-ounce skinless salmon fillets, ½ teaspoon EACH: sweet paprika, garlic granules, salt, and pepper
- In a small bowl, mix the honey, lime juice, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and if using sriracha.¼ cup honey, 2 tablespoons EACH: lime juice and soy sauce, 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, 3 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon sriracha
- Heat the butter and oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the salmon to the pan, seasoned side facing down. Sear the salmon for 3-4 minutes, until it is golden.1 tablespoon EACH: butter and avocado oil
- Flip the salmon over and pour the sauce into the pan. Let the sauce boil until the salmon is cooked, about 3 minutes more. See notes.
- OPTIONAL: if you'd like a thicker glaze, plate the salmon and then boil the sauce hard for 2-3 minutes to thicken it up.
- Serve the salmon with some lime wedges on the side and minced cilantro or minced chives over top.Lime wedges and minced cilantro or minced chives
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Just finished dinner. That was absolutely delicious. I almost shouldn’t that good. My husband is in the back ground saying very very nice. More than nice. It almost shouldn’t be that esy for such fabulous flavour.
Thank you
Trik Childs
That made me smile, Trik! I’m so glad you both loved it—your husband’s review just made my day. Isn’t it amazing how something so simple can taste like you spent hours on it? Thanks for trying it and sharing this!
This looks great. Wondering if you used skinless salmon.
I did! The skin stays pretty soft when cooked with sauce, so I prefer to remove it. Bonus that the sauce flavors the salmon on both sides that way. I have a tutorial on how to remove salmon skin here. If you’d rather, you can leave it on and remove it after it’s cooked.
Delicious!!!