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–+ servings
Three cooked honey glazed salmon fillets topped with chopped herbs and garlic sit in a white pan with reddish-brown sauce.

Honey Glazed Salmon (Pan Seared with Lime and Ginger)

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Searing the salmon before the glaze goes in gives you a golden crust and a honey glaze that thickens without burning. Use skinless fillets so the sauce coats both sides, and serve it with lime wedges for squeezing over the top.

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

The Honey Glaze

  • ¼ cup honey
  • 2 tablespoons EACH: lime juice and soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely minced or grated
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1 teaspoon sriracha, optional, for heat
  • Lime wedges and minced cilantro or minced chives, to serve

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
    Four raw salmon fillets, soon to become honey glazed salmon, are seasoned with spices and arranged in a row on a wooden cutting board.
  • 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
    Clear glass bowl filled with a dark, chunky sauce mixture—perfect for honey glazed salmon—being stirred with a metal whisk on a white marble surface.
  • 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
    Four seasoned salmon fillets are cooking in a luscious honey glazed salmon orange sauce in a white frying pan on a marble surface.
  • 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.
    Four salmon fillets are cooked in a white skillet with a brown garlic soy sauce, creating a delicious honey glazed salmon. The fish is evenly arranged and coated in the sauce, with visible minced garlic and spices on top.
  • 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.
    White frying pan with a dark brown sauce mixture—perfect for honey glazed salmon—containing visible chopped garlic or onions, sitting on a light marble countertop.
  • 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
    Four honey glazed salmon fillets in a skillet with a dark sauce, garnished with chopped herbs; a small bowl of herbs sits nearby on a white surface.

Notes

Skinless salmon: I use skinless fillets for this recipe. 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. You can also cook it with the skin on and slide it off before serving.
Steelhead: If you can find steelhead, use it. It's technically a trout, but it cooks and tastes like salmon, and its extra fat makes it more forgiving if it goes a minute too long.
Doneness: I take my salmon out of the pan at 125-130°F. It keeps cooking a few degrees as it rests, and it stays moist and tender in the center. The USDA recommends cooking salmon to 145°F. If you go that route, pull it at about 140°F and let it finish as it rests. It will be firmer and a little drier, but the glaze helps.
Serving: 1 serving = ¼ of the recipe, Calories: 430kcal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 35g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 109mg, Sodium: 916mg, Potassium: 893mg, Fiber: 0.2g, Sugar: 35g, Vitamin A: 243IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 31mg, Iron: 2mg