Ingredients
For Glazing
- ⅓ cup honey or 15 honey sticks
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp. lemon or lime juice
- 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
For Cooking
- 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 4 salmon fillets, patted dry
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- salt and pepper
For Garnishing
- 1 slice of lemon
Instructions
- Start by mixing the star of the show—that delectable honey garlic glaze. Combine all the glaze ingredients in a medium-sized bowl (honey sticks, soy sauce, lemon or lime juice, and red pepper flakes) until smooth. Give it a bit of a taste and adjust as necessary according to your taste preferences.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. You’ll want the oil to be piping hot, but not enough that it starts to smoke and burn. Once the oil is ready, gently place in your salmon fillets one by one, skin-side up.
- Cook the first side of the salmon for 6 minutes. Once that side is cooked, flip the whole thing over and cook the other side for another 3 minutes. Add in the remaining tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.
- Add minced garlic to the skillet, making sure to move it frequently so it doesn’t burn in the hot oil. Cook until fragrant.
- Pour in the honey garlic mixture and a few sliced lemons. Let simmer until the sauce has reduced by about ⅓. All the while, baste the salmon with the sauce.
- Remove from heat, then garnish with more lemon slices.
- Serve and enjoy!
Cooking Tips
Check Thoroughly for Bones
Pre-packaged salmon you find at grocery stores are usually already filleted, but you can never be too careful, especially with young children. They can easily swallow a fish bone and get it stuck. So, before anything else, run a hand along the surface of your salmon.
If you find something hard sticking out, then that’s probably a bone. Gently squeeze the area until the bone starts sticking out of the flesh. Pluck it out with your hands or tweezers. This is especially important if you purchase the fish fresh from the market!
Be Gentle with the Salmon and Yourself
A lot of people are scared of working with hot oil, and for a good reason! One splatter of oil is enough to give you some nasty burns.
First, you’ll want to make sure the pan is as far away from you as possible. Use the corner of the stove farthest from you to prevent splatters. Use a long spatula to put the salmon into the hot skillet.
Additionally, go easy on the fish! We get that you’re scared, but dropping the fish in your haste will only have the oil splattering all over you, which is exactly what you’re trying to prevent. In addition to that, salmon is a very delicate fish—if you butcher it like that, you’re going to lose out on the presentation.
Get the Right Temperature for Your Oil
Like many things in life, patience is a virtue. You need to follow our instructions to a tee and let that oil get nice and hot, even if it takes a while. This will help your salmon get that nice crust while leaving the inside juicy and moist. It will also prevent the salmon from absorbing too much oil.
So, how do you check if the oil is ready for frying? Put the salmon itself on the oil and check if it sizzles. If it crackles merrily in the oil, then it’s ready. If not, take it out and wait a little longer.
There are also alternative ways to check the temperature of your oil. One common way is to stick a wooden spoon or chopstick into the oil—you’ll know it’s hot if bubbles form and float to the surface. Another is to drop one drop of water into the oil—you’ll know it’s hot if it sizzles!
Do Not Disturb
Do you want to know the secret to getting that perfect sear on your salmon? You need to trust the oil and let it do its magic without bothering it!
When you’re cooking your salmon for 6 minutes, you need to let it stay down that entire time. The only time you’ll need to move it is when you’re checking to see if it’s ready to be flipped (start checking at the 5-minute mark) and when you’re ready to flip it. You’ll know if it’s the latter when the salmon doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan anymore.