Salmon garlic lemon butter sauce
Garlic, lemon, and butter are an ingredient trifecta. Basically you can put them on anything and that thing will taste 100 percent better. Chicken with the combo? Oh hell yes. A bunch of roasted veggies tossed in that sauce? Gimme, gimme. That’s why this quick and easy salmon recipe from Cooking Classy immediately caught my eye when I was scrolling through Pinterest. It’s definitely another #dinnergoals recipe.
So, here’s what you need to do: When shopping for the salmon, ask for multiple six-ounce skinless fillets cut about 1-inch thick at your fish counter. Allow the salmon to rest at room temperature for 10 minutes, while you make your garlic, lemon, and butter sauce in a small saucepan. Start by sautéing garlic until golden in butter. Pour in chicken broth and lemon juice and simmer until reduced. Stir in more butter (and a little honey) until combined. Set the sauce aside to make the salmon in a skillet.
When you think there’s just no time for dinner, there’s always time to sear a salmon fillet and add a bright squeeze of lemon juice.
But here we’ve got 5 extra minutes so I made this seriously delicious garlic butter lemon sauce. That saying the “the secret’s in the sauce” holds true on this one.
It’s made up of 4 basic ingredients (garlic, butter, fresh lemon juice and chicken broth) and once you try it you’ll want to add it to everything.
This salmon is a restaurant worthy dish that you can make in the comfort of your own home in 20 minutes!
Butter that’s infused with lemon, garlic, and a touch of honey helps give this salmon tons of flavor and keeps it extremely moist and tender. This baked salmon recipe is a spinoff of my recipes for Sheet Pan Honey Lemon Salmon, Honey Dijon Salmon, and Sheet Pan Orange Chili Salmon.
This version incorporates garlic, because why not. My family loves garlic and since salmon is a robust fish, it can stand up to the garlic without being overwhelmed.
And I love a dinner that’s easy, ready in 30 minutes, tastes better than the salmon you get in a restaurant (which I find to be dry and bland usually), and cleanup is as easy as throwing away the foil.
INGREDIENTS
INSTRUCTIONS
NOTES
So, here’s what you need to do: When shopping for the salmon, ask for multiple six-ounce skinless fillets cut about 1-inch thick at your fish counter. Allow the salmon to rest at room temperature for 10 minutes, while you make your garlic, lemon, and butter sauce in a small saucepan. Start by sautéing garlic until golden in butter. Pour in chicken broth and lemon juice and simmer until reduced. Stir in more butter (and a little honey) until combined. Set the sauce aside to make the salmon in a skillet.
When you think there’s just no time for dinner, there’s always time to sear a salmon fillet and add a bright squeeze of lemon juice.
But here we’ve got 5 extra minutes so I made this seriously delicious garlic butter lemon sauce. That saying the “the secret’s in the sauce” holds true on this one.
It’s made up of 4 basic ingredients (garlic, butter, fresh lemon juice and chicken broth) and once you try it you’ll want to add it to everything.
This salmon is a restaurant worthy dish that you can make in the comfort of your own home in 20 minutes!
Butter that’s infused with lemon, garlic, and a touch of honey helps give this salmon tons of flavor and keeps it extremely moist and tender. This baked salmon recipe is a spinoff of my recipes for Sheet Pan Honey Lemon Salmon, Honey Dijon Salmon, and Sheet Pan Orange Chili Salmon.
This version incorporates garlic, because why not. My family loves garlic and since salmon is a robust fish, it can stand up to the garlic without being overwhelmed.
And I love a dinner that’s easy, ready in 30 minutes, tastes better than the salmon you get in a restaurant (which I find to be dry and bland usually), and cleanup is as easy as throwing away the foil.
INGREDIENTS
- about 1.5 to 1.75 pounds skin-on salmon fillet
- 1 lemon, sliced into thin rounds
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons honey
- 5 cloves garlic, finely pressed or minced; or to taste
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley, optional for garnishing
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 375F. Place salmon on a sheet of foil (with the longer side parallel with the longer side of the sheet pan) with the skin-side down. Raise the edges of the foil up about 2 inches (or enough so that when you pour the buttery mixture over the top it will be contained in the foil).
- Nestle lemon slices underneath the salmon, spaced evenly around the fillet; set aside.
- To a microwave-safe glass measuring cup or bowl, add the butter and heat on high power to melt, about 1 minute.
- Stir in the lemon juice, honey, and garlic. Pour or spoon about three-quarters of the mixture over the salmon; reserve remainder.
- Evenly season salmon with salt and pepper.
- Seal up the foil. Likely you will need to add another sheet of foil on top in order to seal it. Crimp or pinch the top and bottom pieces of foil together; get it as air-tight as possible but it doesn’t have to be perfect. If you have time, set aside to marinate for about 10 to 15 minutes (enhanced flavor).
- Place foil pack on a baking sheet and bake for about 17 minutes.
- Remove baking sheet from the oven and remove the top piece of foil or open up the packet so salmon is exposed but keep the edges raised to contain the buttery mixture.
- Set oven to Hi broil.
- Spoon the reserved buttery mixture over the salmon, if desired. Use your judgment and if there’s already lots of juice you don’t need to add it because you don’t want it to start leaking. If you have extra buttery mixture, it’s great served over the finished dish.
- Broil salmon for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until salmon is as golden as desired.*
- Optionally garnish salmon with parsley and serve immediately. Salmon is best warm and fresh but will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 3 days.
NOTES
- *Tip: You don’t have to broil on the top rack, you can use the second rack, and while it will take longer, there’s less chance of it burning. Keep a close eye on it because all broilers are different and you don’t want the salmon to burn. Exact broiling time will depend on the size and thickness of the salmon, climate and oven variances, and personal preference.
