Pan Seared Salmon with Browned Butter Lime Sauce. Need we say more?? This is one of the best salmon recipes you’ll ever try! The salmon has a delicious golden brown exterior and the perfect blend of sweet and tart and buttery flavors.

I’m going to be a little lazy about it and just tell you, you need to try this salmon! It is really the best salmon I have ever eaten! I saw this recipe over Epicurious, from Gourmet Magazine. I will be honest, Gourmet Magazine is sometimes too “gourmet” for me. Their version of this however looked awesome! Simple yet incredible.

I created my own version by jazzing it up to suit my taste. Rather than grilling it, I pan-seared it, obviously. I wanted a tiny bit of sweetness to balance out the citrusy tang so I added honey, and what better way to get that perfectly golden brown, crisp crust than to pan-sear it along with a little sprinkling of flour?

I also thought if you’re going to make butter one of the main components of the dish then you may as well brown it and add another layer of delicious flavor. It’s amazing how well the citrus of the lime, the silky sweetness of the honey, and the deep, rich flavor of the browned butter go together.

They all complement the salmon perfectly. I can tell you now, the majority of the time this is going to be my go-to salmon recipe. Not only does it taste phenomenal but it is incredibly easy to make.

Serve this alongside some roasted asparagus and garlic-mashed red potatoes and you’ve got a delicious, elegant meal definitely set to impress. Enjoy!

Pan Seared Honey Glazed Salmon with Browned Butter Lime Sauce

Servings: 4	Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes	Ready in: 25 minutes

Ingredients

4 (6 oz) salmon fillets, rested at room temperature for 20 minutes
8 tsp flour, divided
2 Tbsp honey, divided
zest of 1 – 2 limes (I like it with a generous amount so in my opinion 2)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 recipe Browned Butter Lime Sauce, recipe follows

Browned Butter Lime Sauce

6 Tbsp salted butter, diced
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Working in batches of two salmon fillets at a time (or using two skillets, because you don’t want to overcrowd the salmon when cooking it on the stove-top so it cooks more evenly), place salmon fillets on a cutting board or plate and sprinkle 1 tsp flour over each side of the salmon fillets and spread flour to evenly coat. Evenly drizzle 3/4 tsp honey over each side of the flour-coated salmon fillets.* Drizzle 1 Tbsp olive oil into a 10-inch non-stick skillet, swirl the pan to evenly coat the bottom, and heat over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, carefully place salmon in pan and cook over medium heat, 3-5 minutes per side until salmon has cooked through and the bottom has nicely browned**. Plate salmon immediately, drizzle each fillet with 1 1/2 – 2 Tbsp Browned Butter Lime Sauce, and sprinkle with lime zest. Serve warm.
*Note that once you remove the salmon from the plate some of the flour and honey coating will stick to the plate so I’d recommend just scraping it up with a spatula and adding it to the salmon once it’s in the pan, alternately you could just coat one side with the flour and honey then after adding it to the pan you can coat the top side with flour and honey. Either way works I’d just say don’t waste any of that delicious coating.
**If you feel the salmon is darkening too much before the center is cooked through, you can brown the salmon in a pan on both sides for about 2 minutes then place on a sprayed baking sheet and bake at 350 for 7 – 10 minutes to finish cooking through.

Browned Butter Lime Sauce

Place butter in a small (light-colored) saucepan. Cook over medium heat, swirling pan occasionally, until butter is fragrant and has turned a tan shade (for a step-by-step tutorial on how to brown butter see the link here, although I would recommend not to stir constantly but rather swirl the pan occasionally). Remove from heat and add browned butter along with lime juice, garlic, salt, and pepper to a blender. Blend on low speed for 30 seconds to 1 minute until well blended. Pour sauce into a small glass dish (note: whisk butter mixture with a fork before pouring onto salmon as it will separate, rewarm if needed).
I didn’t have much of this left after drenching the salmon with it but I used what was leftover fresh corn on the cob, so good! Try if you’d like.