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This pan seared salmon with tartar sauce is an incredibly easy and elegant salmon dish. Crispy on the outside and flakey on the inside, finished with a flavorful tartar sauce.
This low-carb salmon recipe is a great dinner option and will be on your table in less than 25 minutes!
Salmon
Pan searing salmon in a hot skillet is one of the easiest ways to cook salmon. You can use both trout and salmon. The recipe requires minimal ingredients, comes together fast and guarantees a restaurant-quality salmon dish that your whole family will love.
Make it for any night of the week and impress your loved ones!
Tartar sauce is creamy and commonly served with seafood dishes. It is a perfect sauce for pan seared salmon. When made at home, it is much better than anything you can get at the store.
This easy sauce transform pan seared salmon into a restaurant-worthy dish. Ready in 5 minutes!
Pan Seared Salmon
You will need simple ingredients to make the best pan seared salmon ever! Keep them nearby as the recipe cooks fast.
- Salmon steaks or fillets (pat dry and bring to room temperature)
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Lemon juice
- Garlic
- Butter
- Dill or parsley
How to sear salmon
- Bring salmon to room temperature.
- Heat oil in a large skillet or non-stick pan over medium-high heat.
- Pat dry salmon steaks with paper towel.
- Season salmon all over with salt and ground black pepper. Drizzle with lemon juice.
- Sear salmon steaks for 3-4 minutes, undisturbed.
- Flip and sear further for 2 minutes or until crispy.
- Add in garlic, butter (optional), and dill and lemon juice. The butter will start to brown slightly.
How long to pan sear salmon
The cooking time depends on the size of your steaks or fillets. Always get salmon to room temperature before searing. This guarantees even doneness. Make sure the skillet is very hot. We recommend also to press down the steaks firmly with a spatula. This also ensures even cooking.
It usually takes 4 minutes for salmon to turn from translucent to opaque. Flip the steaks and cook further for 2-3 minutes. After 6-7 minutes you can check for doneness, using a sharp knife. If it is beginning to flake, it’s done.
Tartar Sauce
- Mayonnaise is one of the key ingredients in tartar sauce. You can use homemade or store-bought mayo.
- Dill pickles add flavor and crunch. We like dill pickles, but you can try sweet pickles instead.
- Fresh dill adds so much flavour. If you don’t like dill or can’t get it, parsley is a great alternative.
- Onion is optional, but we like to add it.
- Lemon juice
- Sugar
- Fresh ground black pepper
How to make tartar sauce
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. If time allows refrigerate for at least 30 minutes for the best tartar sauce.
For a lighter sauce, you can substitute mayo with sour cream or plain yogurt.
Side Dishes for Salmon with Tartar Sauce
We like to serve this salmon dish with napa cabbage or a side of salad like Creamy Cucumber Salad or Cucumber Tomato Salad. If you need a few more ideas, here are our favorite sides for salmon:
Cheesy Garlic Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Crispy Garlic Roasted Potatoes
If you make this recipe be sure to leave a comment or give this recipe a rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐! I will be happy to hear from you!
Salmon with Tartar Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
For The Salmon
- Salmon steaks or fillets- 2 lbs, 1 kg
- Salt and ground black pepper- as needed
- Fresh lemon juice-3 tablespoons, divided
- Olive oil-1 tablespoon
- Butter-1 tablespoon, optional
- Garlic cloves, finely chopped or minced-4
- Fresh dill leaves, chopped-2 tablespoons
- Lemon slices- 6, about half of a lemon
For Tartar Sauce
- Real mayonnaise-1 cup
- Dill pickles, finely chopped-1 cup
- Fresh dill, finely chopped-1 tablespoon
- Onion, finely chopped-2 tablespoons
- Lemon juice-1 tablespoon
- Sugar-1 teaspoon
- Fresh ground black pepper-1/4 teaspoon
Instructions
Tartar Sauce
- Combine all the ingredients for tartar sauce and mix to combine. Add more lemon juice if desired. Keep aside.
Pan seared salmon
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or non-stick pan over medium-high heat.
- Pat dry salmon steaks with paper towel. Season with salt and pepper, and drizzle salmon with half of lemon juice.
- Once the skillet is hot, add the salmon and sear (undisturbed) for 4 minutes or until crispy. Flip and sear the other side for 2 minutes.
- Add in the butter, garlic and the remaining lemon juice. Arrange the garlic and lemon slices around each fillet. Cook further for 1-2 minutes or until garlic is fragrant and salmon is cooked through. Adjust salt and pepper to your liking.
- Garnish with dill and top each steak with tartar sauce. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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