Bring the elegance of a high-end restaurant into your kitchen with this Lemon Butter Salmon Dinner. Perfect salmon fillets are pan-seared to build a crispy golden crust, then drizzled with a rich, velvety lemon butter sauce. Served alongside roasted asparagus and potatoes, it is a healthy, sophisticated, and incredibly delicious dinner that comes together in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 salmon fillets (skin-on or skinless)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
- For the Lemon Butter Sauce: 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 2 cloves garlic (minced), 1/4 cup chicken broth or dry white wine, fresh parsley
- For the Side: 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Season the Salmon: Pat the salmon fillets dry. Season both sides with salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
- Sear the Fish: Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Place the salmon fillets in the pan. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes without moving them to develop a crispy crust. Flip and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes until cooked through. Remove salmon and set aside on a plate.
- Sauté Garlic: In the same skillet, reduce the heat to medium. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and the minced garlic. Sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Reduce the Sauce: Pour in the chicken broth (or white wine) and lemon juice, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the liquid simmer and reduce by half, about 3 minutes.
- Create the Velvety Finish: Whisk in the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter, one tablespoon at a time, until the sauce is thick and glossy. Stir in chopped parsley.
- Cook Asparagus: Toss the asparagus into the skillet and cook in the sauce for 3 to 4 minutes until tender-crisp.
- Assemble: Plate the salmon next to the asparagus and drizzle the rich lemon butter sauce generously over both. Serve with lemon slices.
Tips and Notes
- Butter Temperature: Whisk in cold butter over low heat at the end. This allows the butter to emulsify into the sauce, creating a thick, velvety texture instead of melting into oil.
- How to Check Doneness: Salmon is perfectly cooked when it flakes easily with a fork and the internal temperature reaches 145°F (63°C).
