This Honey Garlic Salmon is a terrific way to serve salmon that is just sooooo crazy quick and soooo crazy delicious! Head here to see all my quick and easy salmon recipes!
Honey Garlic Salmon recipe original published March 2015. Refreshed with new photos and video in 2017.
HONEY GARLIC SALMON SAUCE
This Honey Garlic Salmon recipe is all about the sauce. Just four simple pantry essentials in the right proportions – soy sauce, honey, garlic and vinegar.
I used to just whisk up the Sauce and pour it over pan seared Salmon. Then I started adding the sauce into the skillet with the salmon, and that’s even better, so I decided it was time to refresh this recipe (which I posted originally posted in March 2015!) plus I’ve added a recipe video.
When you first mix up the sauce, you won’t think it’s anything special. In fact, it’s pretty flat tasting just as it is. There are some sauces that steal the limelight in a dish – like Sweet & Sour Sauce and the Lemon Cream Sauce in this baked fish.
And then there are other sauces that are designed to compliment the dish it’s served with, rather than taking centre stage itself.
This Honey Garlic Sauce is one of those (as is Garlic Butter with salmon!) Once it’s cooked with the salmon and it caramelises…. WOWEE!!!
HOW LONG TO COOK SALMON?
3 to 4 minutes on the first side and 2 to 3 minutes on the second side for a standard fillet that’s about 2.5cm / 1″ thick at the thickest part.
This will yield a salmon that is perfectly cooked to medium rare – so the flesh flakes when you cut into it, it’s beautifully moist and coral inside rather than a pale pink / white.
Salmon is a fatty fish so it’s more forgiving if overcooked slightly. But when perfectly cooked, it’s a thing of beauty!!
This Honey Garlic Salmon recipe is a firm favourite in my household – and it’s been a reader favourite for many years now, ever since I first published it!
It’s a terrific quick and easy way to cook salmon that makes the most of all that we love about salmon – it’s juicy flesh, the salmon flavour, and how the surface caramelises beautifully when seared with the right sauce.
For a quick and easy meal, serve it with a side of steamed vegetables, like broccolini or asparagus shown in the photos. Add some bread or mashed potato for mopping up the sauce, and you’ve got a quick dinner on the table in less than 20 minutes! – Nagi xx
More fish recipes!
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Honey Garlic Salmon recipe video!
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Honey Garlic Salmon (5 Ingredients, 15 Minutes)
Ingredients
Sauce
- 4 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp soy sauce (all purpose or light soy sauce)
- 1 tbsp white vinegar (or sub with any other vinegar except balsamic)
- 1 large garlic clove (or 2 small) , minced
Salmon
- 2 salmon or trout fillets, skinless (6oz / 200g each)
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Optional Garnishes
- Sesame seeds
- Finely sliced chives or shallots/scallions
Instructions
- Take salmon out of the fridge 20 minutes before cooking. Pat salmon skin dry with a paper towel and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Whisk together the Sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
- Drizzle oil in a non stick fry pan and heat over medium high heat (or just under, if your stove runs hot). Place salmon in the pan, and cook the first side for 3 – 4 minutes until golden. Turn, then cook the other side for 2 – 3 minutes or until golden.
- Pour Sauce over salmon. Cook for 1 minute or until it starts to thicken slightly. Check the side of the salmon to tell how cooked through the middle is – I like mine medium rare inside. (Note 1). If Sauce thickens too much before your salmon is cooked to your taste, just add water 1 tbsp at a time.
- Remove onto serving plates.
- Serve salmon drizzled with Sauce, sprinkled with sesame seeds and chives/shallots, if desired.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
Currently in Fiji and receiving the usual daily reports from Dozer’s boarder – all is well and there are (apparently) no signs of separation anxiety. Hmph!!
How easy, quick & tasty is this? We loved it. Definitely doing this again next week. That sauce…… 😋 so good to dip my veggies into too (& plenty of it 👍)
This is my go to for a quick tasty salmon meal. I adore it and make it at least once a week. I do it with mashed sweet potato broccolini and asparagus. Delicious.
I love how easy this is. The sauce was I tiny bit too sweet for me, next time I will try one less spoon of honey and a bit more garlic. Thank you for so many creative and simple recipes to keep dinner interesting!
I made this with some top quality NZ King Ora that I bought as a treat tonight… and OMG it was divine. Thanks Nagi! Your recipes are always spot on.
Thanks Nagi, I made this last night after making the same with pork fillet recently.
Both tasted excellent and the recipe is so simple. Thank you
Nagi strikes again, this is delicious! Super easy, my fussy hubby loved it. I paired it with steamed white rice and some steamed broccolini and zucchini, the sauce was plenty to flavour everything. Thank you!
Hi Nagi,
I cooked the honey garlic salmon – it was great. I chose it because I was running late and didn’t want to waste time marinating, How do you think I would go using swordfish, instead of salmon.
Loved this honey garlic salmon. So easy. Meal was ready in 8 mins! I made baby spinach and used leftover mashed potato from last night. The sauce was soaked up in the potatoes . I have made so many of your meals Nagi. They are all so tasty. Thank you.
GREAT!!!! We even put the sauce on the broccoli 🥦!
We had the salmon, and found this recipe, yey !!
My husband said how would you rate this one ?
I had to admit I thought 10/10 and he agreed, saying it was the best salmon he has had !
Excellent – how to make a dish taste delicious for someone who turns their nose up at fish!
Have made this dish a number of times and cannot fault. Always a hit. Love it for its taste, simplicity and quick c00k! Brilliant!!!
So the seal of approval came in the form of my hubby licking his plate! hahaha Absolutely delicious
What a great recipe! (Again!) So very easy; minimal prep for maximum flavour!
I’ve made this twice already – soo delicious! Works very well together with crispy smashed potatoes. Thank you for another great recipe! 😊
Hi Navi, I cooked 1 of your recipes, being that with soy, garlic.honey and vinegar. I make only gluten free and made a couple of small changes. I am not mad keen on honey, so I made it half honey and half maple syrup, and half Tamari and half gf Oyster Sauce. It was stunning, as I bet the original was. I googled stunning recipes and got 50. Next I googled best ever recipes and got 3; 1 of which was yours, and I always go with your recipes.
Hi Nagi! Thanks for the recipe – I’ve tried before with salmon and definitely a 5/5! I was just wondering if you think the flavour of this sauce might work for white fish like barramundi as well?
You could do this on barramundi – I also do a sweet Asian glaze for white fish. Just be sure it’s a meatier type of white fish not something delicate. N x
Omg delicious, to die for. I baked in the oven for ease and it was just divine.
Thanks for that feedback Kim!! N x
Hi Kim how long did you bake for and what temperature did you bake at. Did you cover with foil ? Thanks
Dee-licious 😋. I was out of fresh garlic so I used garlic powder instead, and added some ground galangal, wow! Served the salmon and sauce over buttery mash and a side of roasted veg. I licked the plate…. with my finger 😉. Love the recipe, thanks Nagi
I loved thd, but I cooked it to medium + (140°) because my wife doesn’t like fishy flavors. She said this still tasted fishy to her.