Our pan salmon recipes list includes flavorful dishes that require little effort. Using only a pan, they give you delicious salmon with crispy skin and buttery-soft, tender meat. With a simple switch-up of ingredients and cooking methods, you can create dishes with distinct flavors to alternate and explore when you prepare your meals.
Is It Healthy to Fry Salmon?
Frying in general may not be the healthiest cooking method as it uses a certain amount of fat to cook food. This leads to certain health risks such as high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease when consuming fried food.
However, as you cook salmon at home, you can make adjustments to crucial elements that might make the food healthier to eat. Starting with the specific methods, pan-frying is considered to be better than deep-frying as it uses a smaller amount of cooking oil.
The use of oil also has a significant impact. Refined olive oil is considered to be one of the best options for pan-frying as it contains heat-stable monounsaturated fats and is resistant to oxidative damage. Avocado oil, with its high smoke point and healthy fats, is another good choice.
Check Out Our Best Pan Salmon Recipes
These recipes can be made in a cinch but they carry flavors that rival restaurant dishes. Take a look at our list to learn all the different and exciting ways to cook salmon on a pan.
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Salmon Salad Recipe
This Salmon Salad is so texture-rich and tasty you’ll want to eat it all week long. Salmon, by itself, is easily enjoyable, and including it in a salad is a simplistic way to make its flavors shine through. Here we added lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and radish to accompany salmon with crunchy textures that complement it flawlessly.
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Crispy-Skin Salmon Recipe
If you’re on seafood duty, this Crispy-Skin Salmon is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. Apart from the crispy, melt-in-your-mouth skin, you’ll get buttery, black pepper-seared filets that’ll be the star of any get-together. Plus, you’ll get to walk away with another excellent searing technique under your belt that you can adapt to several recipes. Truly a win-win.
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Salmon Meuniere Recipe
For those days when you’re too tied up to spend more than 25 minutes in the kitchen, this Salmon Meuniere will come to the rescue. It’s inspired by “a miller’s wife” theme, hence the scrumptious flour coating. Keep it simple with some cooked baby potatoes on the side and you’re all set for a hearty meal.
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Salmon Alfredo Recipe
It’s hard to imagine a more convenient meal than this Salmon Alfredo. It includes a simple, 1-minute broth that’s essential to combining the pasta and salmon, transforming it from basic to elegant. The result is a dish classy enough for special gatherings yet simple enough for a random lunch or dinner.
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Salmon Burger Recipe
Who needs fast food when you have a Salmon Burger that’s so good you’ll forget it’s healthy? Everything you want in a tantalizing, guilt-inducing meal is packed into each of these chunky patties, but with significantly more nutrients. What’s more, all this on a budget that will keep you from overspending.
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Salmon Croquette Recipe
Requiring just 20 minutes prep time, these Salmon Croquettes are our go-to choice for a quick high-protein meal. The best part is you can enjoy these with buns to make fancy burgers, or bread for a unique sandwich. Don’t skip the sour cream and garlic sauce for a much-needed flavor kick.
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Tuscan Butter Salmon Recipe
This Tuscan Butter Salmon recipe is proof that your meal doesn’t have to be complicated to be delicious. In just 30 minutes, a simple spinach, tomato, and heavy cream mix will convert your filets into a restaurant-worthy dish. Serve the salmon with cooked rotini to really drive home the Italian theme.
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Salmon Pasta Recipe
Salmon Pasta is so simple that it’s impossible to mess up. Seriously, everything is cooked in one pot and ready in 30 minutes - it doesn’t get easier than that! The dish is also a godsend for pasta and seafood aficionados, blending the two groups with a creamy chicken broth that seals in the flavors beautifully.
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Salmon Fried Rice Recipe
We think pretty much any occasion calls for this Salmon Fried Rice. Just because everything is heaped and cooked in one pan and has an effortless appeal to it doesn’t mean it’ll be a sloppy meal. So don’t go gorging on it alone while you hide in your room. This’ll be a darn good meal that everyone else will want to dig into.
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Honey Soy Salmon Recipe
Honey Soy Salmon fuses together sweet and salty elements for an incredibly moist and savory dish. Hosting a gathering? This is the perfect meal. If your guests are not sold on the lustrous soy sauce glaze, the irresistible umami flavors are sure to win them over. They’ll soon be asking for seconds!
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Salmon Curry Recipe
Salmon Curry might be our favorite Asian seafood dish yet. Salmon is naturally rich in fats, but adding coconut milk further makes this dish velvety that one can hardly resist it. This dish is further adorned with bold Thai flavors of fish sauce and lime juice that make each curry spoonful vibrant, creamy, and downright delicious.
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Pan Fried Salmon Recipe
There are a few reasons why this Pan Fried Salmon is a dream come true. First, there’s no pile of dirty pots after cooking this dish — only one pan. Second, you’ll spend just 15 minutes preparing it from start to finish. And third, it tastes like a delicious dream you won’t forget.
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Stuffed Salmon Recipe
Stuffed Salmon is prepared by filling salmon pockets with spinach and cream cheese for a velvety, rich center. Each filet is pan-fried skin down until golden brown and crisp, and then served with cooked asparagus for an appreciated crunch. The result is a meaty bite with a smooth cream cheese layer and a crunchy veggie finish.
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Maple Glazed Salmon Recipe
This Maple Glazed Salmon will make you rethink that takeout order. Even busy nights are no excuse - this dish takes just 20 minutes to prepare. Salmon filets are seared in a thick, syrupy glaze that leaves them deliciously glossy. They’re then served with cooked broccoli and rice for a healthy, better-than-takeout meal.
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Salmon Patties With Cornmeal Recipe
Salmon Patties With Cornmeal are low-carb, high-protein, and omega-3 rich. Whether you’re looking for the perfect burger filling, or a post-workout snack, these patties will do the trick. And don’t let the crispy exterior fool you, these patties are juicy and buttery and served with a simple mayonnaise and ketchup dip that makes the experience so smooth.
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Salmon Steak Recipe
A juicy filet served with baked potatoes and carrots, this Salmon Steak is guaranteed to be a hit with the entire family. It’s everything you want on a laid-back afternoon: buttery and crunchy, with a wine sauce sharp enough to brighten up the meal. Salmon would sue to be cooked and served this way.
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Blackened Salmon Tacos Recipe
With these Blackened Salmon Tacos, everyone will look forward to Taco Tuesday. Few things are better than flaky, shredded, Cajun-seasoned fish wedged between a crispy tortilla. Add a sweet mango salsa. some sour cream sauce, and some chopped jalapeno and your taste buds will thank you for it.
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Pan Seared Salmon Recipe
This Pan Seared Salmon is ideal for a tough crowd. Anyone who bites into one of these golden-brown, juicy filets will instantly mellow. The simplicity of charred fish in butter and garlic creates a pleasant experience, while healthful omega-3’s will fatten you into satisfaction, and the abundant protein will add muscle to any smile.
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Honey Garlic Salmon Recipe
Two opposing flavors reconcile to form a magical dining experience in this Honey Garlic Salmon recipe. So sit down, dig in, and prepare yourself for an assault of heavenly flavors. While treading the spectrum of sweet to sour, this dish will take your taste buds for an exciting joy ride you’ll appreciate.
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Salmon Teriyaki Recipe
Salmon Teriyaki is distinctly umami and true to Japanese flavors. It’s an excellent way to put a spin on your menu and impress the family with diverse Asian flavors. Finally, a bowl of steamed rice goes well with teriyaki aromas like red on a rose, so you’d be amiss to leave it out!
Get the recipe.The Best Tips for Cooking Salmon on a Pan
Salmon can sometimes be fickle and tricky to work with, especially when it comes to high-heat cooking methods. Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind when cooking salmon on a pan.
- Choose the Right Pan
A nonstick skillet, a sauté pan, or something that’s wide in diameter is usually preferred. These types of pans can give you enough space to avoid overcrowding and ensure that heat is distributed evenly amongst the pieces.
- Keep the Meat Dry
Before you start cooking, make sure you pat-dry your salmon with paper towels. Dry meat responds better to hot oil and can maintain a delicate texture while also staying juicy and tender.
- Preheat the Oil
The salmon’s tender meat can stick to the pan very quickly and becomes crumbly if you leave it on the pan for too long. A simple way to prevent this is by ensuring the pan is reasonably hot with enough fat that will quickly heat up the skin as soon as you drop the fish onto the pan. You should hold the fish in place in the first couple of minutes to shape the fillets and cook the bottom layers evenly.
- Keep the Temperature Steady
Temperature plays a crucial role when it comes to cooking salmon. Once you have preheated the pan, reduce the heat right away so you don’t overcook and shrink the skin.
- Use a Heat Thermometer
The most efficient way to prevent your salmon from drying out is by lifting it off the heat the minute it’s done. This can be achieved with the simple use of a heat thermometer or checking for flakiness with a fork
- Cook With the Skin-side Down
The majority of the salmon cooking time should be cooked with the skin-side down. This gives it a crispy and perfectly browned exterior while keeping the meat perfectly tender. Flip it over once you notice most of the flesh has turned opaque pink-white and briefly cook the other side.
What to Serve With Pan-Cooked Salmon
No matter the method, pan salmon has a delightful, savory taste that’s not too overwhelming. This gives you an endless variety of dishes to serve with it.
- Salads
Simple but effective, a good bowl of salad is a no-brainer when it comes to side dishes. You can go for bright salads topped with slightly acidic and zesty dressings like apple or lemon to complement the salmon.
- Cooked Vegetables
Roasted vegetables, French fries, sautéed mushrooms, or even grilled corn can make great companions to a savory plate of pan-fried salmon.
- Pasta
Make an easy, filling meal by boiling some extra pasta. You can make a separate sauce to serve with the pasta or simply eat it with the cooked salmon. Either way, it’s an effortless main dish for your busy dinner nights.
With its crispy skin that perfectly contrasts with tender and flavorful meat, these dishes are a salmon lover’s dream come true. From salad to pasta, our list of pan salmon recipes has something for everyone. Make them a part of your menu and never worry about a boring meal again.
A writer and entrepreneur, Luna’s day doesn’t start at the computer keyboard, but in the kitchen.
Half of her working hours are spent on mixing ingredients for her recipes. The other half involve working with the tech team to research and test the tools and appliances that promise to make kitchen work effortless and mess-free. From a kitchen knife or water filter to the Instant Pot, if it can help save time and effort for the home cook, Luna and her team are on it.
Luna’s extracurricular pastimes include camping, travel, and photography.