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Crispy honey butter salmon is a snap to make in half an hour with just five ingredients, but its flavor and texture make it worthy of a special occasion.
For the first 25 years of my life, I avoided salmon. It seemed too fishy, and its pink color always made it look suspiciously raw.
Then I started writing Paleo Planet, and my editor gently informed me that I would need to have at least one, if not two or three, salmon recipes in the book. I got cooking, and before long I discovered that crispy salmon skin is the BEST THING EVER.
Since crispy-skinned salmon is so good all on its own, I’ve started letting it shine with this super simple crispy honey butter salmon recipe. Basically we’re searing the salmon to get the skin nice and crunchy, and then topping it with a little butter and honey. The honey and butter melt onto the fish and create a rich, slightly sweet sauce that tastes like so much more than just the sum of its parts.
Ben and I are moving this week and we’re exhausted (see our super cute new digs here!), so I’m going to keep this post short and sweet. Below you’ll find my five best tips for making sure your salmon skin is truly crispy. If you’re still looking for something special to cook for Valentine’s Day, why not give this crispy honey butter salmon a try? And by the way, it’s fabulous with Instant Pot mashed potatoes.
Five tips for achieving (and maintaining!) perfectly crispy salmon skin:
- Make sure the salmon skin is very dry. Pat it with paper towels and if time allows, let the salmon rest uncovered in the refrigerator with the skin side up for 15-30 minutes. After that, pat it dry again!
- Use a cast iron skillet set over medium-high heat. Cast iron conducts heat evenly so that all of the salmon’s skin will be exposed to the right amount of heat.
- Wait until the pan is very hot–almost smoking–before adding the salmon, skin side down.
- Let the salmon sear undisturbed for a full five minutes to develop an evenly crispy crust.
- Serve the salmon skin side up. Your salmon skin may be perfectly crispy when you remove it from the pan, but if it spends just a few minutes smooshed into the bottom of the plate, it will quickly become soggy.
Crispy Honey Butter Salmon
Crispy honey butter salmon is a snap to make in half an hour with just five ingredients, but its flavor and texture make it worthy of a special occasion.
Ingredients
- Two (6-ounce) skin-on salmon fillets
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon ghee or avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
Instructions
- Pat the salmon dry with paper towels and place skin side up on a plate. If time allows, refrigerate the salmon uncovered for 15 minutes to further dry out the skin. If resting in the refrigerator, pat the skin dry again before cooking.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Season the salmon generously with salt and pepper on both sides. When the pan is hot, add the ghee or avocado oil.
- When the ghee is very hot but not smoking, add the salmon fillets skin side down. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the skin is browned and very crisp and the fillet is opaque about halfway up the side. Turn the fillets over and cook for 1-4 minutes on the second side, or until cooked to your liking.
- Transfer the salmon to serving plates with the skin side up. Divide the butter and honey between the two fillets, letting them melt on top. Serve right away.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 364Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 87mgSodium: 406mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 0gSugar: 4gProtein: 25g
The nutrition label provided is an estimate for informational purposes only and may not be accurate. I am not a nutritionist or medical professional.
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
You nailed it on this skin!! Perfection!
Thanks, Amy!
These photos are so beautiful, and I always need another easy dinner, especially when it looks like it came from a fancy restaurant!
Thanks so much, Kari!
There is nothing better than some salmon for an easy dinner. 🙂
I agree!
I love me some salmon 🙂
Yay, me too!
It looks so delicious! I am so trying these tops because I can never get the skin crispy.
Thank you, Jessica! Let me know how it goes–this method has worked for me every time!
Oooh there’s nothing better than crispy salmon skin – great tips and beautiful photography as always 🙂
Thank you so much, Georgina!!
Crispy salmon skin is my favourite!
Mine too, Erin!
This salmon looks so delicious, and I’m not even a fan of salmon. It makes me want to give salmon another go.
Thanks, Stacey! I didn’t like salmon until pretty recently so there’s hope for you 😉 The crispy skin may win you over!
This is awesome!!! My youngest would go crazy for that crispy skin, it’s her favorite!
Thanks, Emily! I totally missed out on salmon as a kid but am making up for lost time now…
Looks so yummy! My only experience with salmon is grilling it so I can’t wait to try this out!
Hope you enjoy it! I actually have yet to grill salmon because I didn’t have space for a grill at my old place, but am looking forward to trying it this summer.
This is probably my all time favourite meal. Any greens will do but mash and salmon omg such a combo. And I know this recipe is all about the salmon but that mash looks amazing! (Think I might be craving carbs a bit over here).
Love your photography too and will definitely try doing my salmon this way, it sounds and looks absolutely delicious!
Thank you so much, Mark! I agree that salmon and mashed potatoes make a wonderful pair–they could give steak and potatoes a run for their money!
Love me some crispy salmon skin. You nailed it!!
Thanks, Katja!
Crispy salmon skin is so freakin good and this sounds like a great flavor combo. I think we will definitely be trying this next time I can get my hands on some salmon. Plus it has the bonus of having honey in it – my kids will eat anything that we say has honey in it 🙂 (not that they don’t love salmon already, but it helps anyway in case they decide that night they don’t want salmon)
Haha, yes! Glad this sounds like something you can tempt your kids with!
So we have this thing in my house where it is unspoken that my 5 year old (my middle girl) gets anyone’s crispy salmon skin that doesn’t eat it by the time she is done with hers LOL! She is crazy for salmon skin! I usually give in and let her have most of mine! These are great tips for super crispy salmon skin! Looks beautiful!
Haha, that is a sacrifice! If I had been brave enough to try salmon at age 5 I probably would have tried to steal everybody else’s, too.
I love crispy salmon skin and this is a wonderful and quick dinner for busy weeknight. Thank you for sharing !
Thanks so much, ChihYu!
Totally going to try this. Serving it skin side up is a great suggestion! Yum!
Thank you, Cristina! Hope you love it as much as I do!
I can’t get over this skin!! What an awesome recipe!
Thank you so much, Allison!
We’ve got to start eating more salmon to get Philip’s HDL up and this sounds like a pretty good place to start!
Thank you, Mary! This is definitely a great way to make sure salmon is enjoyable for everyone.