Salmon is my absolute favourite fish. I adore it in all of its glorious forms! Smoked salmon and salmon sashimi are two of my favourite foods, I could eat them every day for the rest of my life! Alas that’s an expensive habit. Enjoying salmon cooked is just as lovely as well – and this recipe is a quick and easy way to take cooked salmon and give it some real wow factor, by smothering it in a beautiful sticky glaze of honey and soy. A healthy protein packed with flavour – not to mention beautiful colour that’ll brighten up any plate.
Sticky Pan Fried Salmon
Honey and soy are best friends! This recipe also includes a hum of garlic and a zing of lime, so you’ve got yourself a punchy flavour party here. Your honey soy salmon will look beautiful coated in this rich and dark sticky glaze. It’s an incredible contrast of colour as you cut open the fish. Sticky and sweet on the outside, soft and buttery on the inside. Let’s get started!
Ingredients
- 2 Salmon fillets
- 2 tbsp light soy
- 2 tbsp honey
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- Juice of 1 lime
- Large knob of butter
Method
Firstly, it’s best to take your salmon fillets out of the fridge 20-30 minutes before cooking so they can come to room temperature. This aids with speedy cooking and I know you’re hungry. In a mug or small jug mix together the soy, honey, garlic and lime juice.
Time to fry! Add a large knob of butter to your frying pan on medium heat and allow to melt. Season the butter with salt and pepper then pour in the honey and soy mixture from your jug – make sure you get all of the honey out. Shake the pan to ensure it mixes with the butter.
Place your salmon fillets into the pan skin side down and cook for 3 minutes. Use a spoon to collect the sauce and pour on top of the fish as it cooks. After 1 minute reduce the heat to low-medium. This is important because the high sugar content in the sauce will cause it to burn quickly.
Use some tongs to turn the salmon over and cook for a further 3-4 minutes, depending on how well you like your fish done. When finished the honey soy salmon will be coated in a delicious dark and sticky glaze. Serve and enjoy.
Recipe Overview
Pan Fried Honey Soy Salmon
Equipment
- Mug or small jug
- Garlic crusher
- Frying Pan
- Tongs
Ingredients
- 2 Fillets of salmon
- 2 tbsp Honey
- 2 tbsp Light soy sauce
- 2 Cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 Juice of a lime
- 1 Large knob of butter
Instructions
- Take your salmon out of the fridge 20-30 minutes before cooking to being to room temperature.
- In a mug or jug mix together the honey, soy, garlic and lime.
- Heat up the butter in the frying pan on medium heat, then add the honey soy mix and swirl the pan to mix the ingredients together.
- Add the salmon fillets to the pan skin side down. Reduce the heat to low-medium and cook for 3 minutes before turning and cooking for a further 3-4 minutes, depending on how you like your fish cooked.
- Remove from the heat and serve.
And of course being a salmon dish Kimchi cat was eyeing up this one!
Serving Suggestions
This honey soy salmon is incredibly versatile and goes with all kinds of sides. I really like to team it with fresh and vibrant ingredients which compliment the fish well. This makes for an ideal light bite or Summer time meal.
- With spiced rice and steamed greens
- On top of a fresh cucumber and tomato salad
- Alongside carrot & apple slaw
- With a fruity mango salsa
- On top of egg noodles tossed in soy, with a side of pak choi
- Flaked and served as an open sandwich with horseradish cream.
- Flaked into a garlic and rocket pasta salad
How cooked should salmon be?
Salmon is not a meat which needs to be cooked well done in order to eat safely. In fact, fresh salmon is wonderful when it is just a touch pink in the centre. Salmon is incredibly moist when cooked right and should ideally be cooked a little under rather than over – once cooked too much the flesh can become dry and tough.
The easiest way to test if your honey soy salmon is cooked perfectly is to see if it easily flakes – if it does then it is cooked. If it remains as one whole piece when teased with a fork then it should be cooked a little more.
What cut of salmon to use?
There are a few different cuts of salmon, but salmon fillets are my favourite because I always find them lovely and moist. Salmon fillets are ideal because they have no bones and lend themselves well to speedy cooking. The skin is also makes contact with the pan so it can get coated in the sticky glaze, which is delicious.
Alternatively you could use salmon steaks; these are when the fish is cut in a cross section. This leaves the spine of the salmon in tact at the centre of the cut. Please note that this can extend the cooking time of the fish depending on the thickness of your salmon steak.
More Recipes
If you like the sound of honey soy salmon then here’s some more recipes that I think you will love.
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