This Pan Fried Salmon is one of my favorite easy dinner recipes. Follow my easy steps for how to cook salmon perfectly every time.

This Pam Fried Salmon dish is an all time favorite meal prep idea and one I often include if I am following something like the meal prep for weight loss plan.

Pan Fried Salmon | This Pan Fried Salmon is one of my favorite easy dinner recipes for how to cook salmon perfectly every time. | A Sweet Pea Chef

I don’t usually like to tell you guys what to do. I figure you are welcome to try my recipes if you find them interesting.

But, this recipe is different. This recipe will blow your mind.

Out of all the food I’ve cooked, this is probably the recipe I have made the most ever in my kitchen. In fact, I bet I’ve made it at least 30 times in the past 5 years. Now, that’s saying something.

Left photo: bowl of the seasonings used in pan roasted salmon recipe; right photo: raw salmon fillets placed on absorbent paper

In addition to the salmon always coming out perfectly delicious, this fool-proof recipe is very easy to follow, yet looks super impressive. How awesome is that?

How to Cook Salmon

With salmon, timing is everything. If you’re wondering how long to cook salmon for, it should be until the salmon flakes easily with a fork — approximately 5-8 minutes. Pan frying salmon and then finishing in the oven is the best way to cook salmon because it brings out the rich flavors of the fish and achieves that flaky texture. The quick cooking method helps to not overcook the salmon, too.

Also, seasoning the salmon before you cook it makes all the difference. For this pan fried salmon recipe, I’ve used an easy-to-make, sweet-spicy rub. The combination of the coconut sugar, cinnamon and cumin is wondrous. Please try it.

Here are the easy steps for how to cook salmon:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the coconut sugar, sea salt, pepper, cumin, dry mustard, and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.
Rinse the salmon in running water to remove any loose scales and then gently pat them dry using a paper towel. Remove all excess water prior to adding the rub.
Rub the spice mixture on the top side (non-skin) of the salmon fillets.
Heat an oven-proof fry pan over high heat. Add the olive oil to the pan and allow to get hot. Place the fillets, rub-side down, in the hot oil. The fish should sizzle.
When the fish releases easily (doesn't stick to the pan) and the rub side is nicely browned, about 2-4 minutes, carefully flip the fillets over and transfer pan to the oven.
Finish the salmon in the oven until it flakes easily with a fork (insert a fork and gently twist -- if the fish looks flaky, it's ready), about 5-8 minutes.

Follow these steps for how to cook salmon and you'll have delicious, perfectly cooked salmon every time.

Spice-rubbed raw salmon fillets with their skin on, ready to make pan-fried salmon dish

What To Serve With Salmon

I like to serve this pan fried salmon over garlic sautéed spinach or alongside garlic garlic parmesan green beans and sauteed babt red potatoes. SO. GOOD.

But it can also just go with steamed brown rice if you prefer.

Is Salmon Healthy?

If you're wondering whether salmon is healthy, the answer is a resounding YES.

Arguably one of the best health benefits of salmon is the type of fat it contains. Salmon contains a type of unsaturated fat called omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids lower your risk of heart disease by protecting the health of your blood vessels. So -- yea -- pretty awesome side effect from eating delicious salmon.

Salmon is actually one of the most nutritious types of fish you can eat. A serving of salmon provides you with iron, zinc, niacin, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12, plus other nutrients for good health.

Close up photos of pan fried salmon cooking in a skillet before being placed in the oven to finish.

Close up of pan-cooked salmon on a bed of green beans, ready to be served and enjoyed

Wild Salmon vs. Farmed Salmon

Okay, so we talked about why salmon is awesome and what health benefits it has. BUT not all salmon is created equal. In grocery stores, much of the available salmon options aren't caught in the wild, but are bred in fish farms instead. The issue with fish farms is the salmon doesn't live and eat a normal salmon diet out in the wild, but instead is given a processed high-fat feed in order to produce larger fish.

This difference makes the nutritional differences between wild and farmed salmon pretty significant. The major difference is that farmed salmon is much higher in fat than wild caught salmon (46% more calories), and it also contains less omega-3 fatty acids but more saturated fat.

That all being said, please remember that farmed salmon is still very healthy -- just not as healthy as wild caught salmon. Wild salmon is also much more expensive than farmed salmon, which can be a big deterrent when farmed is still delicious.

Pan Fried Salmon

Lacey Baier

This Pan Fried Salmon is one of my favorite easy dinner recipes. Follow my easy steps for how to cook salmon perfectly every time.

4.67 from 12 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Servings

Calories 281 kcal

Equipment

*This post may contain affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.

Ingredients

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the coconut sugar, sea salt, pepper, cumin, dry mustard and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.
Rinse the salmon in running water to remove any loose scales and then gently pat them dry using a paper towel. Remove all excess water prior to adding the rub.
Rub the spice mixture on the top side (non-skin) of the salmon fillets.
Heat an oven-proof fry pan over high heat. Add the olive oil to the pan and allow to get hot. Place the fillets, rub-side down, in the hot oil. The fish should sizzle.
When the fish releases easily (doesn't stick to the pan) and the rub side is nicely browned, about 2-4 minutes, carefully flip the fillets over and transfer pan to the oven.
Roast the salmon until it flakes easily with a fork (insert a fork and gently twist -- if the fish looks flaky, it's ready), about 5-8 minutes.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1 6-oz. filletCalories: 281 kcalCarbohydrates: 7.1 gProtein: 38 gFat: 11.6 gSaturated Fat: 1.9 gCholesterol: 86.7 mgSodium: 711 mgFiber: 0.6 gSugar: 6 gVitamin C: 9.1 mgCalcium: 30 mgIron: 0.9 mg

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Comments

4.67 from 12 votes (1 rating without comment)