Honey Soy Salmon Is Your New Weeknight Dinner Staple (2024)

Sticky, flavorful...and fast! This is my favorite way to cook up a couple of salmon fillets.

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Yields:: 2 serving(s)
Prep Time:: 5 mins
Cook Time:: 10 mins
Total Time:: 15 mins

Ingredients

2
(6-8oz.)salmon fillets (skin on or off,whatever your preference)
1/2 tsp.
kosher salt
1/4 tsp.
black pepper
1 tbsp.
olive oil
3 tbsp.
unsalted butter
3 tbsp.
honey
3 tbsp.
low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp.
lime juice, plus more for the rice
Cilantro, for serving
Cooked rice, for serving

Directions

1. Step1Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Heat a little olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium to medium-high heat and place the salmon, skin side down (if you left the skin on) in the pan. Cook for 5 minutes on the first side, being careful not to burn the surface. Carefully flip to the other side and cook for another 2 - 5minutes. Remove the salmon to a clean plate.
2. Step2In the same skillet, add the butter, honey, soy sauce, and lime juice. (You can also zest in the lime before you juice it if you'd like.) Stir and cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes, until the glaze is thick. Taste and adjust the flavors, adding more of whatever you'd like. Cook if for another minute or two if you like the glaze very thick.
3. Step3Place the salmon back into the skillet and spoon the sauce all over the top. Stir together cooked rice with a little lime juice (and zest, if you'd like.) Serve the salmon over the rice, spooning on extra sauce. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro, add a lime wedge, and chow down.

If you’ve been reading my website for any length of time (ten years this week—whaaaa?) you will know that we aren’t exactly what you’d call a huge fish family.

In fact, we aren’t much of a fish family at all.

In fact, you will hardly ever catch us eating fish.

In fact, I can’t remember the last time a piece of fish entered our home.

Now let me clarify a couple of things! We love shellfish; we’ll eat shrimp to beat the band…especially if it’s served with a steak. Ha. We just don’t do much fish fish. While I love it, Marlboro and the kids don’t love it, so we just stay where many families in landlocked states live: In chicken and beef territory.

If you’re in a similar situation but ever happen to find yourself in the position of having a couple of beautiful pieces of salmon out of the blue, however, this is a tremendously delicious dinner that takes almost absolutely no time to make. Just the way I love to eat salmon (or any piece of fish, for that matter)—with a sticky sauce that’s got more flavor than I know what to do with.

Here’s what you need: Salmon fillets (these are Sockeye)…

Butter (and olive oil)…

Honey…

Low sodium soy sauce (I’ve made this before with regular soy sauce and it’s way too salty, man!)…

Limes…

And cilantro if you’ve got it! If you don’t, this dish doesn’t hinge on it or anything.

Start by sprinkling the salmon with salt…

And pepper.

This is purely a personal choice: You can slice off the skin (or have the butcher do it) or leave it on. I’m a skin girl, so I’m leaving it on.

Heat some olive oil and a little bit of butter in a nonstick (if you have it) skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the salmon, skin side down (if you left the skin on; if you didn’t leave the skin on, just put the prettiest side down first), and cook it for a good 4 to 5 minutes in order to get that skin nice and crisp. Watch it and don’t let it burn, and don’t let the salmon cook to smithereens. If you keep the heat on medium to medium-high (depending on how hot your flame gets), it should be fine!

Carefully flip the salmon over to the other side and cook it for another couple of minutes.

I flipped them back over just to show what it looks like if you take off the skin before cooking. Hard to pass up that gorgeous salmon color!

Okay, after the cooking time, remove the salmon to a clean plate…

Then add a little more butter to the pan…

Along with some honey…

Some soy…

And plenty of lime juice. Yum!

Stir it together and let it bubble up and thicken over medium heat for a couple of minutes. Give it a taste and make sure the balance of flavors is just what you want. I wound up adding a touch more honey and soy since the limes were juicy; you really want that sweet/soy/acid perfection!