Hot Honey Butter Salmon with Sticky Garlic Soy Glaze
By Sophia Reed
This 15-minute hot honey butter salmon keeps dinner moving with a single pan and a short sauce. Skinless fillets get a golden crust, are butter-basted, then return to a sticky honey, soy, garlic, and chilli glaze balanced with rice vinegar at the table.
Patting the salmon dry before seasoning helps it fry to a golden crust in the oiled non-stick pan. Butter added after the flip is used for basting, while the same pan holds the base for the sauce. Runny honey blends smoothly with rice vinegar, light soy sauce, garlic, and chilli flakes, giving the finished glaze sweetness, saltiness, heat, and acidity.
Watch the sides of the fillets and the centre as they cook: the salmon should be almost done and beginning to flake before it comes out to rest. The sauce will foam as the vinegar cooks off, then settle and thicken into a thin caramel consistency that coats the fish. Do not let the garlic brown during its brief fry, or it can taste harsh.
Serve the salmon with mashed potatoes and broccolini, or pair it with green beans and rice. Spoon over as much sauce as you like and finish with finely diced spring onion. If saving some for later, keep the salmon with its sauce so the surface does not dry out as quickly.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Finishes in 15 minutes because the salmon sears quickly while the honey sauce simmers in its butter, keeping a midweek dinner moving.
- Uses one large non-stick pan for frying, basting, and sauce-making, so cleanup stays limited to the pan and basic prep tools.
- Keeps prep short with fillets, garlic, chilli flakes, and a few measured sauce ingredients that go straight into the same pan.
- Lets you control the heat by starting with the lower chilli-flake amount, then adjusting after the sauce has simmered and thickened.
- Avoids special equipment because paper towels, tongs, a wooden spoon, and a large non-stick pan cover the listed cooking process.
- Works with familiar sides such as mash, broccolini, green beans, or rice, making it simple to build dinner from what is available.
Ingredients
- •4 boneless skinless salmon fillets (brought to room temperature, preferably around 7oz/200g each)
- •0.33 cup honey (110g)
- •6 tbsp butter (3oz/90g, preferably unsalted)
- •2 tbsp rice vinegar (apple cider vinegar or other white vinegar can be substituted)
- •1.5 tbsp soy sauce (not dark soy sauce)
- •1 clove garlic (1-2 cloves, finely diced)
- •0.5 tsp chilli flakes (1/2-1 tsp)
- •salt & pepper (as needed)
- •olive oil (as needed)
- •spring onion (finely diced, to serve, optional)
Instructions
- 1
Pat the salmon fillets dry with paper towels, then season all over with salt and pepper.
- 2
Heat a drizzle of oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat.
- 3
Add the salmon upside-down and cook for 3 minutes, or until a golden crust forms.
- 4
Flip the salmon and fry for 1 minute.
- 5
Move the fillets to the top of the pan and drop the butter into the bottom of the pan.
- 6
Tilt the pan and baste the salmon for 1-2 minutes, or until the other side starts to turn golden.
- 7
When the salmon is almost cooked in the centre, remove it and place it to one side.
- 8
Lower the heat to low-medium and add the garlic and chilli flakes.
- 9
Fry for 10-20 seconds, just to catch the garlic before it browns.
- 10
Stir in the honey, vinegar, and soy sauce.
- 11
Keep stirring over a gentle simmer until the sauce thickens to a thin caramel consistency, about 5 minutes.
- 12
Check the seasoning and spice, then adjust if needed.
- 13
Add the salmon back into the pan and baste it with the sauce.
- 14
Serve with your preferred amount of sauce and finely diced spring onion.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
499
Protein
41.84g
Fat
26.1g
Carbs
23.93g
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