Step up weeknight dinner with Garlic Pan-Seared Salmon Steaks. Simple yet gourmet with only five ingredients, these rich, buttery salmon steaks are infused with the irresistible aroma of garlic—the best seasoning, obvi.
Jump To...
Why Every Garlic Lover Needs to Try This
Garlic is the perfect complement for salmon steak. Honey garlic, lemon garlic, garlic cream sauce, garlic caper sauce… when it comes to salmon, I just can’t get enough of these flavours.
But this recipe is a very simple one, using just some garlic powder with butter. The firm, rich fish and crispy salmon skin, paired with garlic… is just chef’s kiss.
Served with Roasted Garlic Rice or Garlic Mashed Potatoes, you'll have a full meal ready to go using ten ingredients or less.
Ingredient Notes
A few important notes on the ingredients for these Pan-Seared Salmon Steaks:
Salmon Steak: What’s a salmon steak, exactly? It’s a thick, meaty cut of salmon, typically taken from the middle of the fish perpendicular to the spine. That’s why it usually comes with a bone in the center, unless you get one that’s deboned. It also comes with skin still attached. We love salmon steaks because they have a firm texture and rich flavor, and they hold up better than fillets when pan-frying.
Salt, Black Pepper, and Garlic Powder: The holy trifecta of savoury seasonings. Salt, pepper, and garlic make everything better. Salmon is no exception.
Butter: For a dairy-free option, you can use olive oil.
See recipe card for quantities.
Directions
Step 1 (Optional). Debone the salmon steaks by using a sharp knife to slice along the center of the steak.
Step 2 (Optional). Twist the salmon into medallions and secure with cooking twine or a wooden skewer.
Hint: If you skip deboning, you might have to pan-fry the salmon for a minute longer. And you’ll have to deal with bones when eating the salmon. But we usually skip the deboning when we’re in a hurry.
Step 3. Pat salmon dry and season with salt, pepper, and garlic on both sides. Meanwhile, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.
Step 4. Pan-fry the salmon steaks, flipping every two minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 145 °F. Spoon the excess melted butter over each salmon steak as they cook.
Hint: The cook time really depends on the thickness of your salmon steak, but will usually take at least six minutes.
Storage Tips
Fridge: Store pan-fried salmon steaks in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Freezer: Leftover cooked salmon can be frozen for up to three months.
What to Serve with Garlic Salmon Steak
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Garlic Pan-Fried Salmon Steak:
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a rating or comment below to give me feedback and help out other readers.
Recipe Card
Garlic Pan-Seared Salmon Steaks
Ingredients
- 2 small salmon steaks around ½ pound each
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Optional: debone 2 small salmon steaks (see Directions section in the post above for pictures). If you skip deboning, you might have to pan-fry the salmon for a minute longer.
- Pat salmon dry and season with ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, and ½ teaspoon garlic powder on both sides.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat.
- Pan-fry the salmon steaks, flipping every two minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 145 °F. The cook time really depends on the thickness of your salmon steak, but will usually take at least six minutes. Spoon the excess melted butter over each salmon steak as they cook.
Gennifer says
So very pleased with how my salmon steaks turned out. For the seasoning I used Kinders Steakhouse seasoning from Costco. It took me about 15 minutes (I don't have a thermometer, so I wanted to be sure it was safely cooked) and the salmon was seared beautifully. Will be making this again whenever salmon steaks go on sale!
Kelly Zhang says
Sounds like a delicious dinner, Gennifer 🙂