This simple 20 minute honey garlic salmon is made in one skillet and the sauce is addicting! It’s paleo, gluten free and a family favorite. Serve it over cauliflower rice and with your favorite veggies for a healthy weeknight meal.
I’m on a little bit of a salmon kick right now and this honey garlic version became a quick favorite when I made it last week.
I have one kid (my oldest) who will eat salmon 3 times a day after I test a recipe. And, sadly, she and I are really the only salmon fans in the house!
So when I make it, it’s really just for the two of us, but honestly we wind up finishing off a 6-person recipe in 2 days anyway, so it’s well worth it.
While the salmon is definitely a big draw for this recipe, we both couldn’t get over how good the honey garlic sauce was!
It’s one of those sauces that you almost want to drink because it’s just that good! I’ll definitely have to repurpose it with chicken at some point to get the other kiddos to try it.
What You Need to Make Honey Garlic Salmon
Aside from a seriously tasty sauce, my favorite part of this recipe is how fast it comes together.
It’s 15 minutes, 20 at most, and you can easily sauté some cauliflower rice for a side dish as it’s cooking.
Plus, the ingredients don’t include anything fancy which is always nice for a quick dinner! Here’s everything you’ll need to prepare the salmon:
Salmon:
- wild caught salmon fillets
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- smoked paprika
- ghee, avocado oil or olive oil
Honey Garlic Sauce:
- fresh garlic
- water
- raw honey
- coconut aminos (or gluten free soy sauce)
- freshly squeezed lemon juice
How to Make Paleo Honey Garlic Salmon
Pat the salmon fillets dry with paper towels and season them all over with sea salt and black pepper. Sprinkle the smoked paprika all over the tops of the fillets. Heat your broiler to high heat (see below for a no-broil version).
Heat a large oven proof skillet over medium high heat and add the ghee. Place the salmon skin side down and sear for about 3 minutes to cook halfway through.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together all the sauce ingredients until well combined. Once the salmon is halfway done, pour the sauce into the skillet and spoon over the salmon. Transfer the salmon to the oven to broil the tops for about 3-4 minutes, or until cooked through and caramelized. Check often to make sure it’s not burning.
Once done, spoon the sauce over the top of the salmon and garnish with parsley and lemon wedges as desired. Serve hot over sautéed cauliflower rice or with your favorite veggies.
Can I Make This Salmon on the Stovetop Only (no broiler)?
You can make the salmon completely on the stovetop without needing to use the boiler if you prefer.
To do this, after seasoning the salmon, sear it on both sides in the skillet to cook through, about 3 minutes per side depending on thickness.
Remove from the skillet to a plate, and cook the sauce for about one minute in the skillet until it thickens. Return the salmon to the skillet and spoon the sauce over the salmon to heat through.
If you do this, make sure your skillet is very non-stick to avoid the salmon sticking. I sometimes find that the flesh-side of my salmon sticks to my cast iron skillets, which is why transferring it to the broiler can be useful.
Both the broiler and stovetop method will give you salmon with crisp skin and nicely browned top, with a moist flakey interior.
I hope you’re ready for an easy, healthy and delicious dinner that you’ll want to make on repeat!
Grab your ingredients and a nice big skillet because it’s time to cook – let’s go!
Honey Garlic Salmon {Paleo}
Honey Garlic Salmon {Paleo}
Ingredients
Salmon:
- 5-6 wild caught salmon fillets about 1 1/2 lbs total
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons ghee avocado oil or olive oil
Honey Garlic Sauce:
- 5-6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/4 cup raw honey melted if solid
- 3 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Garnish:
- Lemon wedges and minced parsley to serve
Instructions
-
Pat the salmon fillets dry with paper towels and season them all over with sea salt and black pepper. Sprinkle the smoked paprika all over the tops of the fillets. Heat your broiler to high heat*
-
Heat a large oven proof skillet over medium high heat and add the ghee. Place the salmon skin side down and sear for about 3 minutes to cook halfway through.
-
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together all the sauce ingredients until well combined. Once the salmon is halfway done, pour the sauce into the skillet and spoon over the salmon. Transfer the salmon to the oven* to broil the tops for about 3-4 minutes, or until cooked through and caramelized. Check often to make sure it’s not burning.
-
Once done, spoon the sauce over the top of the salmon and garnish with parsley and lemon wedges as desired. Serve hot over sautéed cauliflower rice or with your favorite veggies. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*Alternatively, to avoid the broiler, you can sear the salmon on both sides in the skillet to cook through, remove from the skillet, and cook the sauce for about one minute in the skillet to thicken. Return the salmon to the skillet and spoon the sauce over the salmon to heat through. If you do this, make sure your skillet is very non-stick to avoid the salmon sticking.
Nutrition
Want More Paleo Fish Recipes? Try One of These!
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The recipe for the cake you share is easy to understand. The food is delicious and attractive.
Oh my goodness this salmon dish was so easy and so so good! Will deffently be making again and will share it with other salmon lovers in family❣️Thank you for creating such a wonderful dish.
Just made this for dinner and it was outstanding! Thank you!
I made this last night and it was a hit!! Thank you so much! Great recipe!
This recipe is delicious and easy! The sauce gives the perfect sweet and savory balance, and the salmon practically melts in your mouth.
Delicious sauce. Easy recipe that was a hit with the family.
This salmon recipe is outstanding! One week into paleo eating and this recipe is here to stay. Nice work creating great flavors with simple ingredients. Since forgot to put garlic in with sauce, added prior to putting in oven – no problem.
So so good. I’ve made this twice, but the second time I marinated the salmon in the sauce overnight and it was KILLER. Favorite salmon recipe by far.
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I’m definitely novice at cooking but this recipe was doable. I chose to pan sear because I didn’t have an oven-proof pan. Each salmon filet took about 3 minutes or so to cook on either side. My pan is older, so I don’t think the salmon cooked completely at first. The internal temp was 120 at first, so I had to nuke it in the microwave for about 20 seconds to get it to 145. I added lemon zest to the sauce and on top of each salmon for some extra lemon flavor. I would highly recommend this recipe it is delicious.
Forgot to add that I made the sauce before cooking the salmon so I didn’t risk burning it haha. For any beginners I would recommend doing this. Thanks for the recipe Michele!
The Honey Garlic Salmon was one of the best salmon recipes I’ve ever had! It is packed with flavor, yet not overwhelming. I’ve made this recipe several times and it has a permanent place in my recipe box.
My wife doesn’t like coconut. Can you recommend any substitutes for the coconut aminos?
Soy sauce but the recipe won’t be paleo then
This was very delicious
Omgoodness!! This was a hit to say the least! Even my 2 year old loved it! I didn’t broil, I seared both sides then added back to sauce, yummmm!!!!
My new go-to salmon recipe! So simple and addictingly good! Just cannot get enough…
Ok, this one is great. My family loves it.
Made this for the first time tonight. It was so delicious. My hubby loved it as well. I followed the recipe exactly.
Our family just started eating Paleo and I’ve been trying a lot of new recipes on them the last couple weeks. Salmon is not something my husband and I normally like. This recipe has changed that. This is going into my keeper list of recipes. The sauce is incredibly good. It “fixed” salmon for us. Yeah, it’s really that good!
Excellent. I have prepared this dish on two occasions, however, the second occasion I immersed the salmon in the sauce overnight and it was quite lethal. The salmon recipe that I prefer the most.
Perfect
This is by far the best recipe I’ve tried; it’s simply superb
I really like the combination of garlic and salmon.
Perfect
I really like the combination of garlic and salmon.
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Such a clear and approachable recipe! I appreciate how you included both broiler and stovetop methods, making it easy for anyone to try. I’ve also found that swapping in coconut oil for ghee works wonderfully in the honey garlic salmon for a slightly different flavor.
Great recipe breakdown! I appreciate how you included the stovetop-only method since not everyone has a broiler, making this honey garlic salmon even more accessible. Your tip about serving it over cauliflower rice really elevates the meal—I’ve found that pairing it with sautéed greens adds a nice texture contrast as well.
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