Sockeye Salmon With Lemon Butter Sauce
Sockeye Salmon Recipe should be your weeknight thing! Sockeye Salmon is a rich flavored salmon that shines here with the lemon butter sauce.
Ingredients
Sockeye Salmon
- 4 sockeye salmon fillet skin on or off to your taste
- 1 teaspoon salt and pepper each
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons Unsalted butter or garlic butter
Lemon Butter Sauce
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter or garlic butter
- 1/2 teaspoon flour
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2-4 tablespoons stock or water depending on how thick you want the sauce t be
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper
- 1 lemon sliced
Instructions
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Pat dry your sockeye salmon and feel free to remove the skin like I did, or keep it on if you like skin on salmon.
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Season the salmon with garlic powder, salt and pepper or both sides.
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Melt the garlic butter or regular butter in a skillet.
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Sear the salmon on both sides until golden and the salmon forms a crust.
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remove the salmon from the skillet and use the same skillet without washing to make the sauce.
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Add in more butter to the skillet and flour. Whisk until smooth and thickened, at that point add in the lemon juice, thyme, zest and thin it out with stock or water to the desired consistency.
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Place the salmon back into the skillet and add in lemon slices. The salmon should simmer in the sauce for just 2 minutes and it's ready.
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Serve the salmon on a plate with extra lemon butter sauce.
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Enjoy!!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Expert Tips On Cooking Sockeye Salmon
- Make sure to use enough butter to sear the salmon in. This will help to keep the salmon nice and moist and stop it from sticking to the pan.
- Keep your heat medium. Butter can easily burn if too much heat is applied - and lots of butter is used in this recipe.
- You can use an instant read thermometer to check the internal temperature of the salmon to make sure it is fully cooked throughout. If you don't have one, you can check if the salmon flakes with pressure to tell you if it's fully cooked before removing your salmon from the heat.
- Do not overcook the fish as this is the #1 mistake
- Use high heat for quick sear
- Keep skin on for protection
- Remove from heat slightly early because of carryover cooking
How to Know if The Salmon is Cooked?
- Opaque exterior
- Slight translucency in center
- Flakes easily but remains moist
- Overcooking signs: dry, chalky texture and pale color
Variations on Sockeye Salmon Recipe
- Baked Sockeye Salmon: Gentle, even cooking
- Grilled Sockeye Salmon: Adds smoky flavor
- Air Fryer Sockeye Salmon: Fast and efficient
- Mediterranean Sockeye: Olive oil, herbs, lemon
- Garlic Lemon Sockeye: Classic, balanced
Sockeye vs Atlantic Salmon
- Sockeye is leaner, stronger flavor
- Atlantic is fattier, milder
Sockeye vs Coho Salmon
- Sockeye is firmer, deeper color
- Coho is softer, milder
Sockeye vs Atlantic salmon?
This is the most asked question I get. Sockeye salmon is almost always wild-caught, whereas Atlantic salmon is generally farmed salmon.
With sockeye salmon, you will get a very deep red color given from its diet and sockeye salmon has very high levels of omega 3 fatty acids which are very good for your health.
Generally, sockeye salmon is of better quality and tastes better with a firmer texture than farmed Atlantic salmon. If you want to make sure you eat only wild caught salmon King salmon is another option.
Why is sockeye salmon more expensive?
Sockeye salmon is more expensive because it has to be wild caught rather than farmed. They also tend to be smaller. This increases its price on the market.
Can you grill sockeye salmon?
Yes absolutely. This salmon is very easily grilled and can taste very nice cooked this way. to keep your salmon moist you may want to cover your salmon with foil. If you prefer to grill your salmon with this recipe you can do that and make the sauce separately to pour-over.
Can you bake sockeye salmon?
Yes, baking the salmon fillet is another way to can easily cook salmon. If you prefer this method to you can adapt this recipe to it also. You could even bake your salmon in the lemon butter sauce to keep it lovely and moist and let the salmon really absorb the lemon butter sauce flavors.
Why is the salmon dry?
The salmon was overcooked and even with the sauce, it can feel dry in that case.
What happens if Salmon is Sticking to the pan?
You didn't use enough oil or butter, or probably the pan was not hot enough to start searing the fish.
Why does it have a Fishy taste?
You started with low quality fish.
What if No crust is Formed?
You started with a fish that was not patted dry so the crust did not form.
Storage & Reheating
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 2-3 days. However, it's best consumed fresh
- Reheating: Reheat gently or serve cold
What is sockeye salmon best used for?
Quick, high heat cooking like pan searing or grilling.
Is sockeye salmon better than Atlantic?
It depends, sockeye is leaner and more flavorful.
How do you keep sockeye salmon from drying out?
Cook quickly and avoid overcooking.
Can I bake sockeye salmon?
Yes, but monitor closely to avoid dryness.
Is sockeye salmon healthy?
Yes, it’s high in protein and omega-3s.