Crispy, buttery, perfectly cooked pan seared salmon with a homemade firecracker aioli sauce… need I say more?
If you love this salmon recipe, you need to try my honey dijon salmon and my salmon wellington, also!
The salmon cooks to flaky perfection in about 15 minutes and you will have a whole meal on the table in about 30 minutes. You can pair it with basically anything, some good options are steamed broccoli, sweet potatoes, quinoa, or rice.
The firecracker aioli is a MUST for this recipe. It pairs perfectly with the pan seared salmon and basically anything else. It is SOOOO good.
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A few things you will need to make this recipe
Ingredients you’ll need for this recipe
- Salmon Fillets
- Vegetable Oil
- Butter
- Mayonnaise
- Honey
- Sriracha
- Rice Vinegar
- Brown Sugar
- Sesame Oil
- Garlic Powder
- Sesame seeds (optional)
- Diced Scallions (optional)
Either way works beautifully! The benefit of pan frying salmon is that it is done in about 10 minutes. And you get a lovely crispy crust on the outside of the salmon while maintaining a flaky soft interior.
YES! Salmon cooks super fast and as long as the interior is a pale pink colour (with no rubbery pink texture) it is fully cooked!
The salmon will be fork tender and flake apart easily. Also the interior of the salmon will be a solid pale pink colour. 
Pan frying salmon is a healthy option. Even though it is cooked in a little bit of oil, it hardly absorbs any oil during the cooking process. Just be sure to use an oil, like vegetable oil, that has a high smoke point. Oils with low smoke points (like extra virgin olive oil) breakdown easily during high heat cooking and are not a good (or healthy) option.
How to Make
First, make the Firecracker Aioli
To make the firecracker aioli, in a small mixing bowl combine the mayonnaise, honey, sriracha, rice vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, and garlic powder.
Stir with a spoon to fully combine, cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
Cooking the Salmon
Cooking pan seared salmon is actually A LOT easier than you think.
In a large skillet, add the butter and vegetable oil. Place the skillet over medium heat and let it cook until butter is completely melted and the oil mixture is hot. Swirl a spoon around the butter/oil mixture to help combine the two ingredients. (If your skillet is not large enough to cook all of the salmon filets at one time, cook in two batches. Measure half of the butter and half of the oil for the first batch, and use the remaining ingredients for the second batch. In between batches dispose of the butter/oil mixture and start fresh with new butter and oil.)
Add the salmon filets, leaving about 1” of space between them. Without flipping cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until a golden brown crust forms on the bottom.
Flip the salmon filets and cook for another 4-5 minutes. At the end of cooking time remove the salmon filets from the skillet and set aside until you are ready to serve.
Turning this into a complete meal
To build the meal choose one starch, and one or two veggies.
Assemble a bowl or plate of steamed broccoli, quinoa, rice, or sweet potatoes (or literally anything that you love).
Then place the pan seared salmon filet on top and drizzle the firecracker aioli sauce all over.
Top with sesame seeds and/or diced scallions and serve.
Storage
This is best enjoyed on the same day of preparation. Although you can store extra salmon in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.
To reheat, place the salmon filet in a frying pan and heat over medium heat until it is heated thoroughly.
There you have it, a super easy and simple recipe for pan seared salmon with a firecracker aioli that is OUT OF THIS WORLD delicious!
Related Recipes
- Pan Fried Maple Sweet Potatoes
- Instant Pot Brown Rice with Peppers
- Sautéed Red Cabbage
- Crispy Roasted Kalettes
- Honey Dijon Salmon
We put a lot of work into our recipes, so we would love to know if you tried this recipe and how it turned out for you!
If you have any questions about this recipe, I would be happy to answer them in the comments down below! To get a hold of us, you can shoot us an email or leave a comment down below! We can also be found on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.
Pan Seared Salmon with Firecracker Aioli
Crispy, buttery, perfectly cooked salmon with a homemade firecracker aioli sauce is the perfect meal for any occasion.
Ingredients
- 4 -6oz Salmon Fillets
- ½ cup Vegetable Oil
- 4 Tablespoons Butter, room temperature
- Sesame seeds, for topping (optional)
- Diced Scallions, for topping (optional)
Firecracker Aioli
- ½ cup Mayonnaise
- 2 Tablespoons Honey
- 1 Tablespoon Sriracha
- 1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Sesame Oil
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
Instructions
To make the Firecracker Aioli
- In a small mixing bowl combine the mayonnaise, honey, sriracha, rice vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, and garlic powder.
- Stir to fully combine, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
To make the Pan Seared Salmon
- In a large skillet, add the butter and vegetable oil. Heat over medium heat until butter is completely melted and the oil mixture is hot.
- Add the salmon filets, leaving about 1” of space between them*. Cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until a golden brown crust forms on the bottom.
- Flip the filets and cook for another 4-5 minutes. At the end of cooking time remove the salmon filets from the skillet and set aside until ready to serve.
To Serve
- Assemble a bowl of steamed broccoli, quinoa, rice, or sweet potatoes. Place the pan seared salmon filet on top and drizzle with firecracker sauce. Top with sesame seeds and/or diced scallions.
Notes
* If your skillet is not large enough to cook all of the salmon filets at one time, cook in two batches. Measure half of the butter and half of the oil for the first batch, and use the remaining ingredients for the second batch. In between batches dispose of the butter/oil mixture and start fresh with new butter and oil.
A note about the nutritional information- we use an online calculator to gather nutritional information and this calculator does NOT take into account that most of the vegetable oil and butter is discarded after cooking. This will decrease the calories and other nutritional information significantly.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 992Total Fat: 86gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 64gCholesterol: 149mgSodium: 476mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 1gSugar: 12gProtein: 39g
Please Note- The nutritional information provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator and it will vary based on the ingredients that you use.
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