Pan Seared Salmon with Firecracker Aioli

Name: Pan Seared Salmon with Firecracker Aioli
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 4 Salmon Fillets (6 oz each); ½ cup Vegetable Oil; 4 Tablespoons Butter (room temperature); ½ cup Light Mayonnaise; 2 Tablespoons Honey; 1 Tablespoon Sriracha; 1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar; 1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar; 2 teaspoons Sesame Oil; 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder; 3 cups Roasted Broccoli (prepared); 3 cups Quinoa (prepared); 2 Scallions (diced, optional); Toasted Sesame Seeds (optional)

Crispy, buttery, perfectly cooked pan-seared salmon with a homemade firecracker aioli sauce… need I say more?

If you love salmon recipes, you need to try my honey dijon salmon, my salmon wellington, my easy salmon sushi bowls, or my crispy salmon bites, too! Serve these salmon bowls with a slice of mouth-watering apple crumble cheesecake for dessert!

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 crispy roasted broccoli, maple sweet potatoes, quinoa, or instant pot brown 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.

Ingredients you'll need for this recipe

Salmon Fillets
Vegetable Oil
Butter
Mayonnaise
Honey
Sriracha
Rice Vinegar
Brown Sugar
Sesame Oil
Garlic Powder
Toasted sesame seeds (optional)
Diced Scallions (optional)

Is it better to bake or pan fry salmon?

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.

Is pan seared salmon cooked through?

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!

How do you know when pan seared salmon is done?

The salmon will be fork tender and flake apart easily. Also the interior of the salmon will be a solid pale pink colour.

Is pan seared salmon healthy?

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

all of the ingredients to make the firecracker aioli sauce.

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.

firecracker aioli sauce mixed together in a small white bowl

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.)

two 6oz salmon filets on a white plate and a skillet with oil and butter ready to cook

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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.

pan searing the salmon in the butter/oil mixture on the stove

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.

Golden brown salmon filets after they have been flipped in the skillet

Turning this into a complete meal

To build the meal choose one starch, and one or two veggies.

Assemble a bowl or plate of roasted broccoli, quinoa, brown rice, or pan fried 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.

pan fried salmon served with steamed broccoil and quinoa, and topped with firecracker aioli sauce

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

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Ingredients you'll need for this recipe