You can pan sear salmon in two minutes. Yes, I said it! Two minutes! All you have to do is cut and sear thin salmon fillets, also called Scaloppine/Scallopini in Italian (thinly sliced meat/fish).
To make your salmon sing from the rooftops, make this quick honey garlic glaze with a touch of soy and orange zest. It’s everything and more!
My STEP-BY-STEP VIDEO below will help guide you through the recipe. Subscribe to my YouTube channel for recipe videos every week!
Makes: for 2 people
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
The Ingredients
1-pound skinless salmon, cut into ½ inch thick fillets (my YouTube demo is below!)
2 large garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons honey (or sub agave nectar)
2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice (I like cara cara oranges the best but any kind works!)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon orange zest
Optional: hot pepper flakes
Optional garnish: chopped scallions & fresh orange slices
The Steps
For the honey garlic glaze: in a medium bowl, add minced garlic, honey, soy, rice wine vinegar, freshly squeezed orange juice, orange zest and hot pepper flakes to taste. Whisk until well combined. Pour mixture into a saucepan that’s been preheated to medium/high heat for at least 3 minutes. Let glaze cook, caramelize and thicken for 5-7 minutes, stirring often. About 3 minutes in, mixture will begin bubbling rapidly. About 4-5 minutes in, the bubbles will start to turn color, from light brown to dark mahogany. After this color change, let mixture continue cooking for an additional minute or so, continuing to stir often. Mixture should be syrupy in consistency and darker in color. Remove from heat and let cool.
TIP: The goal is to cook the glaze long enough for it to thicken when cooled, but not burn in the pan!
For seared salmon fillets (scaloppine/scallopini): cut salmon into ½ inch thick fillets (see video below for step-by-step directions!). Preheat large skillet over medium/high heat with a tablespoon of olive oil for at least 3 minutes.
Add salmon fillets, at least an inch apart from each other, to the hot skillet. Let salmon cook on side #1 for 1 minute.
Flip salmon to side #2 (I use 2 spatulas to flip fillets without breaking them). Cook side #2 for 1-2 minutes until middle of salmon is slightly flaky and opaque, or internal temp registers 130 degrees for medium.
Immediately remove pan from hot burner. Drizzle cooled glaze on salmon (the longer the glaze cools, the thicker it will become). Garnish with chopped scallions and fresh orange wedges. Serve right away, so salmon doesn’t overcook in pan!
The Steps with Video
My STEP-BY-STEP VIDEO below will help guide you through the recipe. Subscribe to my YouTube channel for recipe videos every week!
