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You are here: Home / Recipes / Main Dishes / Seafood / Sockeye Salmon With Lemon Butter Sauce

Sockeye Salmon With Lemon Butter Sauce

May 12, 2021 by Mahy, Updated July 12, 2021 10 Comments

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Sockeye Salmon with Lemon Butter Sauce Pin

If you are looking for a healthy but delicious meal to cook, then this Sockeye Salmon Recipe should be right up your street. Sockeye Salmon brings with it a lovely rich flavor that is only enhanced when cooked with the lemon butter sauce. A quick and easy recipe to cook up with no shortage of enjoyment.

sockeye salmon recipe in a pan with lemon butter sauce and lemon slices cooked

 

Why Sockeye salmon

We use sockeye salmon specifically in this recipe as it has a beautifully strong salmon flavor and it is very high in omega-3 fatty acids which are great for your health. This is one of the main benefits of cooking with salmon, especially Sockeye. It is also a very easy and robust salmon to cook with and you can’t really go wrong with it.

What is Sockeye Salmon

Sockeye Salmon is a type of wild salmon found and caught in the Pacific ocean. It eats a large amount of zooplankton and shrimp which gives it its very deep red color. The meat from Sockeye salmon is very dense and firm high in omega 3 fatty acids.

sockeye salmon fillets on a parchment paper

How to cook Sockeye salmon

Sockeye salmon is a very easy salmon to cook and it’s very versatile too. Baking the salmon is a very simple way to cook it, however, you can also fry and grill the salmon. It’s really about preference. To check your salmon is cooked through, press down on it with a form to see if it flakes. If it starts to flake it should be cooked through.

In this recipe, we are going to fry the sockeye salmon in butter – and cooked this way it really is truly delicious.

ingredients for sockeye salmon recipe including sockeye salmon, seasoning, lemon juice, butter, lemon zest, flour, stock, fresh thyme

Make Sockeye Salmon Recipe

Firstly, using a paper towel, pat down the salmon fillets to remove any excess moisture on the fish. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper on both sides of the salmon including the salmon skin side. 

a sauce pan with butter preheating

Place your frying pan on the stovetop on medium heat and add a large spoon of butter. Let the butter melt and then sear the Sockeye salmon until cooked.

Sockeye salmon seasoned and placed in the buttered skillet to sear

Remove the salmon from the pan and place it to one side on another plate or board before moving on to cooking the sauce.

seared sockeye salmon golden and ready, now removing it from the pan to make the sauce

To get started with the sauce add butter and flour. Stir these together and then add the lemon juice and stir again.

a teaspoon of butter on a board used to thicken the lemon butter sauce

Next add your fresh thyme, lemon zest, waster/stock, and stir together. Now add more butter and seasoning string together for the last time and you have your sauce.

lemon butter sauce in the pan whisked until smooth and ready

Now place your sockeye salmon back into the pan with the sauce and add fresh lemon slices to warm.

This recipe shouldn’t take much longer than 15 minutes for you to cook from start to finish. 

sockeye salmon on a plate and a hand drizzling the lemon butter sauce over the cooked sockeye salmon recipe

Serve your salmon on a plate, pour the sauce over the top of your salmon and enjoy.

Lemon Butter Sauce

This lemon butter sauce is so luscious and tangy. It pairs beautifully with the salmon. It’s made in the same pan as the salmon which adds extra flavor to the sauce.

You can have full control over how thick you want this sauce to be – just add more or less flour (or cook a little longer at the end to thicken).

lemon juice, lemon zest, fresh thyme and butter to break down the ingredients for the lemon butter sauce

There are some lovely variations of this sauce you can do, depending on your preference. You could easily make a lemon garlic butter sauce or add in shallots, other spices, or other fresh herbs such as rosemary.

You can really make this sauce to your preference and with works with lots of different ingredients and flavors. Olive oil can work really well paired with butter for added flavor.

Another fantastic lemon sauce to try is piccata which I showcase with video in this Veal Scallopini recipe. And if you’re a lemon dessert lover, you can’t miss this Easy Mini Lemon Pudding Cake. Oh and try using this Garlic Butter Sauce (video too) instead of butter.

A hand grating some parmesan cheese over the top of the sockeye salmon recipe plated on a plate served with broccoli

Tips On Cooking Sockeye Salmon

  1. 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.
  2. Keep your heat medium. Butter can easily burn if too much heat is applied – and lots of butter is used in this recipe.
  3. 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.

Sockeye Salmon Recipe FAQ

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.

A fork breaking up a piece of sockeye salmon recipe showing how succulent and flakey the salmon is

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sockeye salmon recipe in a pan with lemon butter sauce and lemon slices cooked
4.65 from 14 votes
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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.

Course Main Course, Main Dish
Cuisine American, French
Keyword butter sauce for seafood, garlic sauce for seafood, lemon butter sauce, salmon recipe, seafood recipe, sockeye salmon, sockeye salmon recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 400 kcal
Author Mahy

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

  1. 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.

    sockeye salmon fillets on a parchment paper
  2. Season the salmon with garlic powder, salt and pepper or both sides.

  3. Melt the garlic butter or regular butter in a skillet.

    a sauce pan with butter preheating
  4. Sear the salmon on both sides until golden and the salmon forms a crust.

    Sockeye salmon seasoned and placed in the buttered skillet to sear
  5. remove the salmon from the skillet and use the same skillet without washing to make the sauce.

    seared sockeye salmon golden and ready, now removing it from the pan to make the sauce
  6. 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.

    lemon butter sauce in the pan whisked until smooth and ready
  7. 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.

    sockeye salmon recipe in a pan with lemon butter sauce and lemon slices cooked
  8. Serve the salmon on a plate with extra lemon butter sauce.

    sockeye salmon on a plate and a hand drizzling the lemon butter sauce over the cooked sockeye salmon recipe
  9. Enjoy!!

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Tips On Cooking Sockeye Salmon

  1. 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.
  2. Keep your heat medium. Butter can easily burn if too much heat is applied - and lots of butter is used in this recipe.
  3. 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.

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.

Nutrition Facts
Sockeye Salmon With Lemon Butter Sauce
Amount Per Serving
Calories 400 Calories from Fat 252
% Daily Value*
Fat 28g43%
Saturated Fat 12g75%
Trans Fat 1g
Cholesterol 139mg46%
Sodium 757mg33%
Potassium 906mg26%
Carbohydrates 4g1%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 34g68%
Vitamin A 775IU16%
Vitamin C 23mg28%
Calcium 49mg5%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Filed Under: Recipes, Seafood, Videos Tagged With: butter, easy dinner, lemon, lemon slices, pan salmon, salmon, salmon dinner, salmon recipe, sauce, seafood dinner, seafood dinners, sockeye salmon, thyme

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jacqueline Meldrum

    May 13, 2021 at 3:50 pm

    5 stars
    Oh my that butter sauce sounds so good!

    Reply
  2. Tara

    May 13, 2021 at 3:48 pm

    5 stars
    Such a flavorful and easy meal! That salmon looks absolutely incredible, especially paired with the lemon butter sauce.

    Reply
  3. Chrissie Baker

    May 13, 2021 at 2:59 pm

    5 stars
    Wow. I absolutely love this! And these flavors work so well with salmon.

    Reply
  4. Emily Liao

    May 13, 2021 at 2:25 pm

    5 stars
    It doesn’t get better than a simple lemon butter sauce! So delicious.

    Reply
  5. Lindsay

    May 13, 2021 at 1:59 pm

    5 stars
    I am always confused about how to best cook salmon… Not any more! This was absolutely perfect and I’ll be making it again for sure.

    Reply
  6. Amy

    May 12, 2021 at 7:58 pm

    5 stars
    We re trying to reduce the amount of red meat we are consuming without going full vegetarian so this salmon recipe is perfect for us! Sounds so delicious and easy to make. Adding it to the meal plan for next week!

    Reply
  7. Biana

    May 12, 2021 at 7:38 pm

    5 stars
    Yum! Salmon goes great with lemon and butter. Such a great dinner recipe.

    Reply
  8. Anjali

    May 12, 2021 at 6:44 pm

    5 stars
    Your lemon butter sauce is absolutely amazing! It was rich and flavorful and totally elevated this dish!

    Reply
  9. Michelle

    May 12, 2021 at 6:11 pm

    5 stars
    Mmm we love salmon, but it is so divine with the lemon butter sauce!

    Reply
  10. Sandhya

    May 12, 2021 at 6:05 pm

    5 stars
    That Lemon Butter Sauce with thyme is soo good with everything! Love the recipe.

    Reply
4.65 from 14 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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Mahy PicHi, I'm Mahy, a recipe developer, food stylist, culinary instructor, photographer, wife and busy mom! Welcome to my blog!...Read More

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