Honey mustard salmon is the perfect blend of rich and tangy flavours and results in tender, delicious salmon perfect for weeknights.
- Quick and easy – great for weeknights.
- Rich in flavour – perfect for entertaining.
- The salmon and sauce are cooked together in one pan.
- Tangy and sweet yet savoury – a perfectly balanced sauce.
While this recipe is incredibly easy to cook on the stove, you can also bake it, if you prefer a more hands off approach.
You’ll love this oven baked teriyaki salmon too.
Table of contents
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Ingredients you’ll need
Detailed quantities and instructions in the recipe card below.
- Salmon: Choose salmon fillets between 1 – 1 ½ inches wide, or roughly 125-150g each (4.4-5.3oz).
- Mustard: There is mustard powder (like Keen’s) in the marinade and wholegrain mustard in the sauce. This combination adds both the perfect amount of mustard flavour and tang with a little texture too.
- Paprika: Paprika adds a wonderful richness to the flavours and if you use a smoked paprika you’ll get a little smoky edge to this too.
- Garlic: Use fresh garlic if possible, or jarred varieties work well too but steer away from garlic powder as it doesn’t offer the same punch of flavour.
- Honey: Just use your favourite runny honey.
- Worcestershire sauce: The Worcestershire sauce adds a touch of tang and helps to balance the sweetness from the honey.
- Chilli: The chilli in this recipe is optional and adds just a little touch of heat. It’s not overpowering at all but feel free to leave it out.
- Butter: A little butter (salted or unsalted) adds silkiness to the sauce.
How to make honey mustard salmon (step-by-step)
Detailed quantities and instructions in the recipe card below.
The marinade
While I call it a marinade, and the flavour will benefit from sitting in it for ½ an hour, you can also cook it immediately after adding the marinade. Just mix together mustard powder, paprika, garlic and oil then coat the flesh sides of the salmon (leave the skin uncoated).
Saute the salmon
With just a little drizzle of oil in the pan (don’t add too much since salmon is naturally quite oily), cook the salmon over medium – first on the skin side for 5-6 minutes until it is turning opaque, then carefully turn to cook the top. If you find the heat is too high and it’s burning, just turn the heat down and turn it onto the sides as well to even out the heat.
For the honey mustard sauce
The honey mustard sauce becomes a lovely thick glaze which perfectly coats the salmon.
Now, add some butter to the pan swirling it all around the salmon until melted. Add the sauce ingredients and bring it to a simmer. Let it thicken up over a couple of minutes which will also finish cooking the salmon.
Tips and tricks
- Cook the salmon short of done before adding the sauce: You want the salmon to reach roughly 52C / 125F before adding the sauce. This is slightly underdone however it will finish cooking in the sauce.
- When is salmon cooked: According to the USDA, the internal temperature of salmon making it safe to eat should reach 63c / 145F. Food safety Australia say fish fillets should “be cooked to around 69°C or when flesh flakes easily”. Most people would find salmon dry and overdone at these stated temperatures though and I find the flesh flakes long before. Personally, I like it around 55C / 130F which is about medium doneness. The fish will still flake but be very moist. Many like it medium rare.
Can I bake this salmon?
Baking the salmon will make this recipe more hands off but the downside is you may not get the crispiness you can get from sauteing it. You can certainly finish it off for a minute or two under a hot overhead grill or broiler but it can result in overcooking. Either way, you can certainly bake this salmon instead of pan fry.
- Preheat the oven to 220C (200C fan) / 425F.
- Line a roughly 9×13 inch casserole dish with foil and drizzle a little oil over the foil.
- Marinate the salmon using the marinade paste and place them into the dish, skin side down.
- Drop in the pieces of butter and pour the sauce in around the salmon.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes.
Yield and storage
This recipe serves 4 using salmon fillets 125g -150g (4.8oz – 5.3oz). Larger portions may take longer to cook.
Leftovers will keep well in the fridge in an airtight container for 2-3 days. You can reheat pieces in the microwave for a couple of minutes on a lower setting, or in a pan over low heat until it comes up to temperature.
You can also flake the cold salmon into a salad.
More recipes you’ll love
- Furikake Salmon
- Honey lemon pepper wings
- Honey pepper pork stir fry
- Sticky honey soy chicken wings
- Honey grilled prawns
- Honey garlic ribs
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Ingredients
- 4 salmon fillets (125-150g / 4.4-5.3oz each)
- 1 ½ tablespoons mustard powder (or 1 tablespoon dijon mustard)
- 1 ½ teaspoons paprika
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
THE HONEY MUSTARD SAUCE
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon chilli paste (or 1/4 teaspoon dried chilli flakes)
- 2 tablespoons butter
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
- Large frypan or skillet
Instructions
- Take the salmon out of the fridge 15-20 minutes before you want to cook it.
- Add the mustard powder, paprika, garlic and oil to a high sided plate and mix well to combine.
- Dry the salmon fillets off with paper towel then add them, flesh side down, to the marinade and coat just the flesh sides well. You can begin cooking immediately or rest for 1/2 an hour. If resting, chill but take it out of the fridge 15 minutes before cooking.
- Heat a pan over medium heat and add just a dash of oil. Add the salmon skin side down.
- Cook 5-6 minutes until you see the bottom half starting to turn a little opaque. Very gently turn (they’ll be delicate) and cook for another 4-5 minutes until almost cooked through or until a digital thermometer reads 52C / 125F.
- Whisk together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl, leaving out the butter.
- Add the butter in the pan to melt. Add the sauce. Bring to a simmer and allow to thicken for 1-2 minutes, then serve.
- Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.
Notes
- This recipe is lovely served with a simple salad and rice. Broccoli and asparagus always go well with salmon. Add some lemon wedges to the side or sprinkle with a little fresh parsley to make them extra special.
- Cooking times will vary depending on the thickness of your salmon.
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