Hot honey salmon is a dish full of layered flavors. Salmon naturally pairs well with sweet elements like honey, maple syrup, and brown sugar, with its rich oils to help balance the sweetness. This hot honey version takes it to the next level, creating a caramelized glaze with a semi-subtle spicy kick. A splash of lemon adds just the right touch of acidity, bringing brightness and depth to every bite.
Rinse salmon under cold water and then pat dry with paper towel.
In a small bowl prepare the spice rub by mixing together the salt, pepper, onion powder, paprika, and cayenne.Sprinkle the spice rub all over the tops of the salmon fillets (no need to season the skin). Set the salmon aside.
Prepare the sauce in a small bowl by combining the hot honey, garlic, soy sauce, and lemon juice. Set aside. If you don't have hot honey on hand, you can find an easy hot honey recipe on this site.
Heat up the fry pan (cast-iron). Add the olive oil. Place the salmon down skin side up and cook for 3 minutes on medium/medium-high heat. Flip once golden brown, cook for another 4 minutes.
Add the sauce to the pan and continue cooking the salmon while basting with the sauce for another 4-6 minutes until the fish is fully cooked. If the sauce is starting to evaporate too much you can add a bit of water to keep it saucy.The salmon is done when it is completely opaque and flakes easily with a fork. You can also check the internal temperature with a thermometer which should be at least 145F.
Serve over rice, cauliflower rice, noodles, or greens. Drizzle with sauce.
Notes
Rinsing the salmon isn't totally required, but it is a good habit and will get rid of anything that might bring an unpleasant taste to the final cooked salmon.
Hot honey is a great condiment to have on hand, the possibilities for drizzling it are endless. But if you don't already have this in your cupboard, you can make your very own with my hot honey recipe.
When cooking the salmon you can cook it skin side down to start or skin side up. I am not a fan of skin and I remove it before eating or leave it on my plate. I find starting with it skin side up, the meat comes off the skin easily before plating if I like. But, if you like crispy salmon skin, then by all means start with the skin side down for about 4 minutes to crisp it up and then flip. You will probably have to flip it again at some point before you begin basting with the sauce.
The water in the recipe is "use as needed". This means, if your sauce is starting to evaporate too much and getting thick, you can thin it down with a little water. Add just a tablespoon at a time, so that you don't end up with a watery sauce when you are ready to serve.
Keyword Honey Salmon, Hot Honey Salmon, Spicy Salmon