Go Back
+ servings
Lemon garlic salmon in a skillet with lemon slices

Lemon Garlic Salmon (Whole30, Paleo, Low Carb, Keto)

A quick but elegant lemon garlic salmon recipe that's perfectly flavored. Whole30, paleo, low carb, and keto friendly.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Yield:4 people

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup ghee or butter if not on Whole30
  • 6-8 garlic cloves minced
  • ¼ cup chicken broth
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
  • Sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
  • 4 salmon filets about 6 ounces each, patted very dry
  • Fresh cracked black pepper if desired
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh parsley minced
  • Fresh lemons thinly sliced, for garnish

Instructions

Make the lemon garlic sauce:

  • In a small saucepan, melt ghee or butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Add in the chicken broth, lemon juice, and a few generous pinches of salt. Simmer this mixture until reduced by 1/3 to 1/2. The sauce will turn from a really thin liquid to a thicker, more bubbly boil. Remove from heat and set aside.

Make the salmon:

  • Remove the salmon from the fridge 10-20 minutes before cooking. Sprinkle both sides liberally with salt and season with fresh cracked black pepper, if desired. Heat avocado oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering.
  • Carefully place salmon filets skin side up and cook until lightly browned on bottom, about 2-3 minutes or until crispy. Use a spatula to carefully flip, taking care not to flake off any flesh. Cook 3-4 minutes on second side, or until skin is crisp and flesh begins to feel firm to the touch. Remove at this point for a salmon cooked around medium. Continue to cook until flesh easily flakes with a fork for a well-done salmon.
  • Remove pan from heat and pour lemon garlic sauce over. Sprinkle with parsley and arrange lemon slices over, if desired. Serve with skin or easily remove with a spoon, and serve with more lemon garlic sauce and lemon slices from the pan.

Notes

If you're on a Whole30, make sure you use ghee.
If you're dairy-free, use olive or avocado oil in place of the ghee or butter. You can also use a vegan butter.
I prefer my salmon cooked to medium-rare or medium. If you want to cook yours to this temperature, you might try cooking the flesh side of the salmon only 1-2 minutes then flipping and cooking another 2-3. If you like well-done salmon, cook 3 minutes on the flesh side and 4 minutes on the skin side, or until the flesh feels very firm and flakes easily with a fork.
Make sure you pat your salmon very dry on both sides with paper towels. This will help the salmon cook quickly and evenly, will promote a nice crust, and will  prevent sticking to the pan.

Nutrition

Calories: 384kcal | Protein: 34g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 122mg | Sodium: 133mg | Potassium: 919mg | Total Carbs: 3g | Net Carbs: 3g | Vitamin A: 690IU | Vitamin C: 18.2mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1.9mg