Rinse salmon and pat dry with paper towels.

In a small bowl, mix together salt, pepper, garlic powder, and lemon zest.

Rub flesh side of salmon fillets with the mixture of spices.

In a cast iron skillet, over medium-high heat, add olive oil to the pan.

Once pan is hot, add seasoned salmon fillets – skin side down. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the skin becomes crispy and golden brown. Just leave the salmon – don’t mess with it.

Using a fish spatula, flip the salmon filets and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. If you have a super THIN piece of salmon, it’s only going to need 2 minutes per side.

After flipping salmon, add butter and minced garlic to the pan. As butter melts, spoon garlic butter over the salmon fillets. Add in fresh lemon juice from ½ lemon as well!

Check the salmon with an instant-read meat thermometer; it should be 125º for medium rare. This will take 2-5 minutes depending on the thickness of your salmon.

Remove salmon from pan and garnish with a lemon wedge.