So in my last salmon recipe I went into the health benefits of salmon and I think I actually convinced myself that we need to be eating more salmon after all that research. Improved brain function? Reduced inflammation? Protecting bone health? Yep this mama could sure use all of that!
Since I’ve decided to eat salmon more regularly, I’ve been testing it out in a lot of new recipes/methods. This Teriyaki Salmon has earned its place as a new staple recipe around here, it is SO good!
I’ve always loved a good teriyaki sauce, but the recipes I’ve seen tend to use a LOT of sugar and/or specialty ingredients I just don’t have on hand (I’m looking at you sake and mirin…). I’ve swapped in honey (I love this local honey) for sugar, coconut aminos for soy sauce, fresh lemon for acidity, and plenty of extra flavour thanks to minced garlic, ginger, crushed red pepper, and sesame oil. Traditional? No. Delicious? Absolutely! Dare I say, “healthier” too.
I went to the trouble (poor me!) of trying out this recipe with three different methods – pan searing, oven roasting, and on the barbecue. I’m happy to report they all turned out really well! The clear winner is the pan seared method (no surprise there). Pan searing (great time to pull out your cast iron pans!!) allows you to get that nice crispy seared “crust” and allows allows the sauce to reduce nice and thick and syrupy. My second place would be oven roasting, because you can still use the broil at the end to get a nice crisp finish to the salmon. The sauce doesn’t get quite as syrupy, but this is a good option for cooking a larger amount of salmon or when you just want it to be hands off. Barbecuing works well for hot summer days when you don’t want to heat up the house, but you do miss out on the “seared” finish that comes from the pan or broiling. The salmon will get nice and crispy on the bottom, and the sauce reduces down well (ok mine burnt a bit but no one noticed!!), so it’s still a win regardless!
In all cases, garnish really takes this salmon to the next level. Just the little step of spooning the extra pan sauce on top of the salmon, and sprinkling on some chia/sesame seeds and chives adds that extra pop of flavour and appealing presentation that really makes this a special meal. Give it a whirl and see what a difference it makes!!
I love serving this salmon with rice (sub cauliflower rice for low carb), and garlic-y green beans, roasted broccoli, or grilled veggies. It would also be delicious over rice or zucchini noodles with stir fry vegetables! I can’t wait to hear what you guys thing of this recipe! Be sure to let me know what method you used and what you thought of it in the comments below, and/or tag me on Instagram with your creations (@garnishathome)!! Talk to you soon 🙂
Teriyaki Salmon
Ingredients
- 1 large filet of salmon, or 6 individual portions skin on or skinless, whatever you prefer
- 2 tbsp coconut or liquid aminos or soy sauce
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 lemon, juice of
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger or 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
- pinch crushed red pepper
Optional Garnish:
- chopped green onions/chives
- chia or sesame seeds
Instructions
Pan Seared:
- Pat the salmon dry with paper towel. Add the remaining ingredients to a jar or bowl and shake or whisk until combined.
- Drizzle the salmon (skin side facing down) with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Once the pan is very hot, add the salmon to the pan (skin side facing up). Let the salmon sear for 4-5 minutes without moving it. While it's searing, drizzle the skin side facing up with olive oil, salt and pepper. Turn the salmon over so the skin side is down, let it sear for 1 minute.
- Add the sauce to the pan and allow to simmer until reduced and sticky (a few minutes).
- Remove from heat. Serve with the extra pan sauce spooned overtop, garnished with green onions and chia/sesame seeds, if desired.
Oven Roasted:
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a 9×13" pan with parchment paper.
- Pat the salmon dry with paper towel. Add the remaining ingredients to a jar or bowl and shake or whisk until combined. Add the salmon skin side down to the lined pan. Top with combined sauce. If desired, allow to marinade for up to 30 minutes.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Turn the oven to broil and broil for 3-5 minutes until the salmon is nicely browned on top (do not skimp on this step!).
- Serve with the extra pan sauce spooned overtop, garnished with green onions and chia/sesame seeds, if desired.
BBQ:
- Preheat the BBQ until the temperature reads around 450°F. Line a 9×13" pan (choose a pan you don't mind getting marked up by the grill) with tin foil.
- Pat the salmon dry with paper towel. Add the remaining ingredients to a jar or bowl and shake or whisk until combined. Add the salmon skin side down to the lined pan. Top with combined sauce. If desired, allow to marinade for up to 30 minutes.
- Grill for 10-15 minutes, until the salmon is cooked through and sauce is slightly reduced and sticky.
- Serve with the extra pan sauce spooned overtop, garnished with green onions and chia/sesame seeds, if desired.
Notes
Featured in This Post:
This post includes affiliate links, meaning I made a small commission at no extra cost to you, should you decide to click through the links and purchase anything. These are my honest opinions and I would never recommend anything to you I didn’t absolutely love and use on a regular basis. Hope you find these lists helpful!
Coconut Aminos – This is an excellent healthy substitute for soy sauce. It is gluten free, soy free, much lower in sodium than soy sauce, and packed with amino acids and active enzymes. And it tastes delicious – very similar to soy sauce, but packed with added health benefits!
Sesame Oil – If you haven’t cooked with sesame oil before, you’re in for a treat! This is what gives the signature flavour to many Asian dishes, it’s delicious in stir-fry’s, marinades, salad dressing, and sauces. Make sure to look for one with a nice deep caramel colour, this comes from toasting the sesame seeds, which gives it its deep strong flavour. A little goes a long way!
Organic Black Chia Seeds– I have fallen in love with these seeds for their nutritional benefits. They are packed with protein, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals, and antioxidants. If you want to learn more about them, here’s a great article. They also provide a beautiful pop of colour and pleasing crunch which makes them one of my go to garnishes. I love to load them up in my super seed bars and they’re also great in smoothies. I buy the Kirkland brand at Costco. Now you can also get it on Amazon if you do not live near Costco (I encourage you to check the prices to see which one is a better deal, it’s always changing!)!
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