Teriyaki Salmon Recipe: Tips for Making Teriyaki Salmon
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: May 4, 2024 • 3 min read
Teriyaki salmon is a flavor-packed main course that’s easy to put together for a quick weeknight dinner. Learn how to make salmon teriyaki, along with some helpful prep tips.
Learn From the Best
What Is Teriyaki Salmon?
Teriyaki salmon is a savory Japanese main course consisting of grilled or roasted salmon fillets glazed in teriyaki sauce. You can pan-grill teriyaki salmon on the stovetop, bake it in the oven, or cook it on an outdoor grill pan. Like teriyaki chicken or beef, teriyaki salmon is a popular item in Asian restaurants and home kitchens.
What Is Teriyaki?
Teriyaki is a Japanese cooking technique that involves glazing meat, veggies, or tofu in a traditional mixture of soy sauce, sugar, and mirin before grilling or broiling them. In Japanese, “teri” refers to the lustrous, glossy effect of repeatedly brushing with the sauce during the cooking process, while “yaki” refers to the grilled preparation.
3 Tips for Making Teriyaki Salmon
With the right pantry staples on hand, teriyaki-glazed salmon is easy to prepare with little notice. Here are a few tips for cooking teriyaki salmon:
- 1. Make teriyaki sauce. While most grocery stores sell teriyaki sauce, you can create a more authentic version of the dish by making the sauce at home with a handful of ingredients. There are many benefits to making homemade teriyaki sauce: You can tweak the flavors, control the sodium content, incorporate different spices, or adjust the sweetness. You can also make gluten-free teriyaki sauce by using tamari in place of standard soy sauce.
- 2. Use glaze instead of a marinade. Salmon is a relatively delicate fish with a unique sweetness, so it doesn’t require marinating beforehand. Allow the natural flavors to develop as it cooks, then brush it with glaze or add the teriyaki sauce directly to the pan for a quick braise. The braise will help caramelize the sauce quickly along the exterior and prevent scorching as the salmon cooks.
- 3. Serve teriyaki salmon with mild side dishes. To let the sweet and salty notes of the teriyaki sauce shine, serve the salmon with a side of steamed white or brown rice (or grains like quinoa or couscous), lightly stir-fried veggies or leafy greens, and a few pickles, like umeboshi plums or red pickled ginger (beni shōga).
Easy Teriyaki Salmon Recipe
makes
prep time
5 mintotal time
25 mincook time
20 minIngredients
For the teriyaki glaze:
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, white sugar, or honey
- ¼ cup mirin (sweet rice wine)
- ¼ cup sake
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Optional: ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, or 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Optional: 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
For the salmon:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
- 2 salmon filets
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced, for garnish
- 2 servings steamed rice, for serving
- 1
To make the glaze, combine the soy sauce, sugar, mirin, sake, sesame oil, cornstarch, and ginger and garlic, if using, in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- 2
Whisk to dissolve the sugar and cornstarch and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce reduces by about a third, or to preference. Add the sesame seeds, if using. Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside.
- 3
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season both sides of the salmon with salt and pepper.
- 4
Place the salmon in the skillet skin-side-down and cook until the skin is crispy and golden brown, 4–5 minutes. Use a fish spatula to flip the fillet, and cook it on the second side until it’s equally browned, about 3 minutes.
- 5
Flip the salmon once more, and lower to medium heat. Carefully pour the reserved sauce into the skillet, and use a spoon to splash it over the salmon. Cook until the sauce thickens, and the salmon has cooked through and has a nice glaze.
- 6
Sprinkle the sliced green onions over the salmon, then plate it with a scoop of steamed rice.
Become a better chef with the MasterClass Annual Membership. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Niki Nakayama, Gabriela Cámara, Chef Thomas Keller, Yotam Ottolenghi, Dominique Ansel, Gordon Ramsay, Alice Waters, and more.