Pan-fried Teriyaki Salmon fillets with crispy skin and medium-cooked interior served with homemade teriyaki sauce. It's quick and easy to make in less than 30 minutes!
In Japanese cuisine, teriyaki is a cooking method that involves grilling or broiling food with a glaze. This thickened sweet and savory sauce can also be used as a marinade.
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Ingredients you'll need
Notes and substitutions
- Salmon: Choose skin-on, center-cut fillets. Their texture is better and stays moist after cooking than the leaner and less tender tail section. If you don't mind the bone, you can also use salmon steaks or cross-sections.
- Mirin: A sweet Japanese rice wine with a slightly thick consistency. It adds sweetness, depth, and gloss to sauces. You can use "aji mirin" or "sweet cooking rice seasoning," an imitation you're likely to find in the US. It has a lower alcohol content and corn syrup to mimic the taste of real mirin (hon mirin). In a pinch, you can combine sake and sugar. Use water and sugar if you can't consume alcohol.
- Sake: An alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice that enhances the flavors, tenderizes the meat, and removes fishy odors. You can use inexpensive sake or "cooking sake" with added salt. In a pinch, substitute with Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry. The alcohol content burns off during cooking; if you can't consume alcohol, replace it with water.
How to make this recipe
Step 3: Let the teriyaki sauce slightly thicken for about a minute. Turn off the heat.
PRO TIP: Taste the sauce and adjust the salt and sugar levels depending on the brand of ingredients used.
Step 4: Dry 4 salmon fillets on paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Set a skillet over medium-high heat. Once it is hot and almost smoking, add oil to lightly coat the pan.
Step 5: Place salmon on the pan with their skin side down. Press firmly for a few seconds to keep them from curling. Let the skin crisp up for about 3 minutes.
Step 6: Flip them and cook the other side for 1 to 2 minutes, depending on their thickness.
Step 7: Spoon teriyaki sauce over the salmon. Add some sesame seeds and sliced scallions.
Teriyaki Salmon is great with just about anything-plain or garlic fried rice, noodles, Cucumber Salad, and steamed or sautéed veggies like cabbage, carrots, chayote, cauliflower, and broccoli.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. However, pan-frying is the quickest and most effective method. Salmon is less likely to overcook, and the skin and crust can crisp up.
To bake, preheat the oven to 425° F (218° C). Rub salmon with oil and season them. Place them skin-side down on a baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, depending on the thickness.
To grill, preheat the grill to 450° F (230° C). Rub salmon with oil and season them. Place them skin-side down directly on the grates. Cook for 5 minutes with the lid closed, then flip to cook the other side for 3 minutes. The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the salmon.
Marinades typically contain ingredients like sugar that tend to burn quickly. It's best not to marinate for crispier skin or crust. As simple as salt and pepper will bring out its flavors. The thick teriyaki sauce will easily cling to the fish and make it more flavorful.
Salmon should flake easily with a fork when cooked. A knife can be inserted into the thickest part to check if it is still translucent. You can always use a thermometer; it should read around 125° F (52° C) for medium-cooked salmon. Remove them from the heat before they appear fully cooked. The residual heat will continue to cook them.
Unless you have access to fresh-caught salmon, buying frozen salmon is always a smart choice. There's a good chance that the fish at your supermarket was previously frozen, too. They are flash-frozen at sea to preserve their flavor and quality.
The easiest method that requires anticipation is thawing it in the fridge overnight. If you need it sooner, you can submerge the salmon in its packaging or a resealable bag in lukewarm water. I do not recommend thawing in the microwave as it changes the texture of the fish or partially cooks it.
Try other Asian-inspired dishes
- Soy and Ginger Fish: Steamed or fried fish with ginger and a soy-based sauce.
- Salt and Pepper Shrimp: Fried shrimp seasoned with salt and pepper, often stir-fried with garlic and chilies.
- Thai Green Curry: Green chili paste and coconut milk with a choice of meat or seafood, vegetables, and aromatics.
- Sweet and Sour: Fried pieces of chicken, pork, or fish with pineapple and bell peppers tossed in a sweet and tangy sauce.
- Yaki Udon: Japanese stir-fried udon noodles with a savory sauce, often mixed with vegetables and proteins.
- Pad Thai: Thai noodles stir-fried with eggs, fish sauce, tamarind pulp,then garnished with peanuts, lime, and bean sprouts.
Other seafood recipes you may like
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📖 Recipe
Teriyaki Salmon
Equipment
- A skillet
- A small saucepan
Ingredients
- 4 salmon fillets (6-8 ounces each) (see note)
- ¼ cup soy sauce regular or light
- ¼ cup mirin (see note)
- ¼ cup sake (see note)
- 1 teaspoon finely grated ginger
- 2 cloves garlic finely grated or minced
- 1 tablespoon sugar sub:any kind
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- Neutral-flavored oil for pan-frying
Instructions
- Over medium heat, combine soy sauce, mirin, sake, ginger, garlic, and sugar in a small saucepan.
- When the sauce simmers, add a slurry with cornstarch and a tablespoon of water. Taste the sauce and adjust the salt and sugar levels depending on the brand of ingredients used.
- Let the teriyaki sauce slightly thicken for about a minute. Turn off the heat.
- Dry salmon with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
- Set a skillet over medium-high heat. Once it is hot and almost smoking, add oil to lightly coat the pan.
- Place salmon on the pan with their skin side down. Press firmly for a few seconds to keep them from curling. Let the skin crisp up for about 3 minutes.
- Flip them and cook the other side for 1 to 2 minutes, depending on their thickness.
- Spoon teriyaki sauce over the salmon. Add some sesame seeds and sliced scallions.
Video
Notes
- Salmon: Choose skin-on, center-cut fillets. Their texture is better and stays moist after cooking than the leaner and less tender tail section. If you don't mind the bone, you can also use salmon steaks or cross-sections.
- Mirin: A sweet Japanese rice wine with a slightly thick consistency. It adds sweetness, depth, and gloss to sauces. You can use "aji mirin" or "sweet cooking rice seasoning," an imitation you're likely to find in the US. It has a lower alcohol content and corn syrup to mimic the taste of real mirin (hon mirin). In a pinch, you can combine sake and sugar. Use water and sugar if you can't consume alcohol.
- Sake: An alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice that enhances the flavors, tenderizes the meat, and removes fishy odors. You can use inexpensive sake or "cooking sake" with added salt. In a pinch, substitute with Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry. The alcohol content burns off during cooking; if you can't consume alcohol, replace it with water.
- To bake, preheat the oven to 425° F (218° C). Rub salmon with oil and season them. Place them skin-side down on a baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, depending on the thickness.
-
To grill, preheat the grill to 450° F (230° C). Rub salmon with oil and season them. Place them skin-side down directly on the grates. Cook for 5 minutes with the lid closed, then flip and cook the other side for 3 minutes. The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the salmon.
Bim says
This is so yummy and healthy. I made this for dinner and my family loved it, finished every thing. One question, is it fine if I use the store bought teriyaki sauce? Will the taste be the same? Thank you Nora.
Nora says
There are some good brands out there, but making it is so easy and simple. You should give it a try. =)