Teriyaki Salmon

Pan-fried salmon fillets with crispy skin and medium-cooked interior served with homemade teriyaki sauce.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian, Japanese

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Servings servings

Calories 310kcal

Cost $15-$20

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.

Ingredients:

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.

Alternative Cooking Methods:

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.