This one pan easy teriyaki salmon recipe is quick, fuss-free & fabulous. With no fancy ingredients dinner can be on the table in less than 30 minutes!
Easy Teriyaki Salmon Recipe
It is super easy, uses everyday ingredients, is simple enough for a quick mid-week meal, but makes a real impression for entertaining and date night. Win, win, win!
Regular readers of this blog will know that I am very fond of Japanese food. I love the balance of sweet and savoury, the combination of light dishes and full punchy flavours. Teriyaki glazed salmon shows off that simple balance beautifully.
No Japanese cook buys bottled teriyaki sauce. It is always made from scratch, using the store cupboard staples of sake, mirin, soy sauce and ginger (I’ve also got an easy healthy teriyaki sauce).
If you don’t cook Japanese dishes very often, you are unlikely to have the sake and mirin in the cupboard. For this recipe, I have substituted apple cider vinegar, which is a pantry staple for many and gives a good result.
If you want to carry the Japanese influence throughout the meal, why not try my coconut matchamisu for dessert?
Why You’ll Love this Teriyaki Salmon Recipe
- Quick and easy! No long marinading required.
- Ready in the time it takes the rice to cook.
- The teriyaki sauce is made from scratch and in the pan, so there are no leftovers, and fewer pots to wash.
- This uses everyday ingredients that you will have in your pantry, fridge and freezer, that can be used in numerous other recipes.
- Teriyaki glazed salmon is a firm favourite for good reason. The rich salmon contrasts well with the strong flavours of the soy sauce based teriyaki sauce.
How to Make Easy Teriyaki Salmon
FIRST gather and measure out the ingredients. For the best results, you want a good fruity apple cider vinegar, that tastes of apples.
Step one – Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the fish. Pop it into the pan skin side down, and leave to cook for several minutes. Turn and let each side cook.
How to Stop Fish Sticking to the Pan
Simply put the fish into the hot pan and leave it. I know it’s tempting to prod and move it around in an attempt to stop it sticking, but just leave it be.
I was taught this trick by one of the best chefs in the world; Michel Roux, at a class, and got perfectly cooked delicate mackerel fillets that didn’t stick at all when using a non stick pan.
Once cooked, remove the salmon from the pan and set to one side. Pour out the fat and oil from the pan and give it a quick wipe with a paper towel.
Step two – Add soy, honey, and apple cider vinegar to the pan. Grate in the ginger, and add the crushed garlic.
Cook on a medium heat until the sauce starts to bubble and thicken.
Remember that as the sauce cools, it will thicken further.
How to Store Fresh Ginger
Wrap in a bag, or pop into an airtight box and freeze. Use a fine Microplane style grater to grate from frozen then pop the rest of the ginger root back into the freezer. No need to peel.
Step three – Turn the heat down, and return the fish to the pan to warm through. Turn the salmon gently in order to coat each piece evenly in the teriyaki sauce.
Step four – Serve immediately! We enjoy this teriyaki glazed salmon with rice, though you could opt for noodles or just steamed greens.
For an authentic but easy accompaniment, stir sesame seeds and chopped scallions/spring onions through freshly cooked rice.
Hints and Tips for Teriyaki Salmon
- When frying fish, place it in the pan and leave it alone. It’s more likely to break up if you move it around. Turn it once onto each side.
- If you are gluten free, then use tamari rather than soy sauce. Do check that the brand you are buying is 100% gluten free.
- I use a microplane grater for grating the ginger, which I keep in the freezer and grate frozen. There’s no need to peel it. You can buy both garlic and ginger puree, but I find they go off before I have finished them. It’s wasteful and results in unnecessary plastic waste too.
- I prefer to always buy MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) certified fish because it’s so important to care for our oceans.
Perfect Stove Top Rice
- To cook white/basmati rice, first measure rice into a heavy pan with a well-fitting lid. Add double the volume of water. Then put the lid on.
- Bring to a gentle simmer, and then turn the heat right down to the lowest setting. DO NOT lift the lid.
- After 18 minutes, turn the heat off and leave the rice for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.
Easy Teriyaki salmon
Ingredients
- 2 tsp sesame oil (or a regular cooking oil if you prefer)
- 2 salmon fillets
- 1 tbs soy sauce
- 1 tbs runny honey
- 1 tbs apple cider vinegar
- 1 clove garlic (grated or crushed)
- 1 cm fresh ginger (grated)
Instructions
- Heat sesame oil over a medium heat in a frying pan. Place the salmon in the pan, skin side down. Fry for about 4 minutes, until the skin is starting to colour.
- Turn the salmon onto each of the three remaining sides, cooking for two to three minutes per side, again until the fish starts to colour.
- Once salmon is cooked, remove it from the pan. Drain the salmon fat (lots comes off and you don’t want it in the sauce). Then wipe the pan with kitchen paper.
- Add the soy sauce, honey and apple cider vinegar to the pan. Grate in the garlic and ginger. Then cook on a medium heat until the sauce starts to thicken. Remember that the sauce will thicken further as it cools.
- While the sauce is cooking, remove the skin from the salmon (if desired) and discard.
- When the sauce has reduced to the desired consistency, return salmon to pan. Spoon the sauce over the fish to coat it evenly. Cook for a couple of minutes; just long enough to make sure the fish is warmed through.
- Serve your teriyaki glazed salmon immediately on a bed of rice with sesame seeds and chopped scallions/spring onions.
Notes
- The best way to stop fish sticking to the pan when frying it is to put it in the pan and leave it undisturbed. Turn it once onto each side. Don't be tempted to keep flipping it with a spatula.
- Tamari is generally a gluten free alternative to soy sauce. Do check, however: read the label as all brands are not the same.
- I use a Microplane style grater for grating the garlic and ginger – you can buy tubes/sachets of puree, but I find they go off before they have been used up, making them an expensive option.
- Fresh ginger can be kept in a bag or airtight tub in the freezer, grate from frozen and return to the freezer. No need to peel.
- To cook white/basmati rice, put rice into a pan with a well-fitting lid. Add double the volume of water. Then put the lid on. Bring to a gentle simmer and then turn the heat right down. DO NOT lift the lid. After 18 minutes turn off the heat. Leave for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.
- This recipe is 12 Weight Watchers Smart Points per portionÂ
Nic
Thanks for sharing, We had this the other night – so good
Helen
thanks for commenting and letting me know
Jen
I love how easy this is to make! This was a nice change from our normal dinner routine.
Helen
so glad you liked it!
Gemma
We absolutely love Japanese food, so I was delighted to see this easy recipe. Such a good flavour and the result was a delicious meal. Thanks for sharing.
Saskia
I really like the sound of this, Helen. A great way to enjoy salmon. Thank you for the tips, I often get put off recipes by complicated ingredients I don’t have, but I do have apple cider vinegar.