This easy teriyaki salmon is full of flavor. Made with a low-sugar glaze, it's ready in just 25 minutes and perfect for weeknight dinners.
Teriyaki sauce is delicious, but it can be overwhelmingly sweet. That's why I developed this recipe, featuring no white sugar and just a small amount of honey. It's so good! I use this sauce when making teriyaki chicken wings and teriyaki chicken drumsticks, and I also use it to make this delicious teriyaki salmon. Savory-sweet and intensely flavored, this flavorful recipe has quickly become a family favorite.
Ingredients and Substitutions
See the recipe card for exact measurements. Here are my comments on some of the ingredients.
- Dry white wine: Classic teriyaki recipes typically call for sake, but I don't usually have that on hand. Dry white wine works perfectly well and can also be served with the dish if you're so inclined.
- Honey: Just one tablespoon to add a bit of sweetness. Maple syrup is a good substitute.
- Minced garlic and ginger: You can mince them by hand for the optimal flavor, or use the stuff that comes in a jar. But please don't use the powders - they're not as potent or tasty.
- Salmon fillets: I use skin-on fillets because salmon skin is delicious.
Instructions
The detailed instructions and step-by-step photos are included in the recipe card. Here's a quick overview.
Bake the salmon fillets until they are cooked through. You can also broil the salmon instead of baking it.
While the fish is in the oven, prepare the teriyaki sauce: Mix its ingredients in a small saucepan, then heat the mixture over low heat, whisking often, until it thickens.
To finish the dish, brush the cooked salmon with the sauce, sprinkle it with sesame seeds, and serve.
Recipe Tips
- The sauce tends to thicken fast and without warning. If you don't watch it closely, it can thicken too much. So, keep an eye on it while you heat it, and remove it from the heat as soon as it thickens.
- There's no need to marinate the salmon. I like to keep things quick and simple, so I bake the salmon, make the sauce separately, and then brush the sauce on the cooked salmon.
- Have you noticed white patches on your salmon, as shown in the photo below? That's albumin, a protein that remains liquid in the raw fish but coagulates when the fish is heated. It's fine to eat it. The best way to minimize it is to cook the fish gently and avoid overcooking it.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, but please thaw them for 24 hours in the fridge before cooking. Pat them dry well before cooking to remove extra moisture.
Yes. Instead of baking, follow this recipe for pan-fried salmon, omitting the thyme and substituting avocado oil for the olive oil and butter. When the salmon is ready, coat it in the glaze.
You can prepare the glaze up to three days ahead and refrigerate it. When you're ready to cook, bake the salmon fresh, then brush on the warmed glaze. The texture and flavor will be much better than reheating cooked fish.
Having said that, I sometimes use this recipe for meal prep, as shown in the photo below. I reheat it slowly and gently, covered, in the microwave at 50% power.
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Leftover salmon tends to dry out and taste fishy when reheated, so I prefer to crumble the leftovers and use them as a cold salad topping the next day for lunch (removing the skin). Delicious!
Serving Suggestions
While steamed rice is an obvious choice, I like to serve teriyaki salmon on top of any of the following:
On the side, I add an Asian-style vegetable such as:
The photo below shows a typical dinner of teriyaki salmon served with cauliflower rice and red cabbage stir-fry.
Recipe Card
Easy Teriyaki Salmon
Video
Ingredients
Salmon:
- 4 salmon fillets - 6 ounces each, pin bones removed
- Avocado oil spray
Teriyaki glaze:
- 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce - or a gluten-free alternative
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine - or sake
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon fresh garlic - minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger root - grated
Garnish:
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions
Bake the salmon:
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and position a rack in the middle of the oven.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray it with oil. Place the salmon pieces on the foil and lightly coat them with oil. Bake until cooked to 145°F, 12-15 minutes, depending on their thickness.
Make the sauce:
- While the salmon is in the oven, whisk together the soy sauce and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Add the white wine, honey, minced garlic, and grated ginger, whisking to combine.
- Heat the glaze over medium-low heat, whisking often, for 3-4 minutes, until it thickens into a syrup. Remove from heat as soon as it thickens. Keep a close eye on it - it thickens fast.
Finish the dish:
- Remove the cooked salmon fillets to a serving platter. Brush them with the teriyaki glaze, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and serve.
Notes
- If you prefer to cook the salmon on the stovetop instead of baking, follow this recipe for pan-fried salmon, omitting the thyme and substituting avocado oil for the olive oil and butter. When the salmon is ready, coat it in the glaze.
- You can use frozen salmon fillets, but please thaw them for 24 hours in the fridge before cooking. Pat them dry well before cooking to remove extra moisture.
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Leftover salmon tends to dry out and taste fishy when reheated, so I prefer to crumble the leftovers and use them as a cold salad topping the next day for lunch (removing the skin).
Nutrition per Serving
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Disclaimers
Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.
amanda says
what can be used in place of the wine, i dont drink so spending money on a whole bottle of wine for a recipe seems like a bad idea for me
Vered DeLeeuw says
Hi Amanda,
You can use 1 tablespoon of unsweetened white grape juice plus one tablespoon of water.
If you're counting carbs, the juice will add 1-2 grams of carbs for the entire recipe.
Inge Grist says
I prepared this Teriyaki Salmon tonight and it was an absolute success. The best salmon dinner I ever had. Thank you !!
Vered DeLeeuw says
Thank you for trying another one of my recipes, Inge! Glad you liked it.
Paul Austin says
Okay, I’ll confess that I cheated a bit and used bottled Teriyaki sauce (San-J) because it is Gluten Free, and I needed to shave time - I used a shallow baking tray lined with foil and drizzled the fillets with avocado oil. My family follows certain metabolic typing diets and my wife cannot eat rice, so I cooked a pan of riced cauliflower seasoned with salt and pepper and minced garlic (which I also added to the sauce) and I did basmati for my son, Kees. I was so glad I followed your instructions to glaze after cooking- I used to habitually overcook the salmon and drown it in marinade- your combination of method and time and temperature was perfect and flavors were incredible! Another winner! I’ve shared your site with family and friends - I really appreciate the way that the menu mode keeps the page active!
Tot de volgende keer!
Vered DeLeeuw says
Hey Paul,
Thank you so much for trying my recipes and reviewing them. I appreciate it.
Thank you for sharing your experience with this recipe. Very interesting.
Tot snel. 🙂
Shilloo says
I don’t have cornstarch. Could I use plain flour in the same or smaller quantity? I want to try this fish today and can’t get to the shops!
Vered DeLeeuw says
Hi Shilloo,
Generally speaking, you would need to use double the amount of flour and cook it in the same amount of fat to make a roux, then add that to the sauce as a thickener. But I haven't tried it in this recipe. You can also try simply adding 2 teaspoons of flour directly to the sauce instead of the cornstarch and see what happens. However, flour usually needs to be cooked for longer than this sauce is cooked.
As I said, I only tested this recipe with cornstarch, and I always recommend making my recipes as written. If you have salmon that you need to cook today, I have other salmon recipes on this website. You can use the search function to look for them.