We absolutely love this Delicious Teriyaki Salmon recipe that can be easily made in less than 30 minutes! The sweet and tangy homemade teriyaki sauce on this juicy, flaky salmon is a perfect weeknight dinner option.
Quick & Easy Teriyaki Salmon
As you all know, we LOVE a good salmon recipe! It is a quick and flavorful option for those busy weeknight dinners. Whether you cover it in a classic homemade teriyaki sauce or a paleo option, you will be blown away by all of the amazing flavors that are a nice compliment to the fresh salmon fillets that are seared in a cast iron skillet and then moved to the oven to bake to perfection!
And if you also love a simple weeknight dinner option that also includes amazing teriyaki flavors you should definitely checkout our sheet pan shrimp & broccoli or our sheet pan teriyaki salmon bowl! In addition to this recipe, they are on regular rotation at our house!
What You Will Need
- fresh salmon fillets – you can use fresh or frozen – we recommend fresh with the skin-on but frozen works too (just make sure they are fully thawed).
- kosher salt & pepper – a sprinkling of each makes the perfect simple seasoning!
- olive or avocado oil – either works, just use what you have on hand.
- water – helps with thinning the sauce a bit so it doesn’t get too thick.
- sesame oil & soy sauce – classic flavors that are the base of every teriyaki sauce.
- brown sugar or coconut sugar – feel free to use either for a touch of sweetness.
- honey – this always adds a little sweetness, option to add as much or as little as you want.
- garlic & ginger – classic ingredients that really bring a lot of great flavor to the party!
- cornstarch + water – these are combined to make a slurry that will help to thicken the sauce.
Should I Marinate The Salmon Before Cooking
You don’t have to but you absolutely can, if you want to. Simply prepare the sauce, pour it over the salmon in a dish, and let it marinate for about 30 minutes. Once you are ready to cook the salmon you can heat up your cast iron skillet, sear the fillets skin-side up, flip, and then move it to the oven to finish cooking. You might want to reserve some of the sauce for brushing on the salmon while you are cooking.
Can This Be Grilled
Definitely! If you preferred grilled salmon you can follow all the steps for making the teriyaki sauce and then either cook the grill right on the grates or use a cedar plank. Either option would also be delicious!
What Should I Serve With Teriyaki Salmon
We love serving this with a side of brown rice and either steamed broccoli, grilled broccoli or some air fryer broccolini. They are just so good together! If you would like to keep this Paleo/Whole30, make sure you use our paleo teriyaki sauce recipe and serve it with cauliflower rice and broccoli.
Storing Leftovers
Any leftovers can easily be stored in the refrigerator! The salmon can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and any leftover teriyaki sauce can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks before you have to use it.
How To Make Delicious Teriyaki Salmon
You can begin by preparing your teriyaki sauce. Set aside some for use after cooking and use some for brushing on the raw salmon.
Next, you can pat the salmon dry.
Now sprinkle the salmon fillets with some kosher salt & pepper.
And brush the teriyaki sauce on top.
Once you have your cast iron preheated, you can sear the salmon fillets with the skin-side up for about 2-3 minutes.
Then flip the fillets, brush on more teriyaki sauce, and move it to the oven to bake at 400 degrees for 10-14 minutes.
Enjoy!
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Made this recipe and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
Other Salmon Recipes You Might Like
Blackened Salmon
Pesto Salmon
Salmon Caesar Salad
Grilled Salmon Salad
Delicious Teriyaki Salmon
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
Teriyaki Salmon – an easy, simple teriyaki salmon recipe made in a cast iron skillet – perfectly delicious and kid-friendly!
Ingredients
Teriyaki Sauce (see Notes for paleo option):
- 1 cup of water
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup soy sauce (I recommend Kikkoman)
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1/2–1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
- Slurry: 2 tablespoon cornstarch + 1/4 cup cold water
Salmon:
- (6) 4oz salmon fillets
- kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon olive or avocado oil
Instructions
Teriyaki Sauce:
- In medium saucepan, whisk together water, sesame oil, brown sugar, soy sauce, honey, garlic and ginger.
- Combine slurry.
- Bring ingredients in saucepan to a simmer.
- Add slurry to saucepan.
- Whisk slowly but continuously while bringing sauce to a simmer.
- After a few minutes of simmering the sauce will start to thicken.
- Remove when it reaches your desired thickness – remember it will thicken more as it cools slightly.
- Set aside about a 1/2 cup or so to brush onto the raw salmon and reserve the rest to be poured over the fully cooked salmon.
Salmon:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Pat salmon dry with clean paper towel.
- Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and ground black pepper.
- Brush some teriyaki sauce on top of each piece of salmon.
- Place large cast iron skillet on the stove to bring to medium-high heat.
- Add 1/2 tablespoon of oil; swirl to coat the pan.
- Sear salmon (skin-side up) for approx. 2-3 minutes or until there is a nice little char on them. Flip salmon so the skin-side is down and brush with more teriyaki sauce. Move to the oven (middle rack).
- Let cook 10-14 minutes (depending upon how thick your salmon is) or until it reaches an internal temperature of 140-145 degrees F.
- Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes.
- Brush with additional teriyaki sauce (as much or as little as you want) and serve immediately. You can top with more teriyaki sauce if you want! Serve with broccoli and brown rice.
Notes
- Paleo/Whole30 option: feel free to use this Paleo Teriyaki Sauce instead if you prefer and serve with cauliflower rice instead of regular rice!
- Serving: serve with some broccoli and brown rice for an easy, delicious meal!
- Salmon: I highly recommend using fresh, skin-on salmon for best results. You can use frozen, but ensure it is fully thawed and any excess moisture has been patted dry.
- Leftovers: store salmon leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Teriyaki Sauce: you might have leftovers of the teriyaki sauce, depending upon how much people prefer on their salmon – store any leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container and use within 2 weeks.
Stefanie T says
This was the best teriyaki salmon I’ve ever made. Super easy recipe. I served over cauliflower rice, and steamed broccoli. Thank you Erin for a delicious recipe!
Shannon says
I keep trying your recipes and I keep loving them! I have always been scared to do salmon at home, but this was very doable and tasted amazing! Will keep trying more of these delicious recipes of yours!
Erin says
That makes me so happy to hear, Shannon!