Recipe: Easy 5-Ingredient Teriyaki Salmon
A quick recipe for pan-seared salmon fillets cooked in a simple teriyaki sauce.
Serves4
Prep5 minutes
Cook10 minutes to 13 minutes
Because I almost always include salmon in my weekly meal plans, I’m constantly on the lookout for new ways to cook it. Like so many dinner favorites, it’s very versatile, and yet I often resort to the same preparation week after week (usually some sort of mustard-glazed situation). In an effort to change things up, I turned to teriyaki.
Teriyaki is nothing new (in fact, it brings back vivid memories of my dad using a bottled teriyaki marinade on chicken and fish when I was a kid), but it’s a flavor profile I rarely cook with as an adult — probably because I thought I was still recovering from how much I ate of it growing up. When I gave salmon the sweet and savory teriyaki treatment, however, I was delighted. It tasted nostalgic but fresh (this version is homemade, of course) and it’s definitely becoming a new go-to. I think it might for you, too.
A 5-Ingredient Dinner in Less than 20 Minutes
This is just the kind of meal I crave on a busy weeknight. It requires only a few ingredients and comes together quickly, but tastes so much greater than the sum of its parts. You’ll add the salmon to the hot skillet first, to sear it. Then, you’ll pour in the teriyaki sauce, which will thicken a bit and become glossy as the salmon finishes cooking.
Serve the glazed salmon over white or brown rice, quinoa, or on its own in shallow bowls to catch the sauce. It’s a feel-good dinner you’ll turn to again and again.
Easy 5-Ingredient Teriyaki Salmon
A quick recipe for pan-seared salmon fillets cooked in a simple teriyaki sauce.
Prep time 5 minutes
Cook time 10 minutes to 13 minutes
Serves 4
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup
tamari or soy sauce
- 1/4 cup
rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup
honey
- 1 tablespoon
finely grated fresh ginger
- 4
(6-ounce) salmon fillets, skin removed
- 1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon
canola or vegetable oil
Sesame seeds and chopped scallions, for serving (optional)
Instructions
Whisk the tamari, vinegar, honey, and ginger together in a medium bowl; set aside.
Pat the salmon dry with paper towels and season both sides with the salt.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium until shimmering. Place the salmon facedown in the skillet, then press down on them so that it's even contact with the pan and browns evenly. Cook without moving, gently pressing down on fish every so often, until the salmon is browned and the sides are cooked halfway up the fillets, 5 to 7 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fillets. Transfer the salmon faceup to a plate.
Pour the sauce into the skillet. Simmer until the sauce has thickened and reduced by almost half, 2 to 3 minutes. Return the salmon to the pan, nestling them in the sauce. Continue to simmer until the salmon is cooked through, about 3 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer into the middle of the thickest fillet should register 120°F to 130°F for medium-rare or 135°F to 145°F for more well-done. Garnish the fillets with sesame seeds and chopped scallions, if using, and serve with the sauce.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Styling by Ayda Robana