This is the teriyaki style salmon recipe that won over my heart and it only takes 7 ingredients! My partner cooked this dish for me when we first started dating…and won me over.
I FINALLY got him to share the recipe. This top-secret teriyaki salmon recipe is all you need to win someone over you've been dating for a week or married to for 50 years.
What You'll Find in this Post
- Ingredients you need
- What to serve with teriyaki salmon
- Recipe with step by step photos
- My favorite salmon recipes
- Jump to Recipe
Simple Ingredients, Big Payoff
Traditional teriyaki sauce has four main ingredients: soy sauce, sake, sugar, and ginger. This recipe is very different from the traditional teriyaki sauce you are used to, but in my opinion, it's the only recipe you will ever need to get that teriyaki craving perfectly satisfied. Teriyaki sauce is traditionally Japanese, and we got to enjoy it on our trip to Japan. This recipe is not an authentic teriyaki sauce, but instead, a sauce that reminds me of teriyaki sauce.
Store bought teriyaki sauce can be filled with preservatives and processed ingredients. Know exactly what you're eating with the whole ingredients in this easy recipe. You will need: salmon, soy sauce, garlic, scallions, ginger, brown sugar, and olive oil.
What to Serve with Teriyaki Salmon
Here are some of my favorite things to serve with salmon:
- 15-Minute Fried Rice (if you have leftover rice)
- Roasted Asparagus
- Umami Green Beans
- Super Green Pesto Pasta Salad
Step by Step Recipe
First, pre-heat the oven to 350F. We want this salmon to roast slowly to infuse as much of the flavor into the salmon as possible.
Add the olive oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and scallions/shallot to a baking dish that fits your salmon (see photo 1). Place the salmon SKIN SIDE UP. This is the big trick in the recipe. It allows all the fat to seep into the salmon as it cooks. Also makes for easy skin removal (photo 2).
TIP: When cooking for 2 instead of 4, I like to use a ¼ sheet pan instead of a ½ sheet pan. Easier to handle, easier to store, and easier to clean! (Amazon affiliate links open in new tab.)
Cook 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish. You will know it is ready when the skin easily peels off in one piece. Also, it should easily flake when you cut into the center, and the white proteins should be slightly seeping out of the flesh side of the salmon.
Peel the skin off of the salmon. It should be easy or either the salmon isn't ready, or it's old.
Cut and serve. I flip it over to serve so the bottom is up. Top with sauce from pan if desired.
More Favorite Salmon Recipes
If you love salmon and it's salmon season, try theses favorites:
- Salmon Baja-Style Fish Tacos
- Sweet & Spicy Garlic Ginger Salmon
- Salmon Fish & Chips
- Citrus Salmon with Fennel, Citrus, & Mint Slaw
- Chili Kumquat Salmon with Pickled Kumquat Kale Salad
...or check out all my fish recipes here.
★ Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!★
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Teriyaki Style Sockeye Salmon
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb. sockeye salmon or other salmon*
- ⅔ cup olive oil
- ⅔ cup soy sauce
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 8 inches ginger finely chopped (~⅓ cup when chopped)
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 5 scallions finely sliced, or 4 tablespoon minced shallot
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350.
- Add the olive oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and shallot to a baking dish that fits your salmon.
- Place the salmon SKIN SIDE UP. This is the big trick in the recipe. It allows all the fat to seep into the salmon as it cooks. Also makes for easy skin removal.
- Cook 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish. You will know it is ready when the skin easily peels off in one piece. Also, it should easily flake when you cut into the center.
- Peel skin off (should be easy or the salmon isn't ready).
- Cut and serve. I flip it over to serve so the bottom is up. Top with sauce from pan if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published in February of 2017, but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions, tips, and changed from "Teriyaki Salmon" to "Teriyaki Style Salmon" August of 2020.
Gina
Excellent! Everyone loved it - from the toddler to the teens.
Leila
Loved this recipe! It feels like a healthier but equally delicious alternative to traditional Teriyaki. Will definitely be making again.
Candice
Glad you liked it, Leila! I feel the same way about this recipe... nice and light!
Omar
I followed the recipe exactly as written and it was simple and easy and the cooking method worked wonderfully. I was really impressed with the way the skin peeled off at the end of the cooking time. That was much easier than trying to slice it off before cooking and I liked that it helped keep the fish moist during the baking.
The reason I only gave this recipe four stars is because in the end, the fish had very little flavor. I find it hard to believe myself given the ingredients. I used fresh ginger and grated it myself, I probably used a little more than the recipe called for, the same for the garlic. However, when I served the fish, both my wife and I were shocked at how little flavor it had. It certainly did not taste bad, it was just seriously lacking in flavor over all. Maybe I got some weak ginger and garlic, I don't know, but it was a disappointment. This dish should have been very flavor forward and it was not.
Candice
Thank you for your thoughtful comment, Omar! I'm sorry to hear it didn't come out super pungent for you. This isn't a flavor-punch kind of teriyaki sauce like the thickened ones, and you can always cook the sauce down and pour it over... we've done that a few times when we were craving more. I hope this helps!
Debra
I’m wondering if the fish needs to marinate in this mixture for a few hours before cooking… that’s how I’ve always done it with similar salmon dishes. I’ll probably try this but marinate first