Honey Teriyaki Salmon

From the kitchen of Carly

Weeknight salmon at its laziest. A four-ingredient glaze (soy, mirin, honey, ginger) caramelizes on the fillet under medium-low heat, producing the sticky lacquer with no fancy basting. On the table in 15 minutes. Medium-low is the entire trick. Crank the heat and the honey turns to bitter ash before the fish cooks through.

Honey Teriyaki Salmon

Fifteen minutes and four ingredients in the glaze gets you restaurant-quality salmon, skin crackling and glistening under a honey-soy caramel. The trick is drying the fillets hard before they hit the pan and keeping the heat moderate so the honey caramelizes instead of blackening. It tastes like you planned this dinner all afternoon.

Prep
5 min
Cook
10 min
Total
15 min
Servings
4
Difficulty
easy

Ingredients

4 servings

  • 1 lb (4 fillets)skin-on salmon fillets
  • 1 tbspolive or vegetable oil
  • 3 tbspsoy sauce
  • 2 tbspmirin or sake
  • 2 tbsphoney
  • 1 tspfresh ginger, finely grated
  • 1 clovegarlic, finely grated (optional)
  • 1 tbspsesame seeds
  • 2scallions, sliced thin

Instructions

  1. Whisk the soy sauce, mirin, honey, ginger, and garlic in a small bowl. This is your glaze.

  2. Pat the salmon fillets very dry with paper towels. Wet salmon doesn't sear; it steams.

  3. Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Don't go higher; honey burns fast.

  4. Place the salmon in the pan, skin-side down. Cook 4 minutes without moving it.

  5. Flip the fillets. Pour the glaze over and around the salmon. The pan will hiss.

  6. Cook 3 to 4 more minutes, spooning the bubbling glaze over the tops every 30 seconds, until the salmon flakes at the thickest point and the sauce thickens to a syrup.

  7. Transfer salmon to plates. Spoon the remaining pan glaze over the top.

  8. Garnish with sesame seeds and scallions. Serve over rice.

Tips from the kitchen

  • Pat the salmon bone-dry right before cooking, not five minutes before. Wet skin won't crisp and steams instead of sears.
  • Medium-low heat is not a suggestion. The honey glaze scorches easily, but at lower heat it bubbles into a proper syrup that clings to the fish.
  • Spoon the glaze over the salmon constantly in the last few minutes. This basting step is what gives you that glossy, caramelized finish that looks like you know what you're doing.
  • Mirin and sake are traditional, but a splash of rice vinegar mixed with a little extra honey works too if you don't have them on hand.

Variations

  • Sriracha salmon: Stir half a teaspoon of sriracha into the glaze for heat without losing the sweetness.
  • Citrus teriyaki: Add the zest and juice of one lime or lemon to the glaze, and reduce the honey by half. Brighter, sharper, still glazed.
  • Scallion-ginger salmon: Double the ginger and garlic, skip the honey, and use a touch more soy sauce. Leaner and spicier, less about caramel.
  • Sheet pan version: Arrange salmon on parchment, pour glaze over, and bake at 400 degrees for eight to ten minutes. Easier to cook for four people at once.

Make ahead and storage

Keeps in the fridge up to three days in an airtight container. Reheat gently in a 300-degree oven for five minutes, or eat cold over tomorrow's salad. Freezing changes the texture of the salmon, so skip it.

Substitutions
  • salmon to trout, mahi-mahi, or chicken thighs. Any oily fish works. Chicken thighs need 6 to 8 minutes per side.
  • mirin to 1 tbsp dry sherry + 1 tsp sugar. Mirin is sweet rice wine; this gets you to the same place.
  • honey to maple syrup or brown sugar. Maple gives a more caramel note; brown sugar dissolves slower but works.

Pairs well with: Steamed jasmine rice (mandatory), Quick cucumber salad with rice vinegar and chili crisp, Cold lager or unsweetened iced green tea