Teriyaki Salmon Recipe

This teriyaki salmon recipe is the perfect weeknight meal with salmon glazed in my sweet and tangy homemade teriyaki sauce, so delicious and easy to make.

Easy Teriyaki Salmon

Quick and easy dinner recipe alert, my friends. We're making Easy Teriyaki Salmon in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen tonight, and it is incredibly satisfying.

The secret to success is the teriyaki sauce.

Teriyaki sauce is great for so many dishes, like quick stir fries or recipes like this, which makes making dinner super easy. It's nice to have easy meals some nights!

I love to cook, but sometimes you just don't feel like making a big mess in the kitchen.

Of course you can use a sauce from the grocery store, but I use my own homemade teriyaki sauce recipe, which is very easy to whip together. I often make a big batch on Sunday so I can use it throughout the week. It's perfect when you're know your schedule is going to be slammed.

Trust me. Your family will love it.

My Favorite Teriyaki Salmon

For this recipe, the salmon is grilled, though you can pan sear or even bake it, then drenched in homemade teriyaki sauce that is equal parts tangy and sweet, with a nice touch of spice to it, perfect for my spicy food loving friends.

And, it's done in 30 minutes or less. What more can we ask for?

Let's talk about how to make teriyaki salmon, shall we?

Teriyaki Salmon Ingredients

• FOR THE TERIYAKI SAUCE
• Liquids. Use ½ cup soy sauce, ½ cup water, 3 tablespoon mirin and 2 teaspoon sesame oil. Try to use a good quality soy sauce for better flavor. Low sodium soy sauce works for this as well.
• Sweet Factor. Use ¼ cup brown sugar and 1 tablespoon honey. The combination is a great balance of sweet elements.
• Heat Factor. Use 1 tablespoon chili flakes, or more to your preference. You can omit if you don't want spicy.
• Fresh Ingredients. Use 2 teaspoons minced garlic and 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger.
• For Thickening. Use 2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed into ¼ cup cold water to form a slurry. This is optional, for a thicker teriyaki sauce that really sticks to the salmon.
• FOR THE TERIYAKI SALMON
• Salmon Fillets. This recipe calls for four 6-ounce salmon fillets. You can easily make more if you'd like.
• Seasonings. I am using Chinese 5 spice, which pairs perfectly with this recipe, and a bit of salt and pepper.
• For Serving. I like to sprinkle my finished salmon with spicy chili flakes and sesame seeds. Fresh herbs are always nice, too. The choice is yours.

How to Make Teriyaki Salmon - the Recipe Method

Make the Teriyaki Sauce. Add the soy sauce, water, brown sugar, chili flakes, honey, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and mirin (or rice vinegar) to a small pot or small saucepan.

Bring to a quick boil, then reduce heat and simmer 3-4 minutes to thicken and allow the flavors to develop. 

Thicken the Sauce. To thicken (if desired), swirl together cold water and cornstarch in a small bowl until you have a thin slurry. Pour into the pot and stir to incorporate.

Continue to heat, stirring, until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat, cool, and store in the fridge. Strain, if desired.

Doesn't it look wonderful? Set it aside for now.

Heat the Grill (or Grill Pan). Heat your grill to medium heat and lightly oil the grates. Alternatively, heat a grill pan to medium heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Season the Salmon. Season the salmon fillets with Chinese 5 spice (or your own preferred seasonings) and salt and pepper to taste.

Cook the Salmon. Grill the salmon filets (skin side down first if using skin-on salmon) for 4-5 minutes, then flip the salmon and grill flesh side down for another 4-5 minutes, or until cooked through to your preference.

Final Mopping. Mop the Homemade Teriyaki Sauce over the salmon during the last minute of cooking.

Serve. Serve the salmon and drizzle with a bit more teriyaki sauce as desired for glazed salmon.

The FDA recommends salmon reach a minimum internal temperature of 145 degrees F when measured with a meat thermometer. Cook to 165 degrees F for well done.

Boom! Done! Such an easy recipe, isn't it? I do love easy. And tasty! This salmon is HUGE on flavor. I can see this quickly becoming one of your favorites.

Serving Teriyaki Salmon

I love my teriyaki salmon over rice as a side dish, like steamed and seasoned white rice, fried rice, or with brown rice, topped with green onion and sesame seeds with chili flakes and extra teriyaki sauce. Spice it up for me!

Serve it alongside asparagus, zucchini, or your favorite vegetable medley, or with couscous or creamy grits. Squeeze on some fresh lemon juice for an acidic pop of flavor.

Make Ahead

You can make the teriyaki sauce 2-3 days ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator in a sealed container. When you're ready to cook, grill or bake your salmon, then slather on the sauce.

That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy my teriyaki salmon recipe! I love it so much. Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you. Keep it spicy!

Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes

• Teriyaki Chicken
• Teriyaki Shrimp
• Szechuan Salmon
• Szechuan Salmon Tacos
• Grilled Salmon with Honey-Sriracha Sauce
• Salmon Tacos with Pomegranate Guacamole
• Baked Salmon with Cajun Lemon Butter
• Cajun Baked Salmon with Cajun Rice
• Blackened Salmon
• Jerk Salmon

Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.

NOTE: This recipe was updated on 6/13/22 to include new information. It was originally published on 8/10/20.