Teriyaki Salmon with Avocado Crema

Making Teriyaki salmon is a popular Japanese dish that can be enjoyed either hot or cold. It is made with fresh salmon fillets painted with a sweet and savory teriyaki sauce before being baked, grilled, or broiled.

This dish is perfect for any occasion, whether you're looking for an easy weeknight dinner or a show-stopping centerpiece for your next dinner party.

The cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your fillets and your cooking method, but most teriyaki salmon recipes can be cooked in 10 minutes or less.

How To Cook Teriyaki Salmon

I have been making this recipe for teriyaki salmon for years, and it has become one of my favorite recipes. It’s so easy to make, yet it tastes like you are having a restaurant-quality meal at home! The secret ingredient in this dish is the teriyaki sauce which gives it such a delicious flavor.

You can use any type of fish or seafood in place of salmon, but I prefer salmon because it’s meatier than other types of fish. If you want to serve this as an appetizer instead of dinner, just cut the salmon into smaller pieces.

Begin by inspecting the types of salmon. How does the salmon smell? It should smell clean.

Salmon is a type of fish known as fatty fish. When it comes to fatty fish, it will have a more pungent smell than white fish. Next step, press on the salmon filet (the meat). Does the fish flesh bounce back? Does it leave a dent? If the salmon bounced back into shape, then you're good to move on. If the fish is mushy and leaves an imprint, either throw it away or return it to your grocery store for a refund.

The Salmon Skin

Here's a cool technique to infuse flavor deeper into the fish if you choose to keep the skin on, plus a lovely display. Salmon is kept moist and is less likely to dry out, thanks to the skin. Salmon skin may always be removed after the fish has been cooked.

The key to making sure your salmon comes out looking (and tasting) its best is in the preparation. Here are a few tips:

• When shopping for salmon, look for evenly thick fillets. This will ensure that they cook evenly.
• If you're planning on serving the salmon skin-side up, then be sure to make 3 cuts in straight lines on the skin side. This will allow the heat to penetrate the skin and prevent it from curling up during cooking.
• Season the salmon generously with salt and pepper. This will help to bring out the natural flavors of the fish.
• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit before cooking the salmon. This will help to ensure that it cooks evenly throughout.
• Remember that odd numbers are more visually appealing when plating than even numbers. So, try to plate the salmon in threes.

The cuts resemble the salmon fish's gills.

Pour two teaspoons of high-quality olive oil into a glass casserole dish, then cover. After that, put the salmon in the casserole dish and fully cover it with the sauce.

Don't use "regular" table salt; it tastes salty in comparison. It makes sense that chefs and restaurants avoid using table salt because of the added saltiness of table salt.

Oven Baked Method

Here's where things get interesting, as you may never have tried this technique before. Glazed salmon is delicious and healthy but can be tricky to cook. This oven-baked technique results in perfectly cooked and moist salmon every time.

Place a roasting rack on top of the casserole dish and place the salmon on top.
Before putting the salmon in the oven, pour in ½ cup to 1 cup of water. This will cause steam from underneath as the salmon cooks. This helps ensure the salmon stays nice and moist. When the teriyaki salmon comes out of the oven, you'll be able to see how much of the water has cooked off.

Homemade Teriyaki Sauce Recipe

Teriyaki sauce is a delicious, slightly sweet, savory sauce or marinade that is perfect for baking, grilling, or stir-frying. Make this easy teriyaki sauce that can be tailored to your liking. Making this recipe is a keeper.

Recipe

1 cup Soy Sauce
¼ rice Wine Vinegar
½ cup of Sake
½ cup of Mirin
½ cup Pineapple Juice
2 tablespoons of Honey
3 to 4 tablespoons of Brown Sugar
grated fresh Ginger ( 1 ½ tsp)
add Water as needed

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat.
2. Cook until the sauce begins to thicken.
3. Remove from heat and let cool.
4. Pour into a jar or bottle and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
   Assuming you do not have all of these ingredients on hand, I will provide some substitutions that will work just as well.
   

Soy Sauce Substitutions

If you need a soy sauce substitute in a pinch, you can use any of the following:

• Tamari– Tamari is very similar to soy sauce but is gluten-free since it is made with little to no wheat.
• Coconut aminos– This soy-free option is made from the fermented sap of coconut trees. It has a similar flavor profile to soy sauce but is much less salty.
• Fish Sauce is made by fermenting fish with salt and has a distinct rich umami flavor that works great as a 1:1 substitution for soy sauce in this recipe (or any other recipe, for that matter).

Rice Wine Vinegar Substitutions

If you don't have rice wine vinegar on hand, you can use any of the following substitutes:

Apple cider vinegar– This vinegar has a slightly sweeter flavor than rice wine vinegar but will still work great in this teriyaki baked salmon recipe. Just start with less and add more to taste as needed.

White vinegar– White vinegar is much sharper than rice wine vinegar, so start with half the amount called for in the recipe and adjust from there as needed… or better yet, try mixing it 50/50 with water first and then adjusting from there.

Baking Teriyaki Salmon

The temperature is one of the most important things to consider when cooking salmon. You'll want to preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Then, bake the salmon for 10 to 14 minutes. Remember, the fish will continue to cook even after it's out of the oven, so be sure to consider that when timing your meal.

If you're cooking more than two pieces of salmon, don't worry – the cooking time will just be slightly longer. Just keep an eye on it and adjust as necessary.

After Baking

Another important tip is to use fresh teriyaki sauce. Be sure not to use the same bowl you used for the raw salmon, as that could contaminate your sauce. Once the salmon is cooked, brush on a generous amount of sauce.

How To Remove Salmon Skin

The technique we used is the same as in restaurants. Removal of salmon skin is easy and only takes a quick minute. You can always cook the salmon with the skin on and remove it afterward easily.

Removal of salmon skin - first, find the seam between the skin and fish filet.

Make the first small cut right between the skin and filet. Using a sharp knife, make long cuts, separating the skin away from the filet. Not short-sawed cuts.

Lengthy cuts will help keep the salmon presentation instead of chopping up your salmon with short, choppy cuts.

Using a paper towel, grip the skin where the cut was made. Then, place the knife back into the slot.

To remove the skin, angle the knife between the skin and the filet. Wiggling the knife back and forth along the length of the skin.

You can grip the salmon skin with a paper towel.

As the fish filet wiggles back and forth, gripped with a paper towel, allow the knife to flatten out, almost parallel to the cutting board.

Avocado Crema Recipe

Ingredients:

• Avocados
• chopped Shallots
• Lime Juice
• Freshly Ginger
• Kosher Salt
• Serrano Pepper
• Sour cream, Yogurt, or Heavy Cream

Directions:

1. Add all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth.
2. "Taste, season, and adjust."
3. Place it in a bowl and enjoy!

How To Grill Teriyaki Salmon

Make sure the salmon is at room temperature. Season the salmon with salt and cover with olive oil.

Grill Marks: Once the salmon is placed on the grill, you cannot move it to get great grill marks. Not even one inch. The fish will stick to the grill grate the second it touches the grill grate. After 2 to 3 minutes, the skin will unstick.

During the grilling, brush on the teriyaki sauce. Use it as much or as little as you like. You can always add more once cooked.

Grill Cooking: Cook the fish on the side of the grill that is not the hottest. A grill temperature of 375 to 450 degrees.

Cook Time: High-temperature cooking on the grill will cook faster than the conventional oven method. It should be done in a 10-minute window.

Salmon Facts

• The average lifespan of a wild salmon is four to seven years.
• Salmon are born in freshwater streams but spend most of their lives in the ocean.
• All five species of Pacific salmon are anadromous, meaning they live in freshwater but return to saltwater to spawn.
• The sockeye salmon is the only species of Pacific salmon that does not return to freshwater after spawning.
• Salmon are born with very little body fat and must put on weight quickly to survive the journey downstream to the ocean.
• During their time in the ocean, salmon can double or triple their original body size.
• When it’s time for them to return to their birthplace to spawn, they stop feeding and begin to lose weight.

FAQ's

📖 Recipe

Teriyaki Salmon with Avocado Crema

Steven Pennington

Simple yet elegant dinner plan that is ready under 30 minutes

5 from 6 votes

Print Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mediterranean

Servings 4 people

Calories 466 kcal

Suggested Equipment

Ingredients

  

Teriyaki Sauce

• 1 cup Soy Sauce
• ½ cup Sake
• ½ cup Mirin
• ½ cup Pineapple Juice
• 2 Tablespoon Honey
• 4 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
• 1 ½ Tablespoon Fresh Ginger Grated

Homemade Quinoa

• 1 cup Quinoa
• 1 ½ cup Water
• 4 Tablespoon Tomato Chopped
• 4 Tablespoon Cucumber Diced / buy two of them / one is for presentation
• 1 peeled Lemon Use 3 slices

Avocado Crema

• 2 whole Avocados
• 1 Tablespoon Shallot Minced
• 2 Tablespoon Greek Yogurt
• 1 ½ teaspoon Serrano Pepper Remove rib and seed
• 1 teaspoon Fresh Ginger Grated
• ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
• ½ juiced Lime

Salmon Ingredients

• 4 filets Salmon Deboned
• 5 Tablespoon Teriyaki Sauce
• 2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt

Instructions

 

• Preparing the Salmon:

  Inspect the salmon for any small rib bones.

  Press down on the salmon and check the freshness. The salmon filet should bounce back and not "leave" an imprint.

  See the article above if you want to learn how to remove the salmon skin. above.

  Pour around 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a glass casserole dish. Add the salmon and completely cover. Season with kosher /sea salt, and pepper as well if you like.

  Place the salmon filets on a wire roasting rack and place them on top of the casserole dish.

  Add 1 cup of water to the casserole dish. This will help protect the salmon from drying out and will steam from underneath.
• Baking:

  Bake in a preheated oven @ 375 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes. The cook time will depend on how many pieces of salmon you cook at once.

  To check if your salmon is cooked through, you can insert a metal prong or stick it into the thickest part of the fish. Then feel the metal stick. Is it warm? Fish is likely cooked.

  Remember the salmon will continue to cook once out of the oven. Please serve the salmon asap as the fish will cool off quickly.

Serving

• Take the plates and warm them up in the oven for a few minutes.

  Warning: placing a warm piece of fish on a cold plate will suck the heat out of your salmon very quickly.

How To Make Quinoa

• Take 1 cup of Quinoa into a medium-sized pot, plus 1 ½ cups of water.

  Add 2 or 3 long strips of lemon peel and 1 tablespoon of chopped shallot into the pot. The lemon strips will be removed after cooking.

  Bring to a boil, then cover with a lid and turn the heat down to medium-low.

  Quinoa will take around 20 to 25 minutes to cook. Then drain and allow to cool.

  Mix in the tomato and cucumber to the quinoa and place in the refrigerator to chill.

How To Make Avocado Crema

• Using a food processor works best
• Add 2 avocados, half of 1 serrano or jalapeno pepper, freshly grated ginger 1 to 2 teaspoons, 2 tablespoons of greek yogurt, ½ teaspoon of kosher salt or more to taste, the juice of ½ of one lime, add more if needed.

Plating

• I like using a dark plate. Start with the avocado crema on the plate. Place a few tablespoons in the middle of the plate. Using a spoon swirl it around in a circular in the middle of the plate.
• Using a vegetable peeler, peel the length of a cucumber making long strips.
• Place one strip down on the plate, next add in over the cucumber the quinoa salad covering the length of the cucumber making a nice clean presentation.
• Take another strip of cucumber and place it on top of the other cucumber strip filled with the quinoa salad.
• Place the cooked salmon on top of the cucumber going the length of the cucumber. Or perpendicular.

  Garnish with a few microgreens or chopped parsley to add a pop of color.

  Drizzle some fresh lemon over the top to finish. Enjoy

Video

Notes

Salmon is a versatile fish that can be cooked in many different ways. It is a popular choice for those who are looking for a healthy alternative to red meat. Salmon is high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids, which can improve heart health and brain function.

About Salmon

Did You Know?

• The average lifespan of a wild salmon is four to seven years.
  -Salmon are born in freshwater streams but spend most of their lives in the ocean.
• All five species of Pacific salmon are anadromous, meaning they live in freshwater but return to saltwater to spawn.
• The sockeye salmon is the only species of Pacific salmon that does not return to freshwater after spawning.
• Salmon are born with very little body fat and must put on weight quickly to survive the journey downstream to the ocean.
• During their time in the ocean, salmon can double or triple their original body size.
• When it’s time for them to return to their birthplace to spawn, they stop feeding and begin to lose weight.

Cool Tip: 

Checking if the fish is done. I learned this tip from fine dining Chef Ripert from Le Bernardin in New York.

• To know if the fish is cooked correctly, insert a metal prong/stick into the thick of the fish. 
• Remove the metal prong/stick after a few moments and place/touch your chin.
• The temperature will let you know if the inside of the fish is hot enough
• Fish is cooked once at the temperature of 140 degrees.

Keyword Teriyaki Salmon, Teriyaki Salmon with Avocado Crema