Japan · Main · Easy
Salmon Teriyaki
Rome's most famous pasta. Silky egg and Pecorino sauce clinging to every strand, studded with crisp guanciale. No cream, ever.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Salmon Teriyaki, in 5 ideas
- Dry skin is crisp skin. Paper towels, both sides, right before the pan. This one step is the difference between crackling and soggy.
- Do not move the fish. Let the skin set and crisp undisturbed. It releases when it is ready.
- Watch the glaze like a hawk. Sugar goes from syrupy to burnt in under a minute. Pull it the moment it coats a spoon.
- No mirin, no panic. A tablespoon of honey plus a splash of rice vinegar gets you close.
- Skin on, always. It protects the flesh from overcooking and goes wonderfully crisp. Even skin skeptics convert.
What you need
Ingredients
- 4 salmon fillets (6 oz each), skin on
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup mirin
- 2 tbsp sake
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- Steamed rice, to serve
How to make it
Directions
- Whisk the soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, and ginger in a bowl until the sugar dissolves. Pour half over the salmon in a dish and marinate 15 minutes. Reserve the other half.
- Pat the salmon skin completely dry with paper towels. Moisture is the enemy of crisp skin.
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Lay the fillets skin side down and press gently for 10 seconds so the skin stays flat.
- Cook undisturbed 5 to 6 minutes until the skin is crisp and releases easily. Flip and cook 2 minutes more.
- Pour in the reserved marinade. It will bubble and reduce quickly. Spoon the thickening glaze over the fillets for 1 to 2 minutes until syrupy and lacquered.
- Serve over rice, spooning extra glaze on top. Finish with sesame seeds and scallions.
Never marinate in the full batch. Half for the fish, half kept clean for the glaze. Marinade that touched raw fish is not safe to reduce into sauce.