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This Spicy Teriyaki Salmon recipe is easy and delicious. It can be grilled or baked in the oven (from thawed or frozen!), and is a healthy recipe made with minimally processed ingredients.
I love this spicy salmon recipe for a quick weeknight meal, but it also works great for entertaining. Grilled salmon with homemade teriyaki is my favorite, and it’s just as delicious when baked in the oven. My other favorite way to make salmon is with this fresh Dill and Rosemary Compound Butter – it’s easy to whip up a batch and keep it in the freezer for all meats, not just seafood!
The sweet and spicy teriyaki sauce recipe is so much healthier than the stuff from the grocery store, and it tastes great on veggies, rice, even chicken!
Ingredients in this Spicy Teriyaki Marinade for Salmon:
- Coconut Aminos: A gluten free, lower sodium substitute for soy sauce made from coconut nectar.
- Ginger: Fresh ginger gives any Asian dish a fresh and authentic taste.
- Sesame Oil: Any sesame oil will do, but toasted sesame oil adds an amazing layer of flavor.
- Rice Vinegar: Make sure to purchase the unseasoned version.
- Molasses: This rich syrup is what’s left after sugar is removed from sugar cane or sugar beets. Molasses is also what gives brown sugar its color and flavor.
- Honey: I prefer a local bee honey for the allergy fighting effects.
- Pineapple: This sweet tropical fruit is an excellent source of vitamin C and one of my favorite parts of teriyaki sauce.
- Green Onions: Also known as scallions or spring onions, these are a milder flavored onion that compliment Asian dishes. You can skip these if you don’t have them.
- Spices: Garlic, Black Pepper, and Crushed Red Pepper. If you’d rather not have the spicy flavor in this sauce, go ahead and leave out the crushed red pepper.
- Salmon: A healthy lean protein loaded with omega 3, 6, and 9’s. I prefer Sockeye Salmon, and you can read more about the difference between traditional and sockeye salmon right here.
- Sesame Seeds to garnish the salmon, if you’d like.
How to make Spicy Teriyaki Salmon
Time needed: 30 minutes
This recipe makes a ton of sauce–definitely enough to save some and use for veggies later in the week!
- Preheat your oven or grill
Preheat your oven to 375º or your grill to medium-high.
- Prepare the homemade teriyaki sauce ingredients
Add coconut aminos, ginger, sesame oil, rice vinegar, garlic, black pepper, crushed red pepper, molasses, honey, and diced pineapple to a bowl and mix together with a fork or whisk. This makes up your spicy homemade teriyaki sauce.
- Marinate the salmon
Place salmon in a single layer in a foil pan or baking dish, skin side down. If using a baking sheet or dish to cook, line it with aluminum foil. Pour sauce over the salmon.
Save about 1/2 cup of sauce for after your salmon is cooked. If you have extra sauce, go ahead and put it in the fridge or freezer for next time. - Grill/Bake
Preheat your grill to medium-high heat or your oven to 375º.
Grill or bake your salmon 15-18 minutes for frozen or 10-12 for thawed. This time will change based on how thick your salmon filets are. Cooked salmon is 145º and flakes easily with a fork. - Serve
Remove salmon from the grill or oven. Serve with rice, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, or your favorite veggie.
Top with extra teriyaki sauce, sesame seeds, or chopped green onions. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
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Recipe Tips:
- You can use low-sodium soy sauce in place of coconut aminos.
- I prefer the flavor of fresh ginger, but you can substitute 1 tsp of powdered if you don’t have fresh.
- Use a foil pan or baking dish lined with foil for easy cleanup.
- Homemade teriyaki sauce will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer. I love to have it on hand for vegetables and stir fry.
- If using teriyaki as a dipping sauce, add all of the ingredients to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil until the sauce thickens and slightly reduces.
- This marinade can be used on any type of fish–definitely not just salmon.
- Use this salmon as your main course or as an ingredient in teriyaki salmon bowls or even lettuce wraps with rice and salmon wrapped up in fresh lettuce.
- I know some people prefer to use room temperature salmon, but I use it straight out of the refrigerator or freezer.
- Salmon skin is edible–you can leave it on or scrape it off with a fork.
Healthy Eating Plans:
Weight Watchers: The WW points have been calculated on the app using 4 ounces of raw salmon per serving. For each serving (this recipe makes 8 servings for WW), count 1 2025 Point
Because the teriyaki sauce is a marinade and most is thrown away, we don’t count it quite like a “normal” recipe.
- For each 3/4 cup serving of salmon, count one red container.
- For the sauce, the entire recipe counts as: 6 Teaspoons, 14 Sweetener Teaspoons, and 1/4 Purple Container.
- Per serving (there are 8) of sauce: count 3/4 Teaspoon, 1 3/4 Sweetener Teaspoons (if you count these), and a small amount of Purple Containers (I do not count this).
2B Mindset: Salmon fits perfectly into your 2B meals as a protein. For lunch, be sure to use half of your plate for vegetables, 1/4 for protein, and 1/4 for an FFC. For dinner, this salmon is perfect as 25% of your plate, and fill the remaining 75% with vegetables.
Spicy Teriyaki Salmon Recipe (oven or on the grill)
Equipment
- Kitchen Knife
- Coconut Aminos
- Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut aminos
- ¼ cup fresh ginger minced
- 2 tbsp roasted sesame oil
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp garlic minced
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp crushed red pepper more if you like it hot, less for a milder flavor
- 2 tsp molasses
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup pineapple diced, fresh or canned
- 2 lbs salmon
- ½ cup green onions chopped, whites and greens
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375º or grill to medium-high heat.
- Add coconut aminos, ginger, sesame oil, rice vinegar, garlic, black pepper, crushed red pepper, molasses, honey, and diced pineapple to a bowl and mix together with a fork or whisk. This makes up your spicy homemade teriyaki sauce. 1 cup coconut aminos ¼ cup fresh ginger 2 tbsp roasted sesame oil 2 tbsp rice vinegar 2 tsp garlic 2 tsp black pepper 2 tsp crushed red pepper 2 tsp molasses ¼ cup honey ¼ cup pineapple
- Place salmon in a single layer in a foil pan or baking dish, skin side down. If using a baking sheet or dish to cook, line it with aluminum foil.
- Pour sauce over the salmon. Save about 1/2 cup of sauce for after your salmon is cooked. If you have extra sauce, go ahead and put it in the fridge or freezer for next time. 2 lbs salmon
- Grill or bake your salmon 15-18 minutes for frozen or 10-12 for thawed. This time will change based on how thick your salmon filets are. Cooked salmon is 145º and flakes easily with a fork.
- Remove salmon from the grill or oven. Serve with your favorite veggie. Top with extra teriyaki sauce or chopped green onions. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. ½ cup green onions
Notes
Nutrition
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We make this weekly!