My husband raved when I made this Asian-style salmon, and he doesn’t usually like salmon. The sweet soy teriyaki and spicy wasabi sauces are a delicious compliment to this meaty fish. The naturally dairy-free recipe is fairly easy to prepare, and even easier to cook. It’s also a great dish for entertaining. I’ve even brought it to a holiday potluck, where it was quickly devoured.
Photo by Maggie Hoffman
Amazing Asian-Style Salmon with Easy Sweet & Spicy Sauces
For ordinary dinners, I like to serve this Asian-style salmon over rice and with steamed vegetables. So I’ve adapted this recipe to make enough sauce for drizzling over everything.
If you opt to make wild salmon, keep in mind that it is a meatier fish. If you want to serve more tender fillets, opt for farmed. If concerned about sustainability, there are some sustainable farmed salmon sources, but I like to use steelhead fillets (also known as rainbow trout). They are typically sustainably farmed, often local, and we like the taste even better than salmon.
Special Diet Notes: Saucy Asian-Style Salmon
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, nut-free, and peanut-free.
- For soy-free Asian-style salmon, you can substitute coconut aminos for the soy sauce.
- ½ cup mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or wheat free tamari (for gluten-free)
- ¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger or ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
- ¼ cup soy sauce or wheat free tamari
- ½ cup honey (use a mild one, like clover)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
- 4 teaspoons wasabi powder
- 2 tablespoons water
- In a baking dish, whisk together the mirin, soy sauce, vinegar, and ginger. Add the salmon, skin sides up. Cover and let the fish marinate at room temperature for 1 hour.
- When ready to cook, preheat your broiler and grease the rack of a broiler pan.
- Place the salmon, skin sides down, on your prepared broiler pan rack. Place the pan 5 to 7 inches from the heating element and broil the salmon until it is just cooked through, about 6 minutes.
- Put the soy sauce, honey, and lime juice in a small saucepan. Place the pan over medium heat, and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, while whisking, until it thickens a little, about 4 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the wasabi powder and water until smooth.
- Plate the salmon and drizzle it with the teriyaki and wasabi sauces.