One skillet and 20 minutes: that’s all you need to make my recipe for Maple Soy Glazed Salmon! The perfectly balanced sweet and salty sauce packed with fresh ginger and garlic will soak right up into your crisp, pan-seared salmon. It’s the at-home-restaurant experience you’ve been craving! All that, and next to no mess left to clean up.
Salmon. My favorite type of fish. The flavor, that silky, flaky texture; not to mention that beautiful, bright color. I can never get sick of it. There are so many wonderful ways you can cook up perfect salmon. So many gorgeous flavors to pair it with! For my very first salmon feature on the blog, I thought I would start out with something easy and a sure-fit hit. It does well no matter who I serve it to!
The gigantic gallon of maple syrup sitting in the fridge may have helped inspire me to post this recipe. Possibly. Yes, I may be Canadian, but there is only so much maple syrup I can get through organically I have a feeling you may be seeing maple syrup appear in my recipes here and there so that we can get through the whole lot!
Ingredients
Click “Jump to the Recipe” at the top of the recipe or keep on scrolling to the recipe card for ingredient amounts and the full recipe instructions. Read on for extra details and all my tips & tricks!
- Salmon – I couldn’t find any salmon fillets at the store, so I bought a side of salmon and cut it into fillets myself. Leave the skin on, cut it off, buy it skinless; whatever you have available.
- Salt & pepper – Season to taste.
- Sesame oil – If you can possibly find toasted sesame oil, buy it and never look back. It’s amazing. Regular sesame oil will be fantastic as well if that’s what you find!
- Butter – Unsalted, ideally, as we’re using soy sauce.
- Garlic – Use as much or little as you like.
- Ginger – Fresh is best! Ginger grates really easy on a Microplane if you have one in the kitchen.
- Maple syrup – Get yourself real maple syrup. It makes a difference!
- Soy sauce – I like to use low sodium soy sauce since we’re using quite a bit to make the sauce.
- Garnish – Sesame seeds and green onion. At the very least, grab some onion. It adds to the flavor!
How to make maple soy glazed salmon
- Salmon: Season the salmon fillets on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat the sesame oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the salmon for 4-5 minutes per side, or until golden brown and completely cooked through.
- Aromatics: Remove the salmon from the skillet and set aside. Melt the butter in the skillet, then add the garlic and ginger. Sauté for 1 minute or until lightly browned.
- Sauce: Pour the maple syrup and soy sauce into the skillet. Let the sauce bubble for 2-3 minutes, or until thickened slightly. It will thicken more as it cools off the heat.
- Finish: Remove the skillet from the heat and return the salmon to the pan. Spoon the sauce over the salmon fillets to coat them. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onion to serve.
How to tell when salmon is done cooking
Let me tell you from experience: keep the heat on medium when you’re pan-searing salmon. It will need a good 4-5 minutes per side to cook all the way through. If the heat is too high, you will risk burning the outside of the salmon while the middle stays raw.
For an easy way to tell if your salmon is done cooking, gently press in the middle of the fish with your finger or a fork. If it begins to flake where you’re pressing, it’s all done. Take it off the heat! Salmon will dry out and overcook easily.
How to serve maple soy glazed salmon
We enjoyed our salmon alongside a simple salad made with greens and a vinaigrette. It would also be wonderful with veggies- steamed or roasted. Broccoli, bok choy, carrots, green beans; you name it. They will all be delicious cleaning up the sauce off your plate!
You can also serve your salmon over some noodles or steamed rice. If you make some noodles, try tossing them in the residual sauce in the skillet before plating. Thank me later.
How to store cooked salmon
Transfer your salmon, and the sauce, to an airtight container. It will last in the fridge for up to 2 days. You can store cooked salmon in the freezer for 2-3 months. Since fish is pretty fragile, it’s best to let it thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
You can enjoy your salmon cold tossed into a salad! This will mitigate any risk of drying it out in the reheating process, and it still tastes extremely good cold.
If you would like to reheat your salmon, it’s best to work low and slow. Preheat the oven to 275F. Place the fish on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until warmed through. For a faster method, you can use the microwave. Reheat at 20-30 second increments. Keep in mind this method may dry your fish out a bit.
Did you love this? Check out my favorite one pot recipes:
- One Pan Pork Chops and Potatoes
- Creamy Pasta with Bacon and Peas
- Instant Pot Pulled Pork
- Chicken Stroganoff
- Chicken and Mushroom Coconut Curry
- Tortellini Soup
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Maple Soy Glazed Salmon
Ingredients
Salmon
- 4-6 salmon filets 4-6 oz each
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/4 tsp pepper or to taste
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
Maple Glaze
- 1 tbsp butter unsalted
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp ginger fresh, minced/grated
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 3 tbsp soy sauce low sodium
- sesame seeds optional, for garnish
- green onion chopped, optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Season the salmon fillets on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat the sesame oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the salmon for 4-5 minutes per side, or until golden brown and completely cooked through.
- Remove the salmon from the skillet and set aside. Melt the butter in the skillet, then add the garlic and ginger. Sauté for 1 minute or until lightly browned.
- Pour the maple syrup and soy sauce into the skillet. Let the sauce bubble for 2-3 minutes, or until thickened slightly. It will thicken more as it cools off the heat.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and return the salmon to the pan. Spoon the sauce over the salmon fillets to coat them. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onion to serve.
I love this recipe. Absolutely love it. I made a whole bunch more of the sauce and froze it.
This is delicious and incredibly easy! Love the crust that pan frying in my cast iron skillet makes – you’ve got to try this! First recipe I’ve commented on!
Aww Linette you’re an angel! Thank you!
Loved this variation! I usually bake my salmon with the dressing but pan seared seems to taste better. I’m also adding ginger for the first time and I think it’s brilliant!
I followed this recipe to make a Saturday night dinner for my wife and me — it was EXCELLENT!! Easy-to-follow instructions, simple preparations and cooking, and fantastic flavour! This one’s a definitely a keeper. Thank you, Nicole.
AMC
Dieppe, New Brunswick 🇨🇦
Thank you, fellow Canadian! You’ve made my day 🙂
This recipe was very easy and I’m so glad I had all the ingredients on hand. So far my favorite salmon recipe of all time. My son even had seconds and that rarely happens! Thanks for sharing this recipe! 🤗
Ahh that’s the biggest compliment, thank you! I’m so happy you both loved it!
This was sooo easy and sooo tasty! Definitely will make it again!
Great salmon dish
Thank you!
This is a plate licker!!!!
Super good! And quick to make and clean up after, which is a bonus! 🙂
This salmon recipe is super easy and “lick the plate” good. (But of course we didn’t . . . maybe)
I think it’s time to, finally, make plate-licking socially acceptable 😂 Thank you!