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This easy Pan Fried Teriyaki Salmon recipe has a crispy exterior brushed with a quick homemade teriyaki glaze. This recipe is soy-free and a quick and tasty dinner – no marinating required!
This recipe is one of those meals you keep in the back pocket for weeknight dinners.
- It’s lower sodium than traditional teriyaki recipes that use soy sauce.
- This recipe is fast and requires no marinating time, just glaze the salmon as you cook.
- The teriyaki sauce only requires a few ingredients, most are pantry staples.
- It’s healthy, full of Omega-3’s, and delicious paired with grilled bok choy.
- This recipe works for a migraine diet, as well as paleo and Whole30.
Ingredients
- Salmon – Since the teriyaki sauce provides a ton of flavor, you can use any type of salmon you like. Personally, I prefer the lighter flavor of sustainably farmed salmon to wild salmon. Just make sure it’s fresh and not frozen – or defrost overnight in the fridge.
- Coconut Aminos – A common substitute for soy sauce, this is naturally sweet and contains less sodium than it’s counterpart. Soy and hoison, which are commonly used in teriyaki sauces contain glutamate (which some people who are sensitive to MSG react to), and fermented soybeans which can be potential migraine triggers. Coconut are made from the sap of a coconut blossom and sweeter than the traditional soy sauce. This also means you don’t have to include a lot of sugar when using it in Asian-inspired recipes! If you hate coconut aminos, or have an allergy, there’s a recipe inside my Egg Roll Bowl that’s another good soy sauce substitute.
- Garlic – Without using soy sauce which has a deeper umami flavor, we have to up the depth in other ways. Fresh minced garlic adds that depth!
- Toasted Sesame Oil – Another way to add depth, this balances some of the sweetness of the coconut aminos. Make sure you buy toasted sesame oil and not just plain sesame oil. This can be found at most grocery stores.
- Sriracha – A few of my favorites are Underwood Ranch and Lingham’s, but you can visit my pantry staples list for more options.
- Optional green onion and toasted sesame seeds.
How to Pan-Fry Salmon
I prefer to pan-fry this salmon recipe for efficiency and texture. To me, there’s nothing better than fish with a bit of a crispy crust to the filet. To do this, you just need a good non-stick skillet or well-seasoned cast iron pan. Here I used a MadeIn Carbon Steel pan.
- Pat salmon fillets dry with a paper towel and prepare the glaze (see above picture).
- Start by adding oil to the pan over medium high heat. Place salmon fillet, meat side down first to create a nice golden brown sear. Resist the urge to touch it!! The salmon will release when it’s cooked and won’t stick to the pan, unless you mess with it. Cook about 5 minutes (picture 1 below).
- Flip the salmon over and brush with the teriyaki glaze, letting some spill off into the pan as it cooks (picture 2 below). Cook another 4-5 minutes until your desired temperature is reached. Medium to medium well is where this timing puts you.
A bit of the sauce will slide off the salmon, bubble and become more of a glaze. You can collect it and spoon over the top while it finishes cooking. Want to make this in the air fryer instead? Get my recipe for Air Fryer Teriyaki Salmon.
Side Dishes
A few of my favorite side dishes for this Pan Fried Teriyaki Salmon include:
- Grilled Baby Bok Choy
- Simple Brown Rice. Trader Joe’s has quick frozen packets that steam in 3 minutes.
- Roasted vegetables like carrots and zucchini
- Mashed cauliflower or potatoes
More Salmon Recipes
For more easy salmon recipes like this one, check out these posts.
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 review in the recipe card! Don’t forget to tag me @thedizzycook on Facebook and Instagram, and follow along on Pinterest for more great recipes!
Pan-Fried Teriyaki Salmon
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sriracha
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1.25 pounds salmon filet cut into 3-4 servings
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2-3 green onions, sliced
- toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a small dish whisk the coconut aminos, minced garlic, sesame oil, sriracha, and salt until smooth. Prepare a non-stick or seasoned cast iron pan with vegetable oil and heat to medium-high. Pat salmon filets dry with a paper towel.
- Add salmon filets, skin side up, and sear (don't touch) for 5 minutes, until lightly browned on top. Flip to skin side down and spoon the sauce over each filet, letting the excess drip off and bubble in the pan. You can continue to spoon it over the salmon as it cooks another 4-5 minutes, until cooked through.
- Serve warm topped with any extra glaze, chopped green onions, and toasted sesame seeds.
Notes
- This recipe serves between 3-4 people
- Use a soy sauce alternative if you don’t want to use coconut aminos.
- For low sodium, not rely on the sodium count in the nutritional info as coconut aminos vary greatly in sodium content.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally published August 30, 2020 as “Asian Glazed Salmon” and was recently updated to include new photos, tips on how to pan fry, and an improved format.
I wanted to make this for dinner tonight, but can’t find “safe” Sriracha near me. Would it still be good without it?
I’m sorry I’m late answering, but yes, it would still be good!
Hi, I don’t see a measurement for how much brown sugar is required?
Hey – I used to add 1 teaspoon but after making this regularly I think the coconut aminos are sweet enough so I deleted it from the ingredients (but forget to delete from the instructions!). If you like a sweeter sauce, you’re welcome to whisk it in when you make the sauce!