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Teriyaki Salmon + Best Teriyaki Sauce

This Teriyaki Salmon is out-of-this-world delicious. It’s tender and packed with juicy flavor. The teriyaki sauce was handed down by Grandpa, and still is our favorite teriyaki sauce for chicken, shrimp, beef, or salmon.

Grilled Salmon with Teriyaki Sauce and white rice
This teriyaki salmon is healthy and winningly delicious

Teriyaki Salmon is a Crowd Pleaser

After years of hosting a dinner parties and cookouts, friends and family have come to expect teriyaki grilled salmon on our menu. Contrary to popular notion, salmon is actually one of the most effortless, no-sweat choices for everything from everyday family dinners to impressing dinner guests.

Grilled salmon can be done indoors or outdoors; it’s super easy, healthy, and flavorful. Everyone, from Littles and Bigs alike, will polish off this salmon like nobody’s business.

Even if you’re not a fish cooker-maker, you can totally do this.

Fresh Salmon Fillets
Always dab off excess moisture from raw fillets

Salmon Rules

  • Fresh salmon fillets are best, but individually sealed flash-frozen fillets are also very good. As with all protein, the better quality your salmon, the better your results will be.
  • Always gently rinse fillets with cool water and dab off all excess moisture before seasoning and cooking.
  • Always be sure your cooking surface, whether outdoor or indoor stovetop grill, is smoking hot (literally) before laying down the fish.
  • Be sure not to overcook the salmon. You don’t want a chalky finish. Cook just until center is almost cooked through. The edges should be browned and flaky, with a tender just-done center.
  • Let cooked fish rest at room temperature for a few minutes before serving, as this helps fish retain juiciness and tenderness.
Homemade teriyaki sauce with sesame seeds
This is the ONLY teriyaki sauce you’ll ever need

The Teriyaki sauce

Introducing our all-time favorite teriyaki sauce. No other sauce is as fail-proof and consistent. After years of making variations of teriyaki sauce, nothing else comes close to this straightforward, snap of a recipe. (Side note: it’s also fabulous over grilled chicken, shrimp, and even grilled vegetables.)

Feel free to make extra sauce to keep in the fridge, as it keeps well for at least a week. This sauce is wicked good over grilled chicken, shrimp, and 30 minute steak too. Even burgers. Pretty much anything you throw onto the grill will turn out fabulous when drizzled  with this sauce.

Grilled Salmon with Teriyaki Sauce and Rice
Serve Teriyaki Salmon with rice or a salad

What to serve with teriyaki salmon

More to grill and eat


Also try this easy thai fried rice:


Did you make this?

Please give us a rating and comment below. We love hearing from you!

Grilled Teriyaki Salmon with Rice

Teriyaki Salmon

5 from 15 ratings
This Teriyaki Salmon is tender, flaky, easy, and delicious! Healthy to boot. The teriyaki sauce is the best sauce you’ll ever brush onto any grilled meats.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutes
Servings: 4
Author: Amy Dong

Ingredients  

  • 4 salmon fillets, 6-8 oz each, about 1-inch thick
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Teriyaki Sauce:

  • ½ cup Teriyaki Sauce, such as Kikkoman
  • ½ cup water
  • ¼ cup white sugar, plus more to taste
  • ¼ cup brown sugar, very tightly packed
  • Juice of 2 fresh orange wedges
  • 2 TB cornstarch, fully dissolved in 2 TB water
  • dash of ground ginger
  • Garnish: toasted sesame seeds, thinly sliced green onions

Instructions

  • Teriyaki Sauce: In a heavy medium pan, combine all sauce ingredients. Whisk to combine well. Bring to a boil. Lower to simmer and whisk until sauce is thickened, about 1 minute. Taste and add more sugar, if you like it sweeter. Keep warm.
    Homemade teriyaki sauce with sesame seeds
  • Prep Salmon: thoroughly dry salmon fillets with paper towels. Sprinkle a light layer of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper on both sides (or just top side, if bottom has skin on.)
    Fresh Salmon Fillets being dried
  • Cook: lightly grease and heat outdoor grill (or indoor cast iron grill) until very hot and smoky. Lay salmon fillets on grill and cook on medium-high heat until just-cooked. If cooking on stovetop, cover pan partially to reduce smoke. Cook about 2-3 min per side, depending on thickness. Do not over-cook. Let cooked fish rest at room temp for a few minutes before serving. 
    Grilled Teriyaki Salmon with Rice
  • Serve: drizzle generously with teriyaki sauce and garnish as desired. Serve immediately. Delicious over a bed of rice or over a plate of green salad.

Notes

If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and give it a rating 🙂 

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 351kcal | Carbohydrates: 30.4g | Protein: 40.1g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1.4g | Cholesterol: 86.9mg | Sodium: 776.6mg | Sugar: 29.7g
Course: Dinner, Main
Cuisine: Asian American
Diet: Low Calorie
Method: Grill

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Recipe Rating




25 comments

    • LavenderBee
    • 5 stars

    This was the best teriyaki sauce ever, the orange sends it over the top. It was perfect with salmon. Thank you for sharing this recipe.

    • Addie
    • 5 stars

    So fresh and flavorful!

    • Melinda
    • 5 stars

    Delicious sauce! The salmon was flaky and perfectly cooked.

    • Bernice
    • 5 stars

    Love this Salmon! It’s one of my favourite comfort meals because it’s so tasty and healthy too.

      • Amy Dong

      Love to hear it!

    • Amy
    • 5 stars

    Really delicious! Kids smashed it for dinner tonight!

      • Amy Dong

      Our boys all love it as well!

    • Kristina
    • 5 stars

    the orange gave it a great flavor!

      • Amy Dong

      I learned that from the grandpa 🙂

    • Jeri
    • 5 stars

    OMG! We loved this teriyaki sauce! The juice from the orange added so much flavor!

    • Natalie
    • 5 stars

    This recipe is a keeper. Turned out perfect. I will definitely make this salmon again. Yum!

      • chewoutloud

      SO happy you guys liked this!

    • Susan Poolarea
    • 5 stars

    Made this for lunch and my goodness it is like heaven in my mouth! My coworkers were envious of me too. Thank you for sharing this recipe!

      • chewoutloud

      SO happy you loved this, Susan! 🙂

    • Genevieve
    • 5 stars

    This looks so delicious and super easy to make!

    • Jere Cassidy
    • 5 stars

    Glad to find the recipe for teriyaki sauce, I have given up on anything store-bought. Your has simple ingredients and the best flavor.

      • chewoutloud

      So glad you like this, Jere!

    • Leslie
    • 5 stars

    Teriyaki Salmon? YES PLEASE!!! I couldn’t think of a better way to enjoy salmon! This looks fantastic!

      • chewoutloud

      Thank you, Leslie!

    • Stine Mari
    • 5 stars

    Delicious! Orange makes total sense to include with teriyaki! Those flavors blend perfectly together.

      • chewoutloud

      Yes, totally!

    • Sally

    The recipe calls for 2T cornstarch and later calls for 1 1/2T more. Am I misunderstanding? Thanks.

      • chewoutloud

      Thanks for the heads up, Sally! Fixed that 🙂 Hope you love it as much as we do. Glad you came over 🙂

    • Maureen | Orgasmic Chef
    • 5 stars

    Oh my goodness! My mouth is watering at this very moment! I love this recipe! It’s full of flavors and the salmon looks so perfect! And I’m loving that teriyaki sauce! 🙂

      • chewoutloud

      Teri + Salmon is the best 🙂 Thanks for coming over today, Maureen 🙂

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