Teriyaki Salmon with Sriracha Cream
Fresh salmon marinated and baked in a homemade teriyaki sauce and topped with a sriracha cream sauce – make it as sweet or as spicy as you like!
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About Teriyaki Salmon with Sriracha Cream
As part of my New Years resolution to eat better (not perfect, mind you – just better) I’ve been trying to add more fish to our diet.
Because you see, I want to love fish. And I certainly love sushi and enjoy fish whenever I order it at restaurants. But as I’ve journeyed through the lands of cooking, one thing I’ve learned is that fish can be tricky.
And I don’t mean cooking part – that’s (thankfully) easy. When it comes to fish, the taste of the meat can be easily ruined with the wrong seasonings.
Of course, it’s also important to note that an old friend of mine and I have very different ideas on how food should be seasoned. Whereas I’ll gladly go overboard on the herbs, spices, and glazes, an old friend of mine will give me the stinkeye if I hand him a plate with more garnish than butter and salt. But even though we disagree, I can still see his point – fish does taste good on its own and it shouldn’t be completely covered up.
There’s a balance of both worlds around here somewhere. I’ve just got to find it.
And so, this is why I’ve been hunting for a new go-to salmon recipe. As far as fish goes, salmon has a very strong flavor. That strong taste means I have more freedom with seasoning (for me) while still letting the taste of the fish can still muscle through (for him).
Or, at least, that was my theory. And my theory was recently proven by this teriyaki salmon dish.
This dish ended up being the perfect fit for our house. Teriyaki glaze was subtle enough for an old friend of mine yet flavorful enough for me.
Also, this sriracha cream is totally my new “thing.” Not only did it give us the freedom to decide how much of it we wanted (him a little, me a lot) but the sriracha sauce has helped curve some of the (fierce) cravings I’ve been having for sushi. I know the sauces used in sushi are totally different than the sriracha cream, but they were similar enough. I was able to go a night without wishfully dreaming of a dragon roll.
I can tell you right now that I’ve got big plans to use this sauce in other dishes. I’m thinking shrimp tacos.
That is, after I finish cooking up our Costco-sized bag of salmon fillets.
Waste not, want not!
This recipe was originally published on January 15th, 2015. It received a TLC update with new photos on October 28, 2016.
Teriyaki Salmon with Sriracha Cream Sauce
Ingredients
Fish Brine
- 2 cup water, warm
Teriyaki Salmon
- 1 1/4 cup water, separated
- 4 fillets salmon
- 1 tablespoon chives, fresh and chopped (optional, for garnish)
Sriracha Cream Sauce
Instructions
For the Fish Brine
- In a small bowl, whisk together water, salt, and sugar until sugar has dissolved. Set bowl nearby.
- Place salmon fillets in a 8x8 baking dish with edges that's just big enough to lay the salmon out in a single layer. Pour brine mixture over the salmon so that the tops of the fish are covered. If you have extremely thick fillets, you may need to double the brine recipe.
- Let fish soak in the brine for about 30 minutes.
- Remove fish from the baking dish and discard brine. If desired, rinse and towel dry the salmon. Salmon can be placed back in the refrigerator until needed.
For the Teriyaki Salmon
- In a small bowl, create slurry by whisk together cornstarch and 1/4 cup water. Set bowl nearby.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, add soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic powder, honey, and the remaining 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly.
- While continuing to whisk, stir in slurry mixture. Cook teriyaki sauce until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon (like watery honey), about 2-5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow sauce to cool. Tip: place bowl in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes to speed up the process.
- In a Ziploc bag (gallon sized), add the brined salmon fillets. Pour in teriyaki sauce and gently massage bag so that salmon fillets are coated. Seal bag and let fillets marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or ideally overnight.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly coat a small baking dish with cooking spray.
- Arrange salmon fillets in the prepared baking dish. Pour remaining teriyaki sauce (from the bag) in the baking dish).
- Bake teriyaki salmon in the oven for 20 minutes, or until fish is pink and flaky.
For the Sriracha Cream Sauce
- While fish is cooking, prepare the sriracha cream sauce by whisking together the mayonnaise, sriracha, and condensed milk in a small bow. Taste test the sauce; add more sriracha if desired.
Putting it all Together
- Once cooked, serve salmon immediately with sriracha cream sauce drizzled on top. If desired, garnish with fresh chopped chives.
Nutrition
I do my best to provide nutrition information, but please keep in mind that I'm not a certified nutritionist. Any nutritional information discussed or disclosed in this post should only be seen as my best amateur estimates of the correct values.
