Pan Fried Japanese Teriyaki Salmon

Authentic Japanese pan fried teriyaki salmon is made with fresh salmon fillets coated in a sweet and sticky homemade teriyaki glaze. This versatile dish is quick and easy to make, and goes perfectly with rice and sautéed vegetables!

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• What is teriyaki?
• Ingredients to make authentic teriyaki salmon
• Instructions how to make teriyaki salmon
• Other Teriyaki Recipes
• Step by step recipe
• FAQ

What is teriyaki?

Teriyaki a Japanese cooking method where meat or fish are broiled or grilled with a sweet sauce made with soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar.

The word "teri" (照り) means shiny or glossy and "yaki" (焼き) means to fry or cook. Although many people believe teriyaki is a sauce, it's not technically the sauce itself. It's more like the method of creating a sweet, sticky soy sauce glaze.

Teriyaki Salmon

Teriyaki as a cooking method can be used for many different ingredients. I know that teriyaki chicken is probably the most well known, but actually, in Japan, teriyaki made with yellowtail called "Buri no Teriyaki" is the most popular.

I'm not sure how easy it is to buy yellowtail outside of Japan, but one fish that is universally accessible, well loved and goes perfectly with teriyaki is... you guessed it! Salmon!

Ways to serve teriyaki salmon

Teriyaki salmon is very versatile and goes well with both Japanese style dishes (of course) and also Western style!

If you want to eat it the Japanese way, you could try serving it with rice, miso soup and a side salad or some pickles (tsukemono). We tend to serve our meals in separate plates and bowls as a "set" like below:

In this recipe, I decided to serve my teriyaki salmon with a bit of a Western twist. Served on a single plate over a bed of fluffy rice, buttery pan fried spinach and asparagus, this is definitely not traditional at all but it tastes so good!

I also sprinkled some sesame seeds and chopped spring onions for the finishing touch!

Ingredients to make authentic teriyaki salmon

Here are the ingredients I use in my teriyaki salmon recipe.

Teriyaki sauce

You might be surprised, but it's very simple to make teriyaki glaze. In fact, you only need 4 main ingredients!

• Soy Sauce (I recommend Kikkoman or Yamasa)
• Sake (I use Takara cooking sake)
• Mirin (I recommend Hinode Hon Mirin)
• Sugar (Regular white caster or granulated sugar)

These four ingredients are essential in Japanese cooking. In fact, because most Japanese people always have these ingredients in their cupboards, it's pretty rare to find pre-made teriyaki sauce in the supermarket in Japan. We have everything we need to make it from scratch at home!

If you're interested in cooking Japanese food often, I really recommend stocking up on these four items! You can also learn more about the 20 most commonly used ingredients in Japanese cooking with my handy list here.

It's also worth noting that don't need to use any thickening agents when making teriyaki sauce. The sugar melts and caramelises and the liquid in the soy sauce, mirin and sake reduces to make a thick glaze. Don't be tempted to add starch or flour to thicken it up, patience is key here!

If you can't get hold of mirin, you can increase the amount of sugar but I don't recommend substituting anything else.

Ingredients for the rest of the dish

Other than the teriyaki sauce ingredients, you will also need:

• Salmon fillets with the skin on
• Cooked rice (I used a rice cooker to cook my rice, but you can learn how to cook Japanese rice on the stove here.)
• Salt and pepper
• Potato starch (alternatively you can use corn starch)
• Unsalted butter
• Spinach
• Asparagus
• Sesame seeds
• Chopped spring onion

For ingredient quantities, see the recipe card at the bottom of the page!

Instructions how to make teriyaki salmon

Here is my step by step guide on how to make teriyaki salmon with homemade sauce served with buttery spinach and asparagus. For the ingredient quantities, see the printable recipe card below!

Prep the spinach

In Japan, spinach is sold with the stems and roots attached. Here is how I prepare the spinach for frying. (If you buy spinach leaves only you can skip this step.)

Start by washing it thoroughly with cold water to remove any dirt or debris. Then divide it into 3 parts, the thick stems, the middle and the top leaves like this:

I tied them with butchers string to make it easy to remove them from the pan later.

Blanch the spinach

Blanching helps the spinach maintain its colour and texture. Because the thick stems take longer to cook than the leaves, I blanch them for different times to ensure even cooking when we pan fry them later.

You will also need to prepare a bowl of ice cold water to transfer the spinach once they've finished being blanched.

Bring a small pot of water to a boil and add a pinch of salt. Add the stems first and boil them for 1 minute.

After 1 minute, add the middle part and boil for 45 seconds. (Leave the stems in there to continue boiling.)

Add the top leaves and boil the whole spinach together for 30 seconds.

Once 30 seconds are up, use tongs to transfer each bundle to a bowl of ice cold water. This will holt the cooking process.

Finally take each bundle out of the bowl, squeeze out the water and place on a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb any excess liquid.

Pan fry the vegetables

Heat a pan on medium and add butter. Once the butter is melted, add the spinach and asparagus at the same time and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Stir fry for a few minutes until the asparagus is slightly softened and remove it from the heat. Set aside for later.

Mix the teriyaki sauce

Mix soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar in a small bowl until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside for later.

Prepare the salmon

Dry the salmon on both sides using kitchen paper and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper on both sides. Drying the salmon not only prevents them from sticking to the pan, but also helps the skin crisp up more beautifully.

Next, coat with a thin layer of potato starch all over. This is going to crisp up the skin even further and also helps the teriyaki sauce stick to the surface better.

Pan fry

Heat a frying pan on medium. Once it's hot, add a drizzle of oil and swirl it around so the pan is evenly coated. Place the salmon fillets with the skin side down and fry for 4 minutes. The cooking time is longer on this side to ensure the skin is extra crispy!

After 4 minutes, flip the salmon over and fry for 2 minutes on the other side.

Pour your homemade teriyaki sauce over the salmon.

Scoop up the sauce and continuously spoon it over the surface (skin) of the salmon. This is to avoid flipping the salmon again, which can cause it to break once it's cooked through. It also stops the sauce from burning as it's being continuously lifted from the pan. You can also gently move the salmon around the pan to make sure the underneath is fully coated too.

Repeat this until the sauce is thickened and then remove the pan from the heat.

Dish up

Start by making a bed of rice and placing the buttery spinach on top.

Place the salmon on top of the spinach and arrange the asparagus on the side.

Pour any leftover sauce in the pan over the salmon and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. You could also add some chopped spring onions for a final touch.

Enjoy!

Other Teriyaki Recipes

If you liked this recipe, you should check out some of my other teriyaki recipes!

• Teriyaki Chicken
• Teriyaki Cod
• Garlic Teriyaki Chicken Donburi
• Teriyaki Chicken Pizza

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