Featured Comment:
“This was fire! I’ve never cooked teriyaki before. I almost never even order it at a restaurant. As I was following the recipe I kept thinking, “nah, this can’t be right…to much this…to much that.” When it was done and served over rice (your recipe, stove top) with steamed asparagus on the side, I could t believe how dynamic it was! The umami, the salt, sweet, and sake And how they all happened at once without becoming a blended generic flavor was so good. Thank you for making these recipes available to us!”
– Jesse Lebus
What is Teriyaki?
Teriyaki (照り焼き) is a method of cooking where ingredients are fried in a sauce made up of equal parts of soy sauce, mirin and sake. As it cooks down, the sugars in the mirin caramelize, creating a glossy texture that resembles a thin glaze.
Despite the common misconception that teriyaki is a sauce, the term technically refers to the cooking method rather than the sauce itself. This becomes clear if you consider that in Japanese, “teri” (照り) means glossy, and “yaki” (焼き) means to fry or cook.
How I Developed This Recipe
Cod and teriyaki might seem like an obvious combo, but when you’re working with cod, a delicate and flaky fish, it can be a bit of a challenge. The fish can easily lose its shape and fall apart during cooking, especially when made with fillets.
To make sure the cod stays intact and flavorful, I’ve tweaked this recipe. The trick is to cut the cod into small pieces, which are easier to handle and less likely to fall apart. Before cooking, each piece is coated in starch, which helps keep the fish together.
Once cooked, the fish is coated in a rich, savory teriyaki sauce, which goes really well with the mild flavor of the cod!
Teriyaki Fish: The Best Fish to Use For Teriyaki
While teriyaki chicken is probably one of the most popular teriyaki dishes in the world, fish is also a great option. In Japan, yellowtail (also known as Japanese Amberjack) is the most commonly used, with its light pink flesh and mild buttery taste complimented perfectly by the balanced flavors of the teriyaki sauce.
That said, teriyaki is truly versatile and goes well with almost any kind of fish. From salmon and tuna, to a soft, flakey white fish like cod or tilapia, you really can’t go wrong! My reader Christine kindly let me know she tried it with tilapia, and it worked well!
“Made this with tilapia. It was easy and quick to make. The teriyaki flavor was delicious and not overly salty. I like the idea of adding the fish to the sauce and allowing the cornstarch from the fish to thicken the sauce. I’ll definitely make this again.”
– Christine
In this recipe, I use deboned cod fillets cut into bitesize pieces. However, this recipe can be used to make almost any kind of teriyaki fish dish. Here are a few substitutes you can use instead, depending on the season, location and availability.
- Yellowtail / Japanese Amberjack (buri) most common in Japan
- Salmon
- Swordfish (mekajiki)
- Japanese Spanish mackerel (sawara)
- Cod (tara)
- Tilapia
- Catfish
- Pacific Whiting / Hake
- Tuna
- Mahi mahi
- Haddock
- Flounder
- Snapper
Since cod is pretty accessible in most places in the world, I decided to make the recipe with cod this time! Feel free to use your favorite fish and let me know how it goes in the comments below!
Visual Walkthrough & Tips
Here are my step-by-step instructions for how to make Teriyaki Cod at home. For ingredient quantities and simplified instructions, scroll down for the Printable Recipe Card below.
If you prefer to watch the process in action, check out my YouTube video of this recipe for a complete visual walkthrough!
Cut the cod into uniform bitesize pieces and place them in a bag with soy sauce and mirin. Gently massage the bag to cover all the pieces and then marinate in the fridge for 10 minutes.
When the umami component in fish is decomposed, it produces something called “trimethylamine” which is responsible for the fishy odor. Adding seasonings that contain salt help draw out the excess moisture and remove bitterness. Soy sauce in particular has a masking effect that softens the smell. The marinating step in this recipe is not to flavor the fish, but to remove unwanted odors and improve the overall taste.
Depending on your preference, this recipe can be cooked either by shallow frying or regular pan-frying. If shallow frying, start heating your about 2-3cm (1 inch) of oil to 180°C (356°F) or heat a pan on the stove over medium heat for regular pan-frying.
While you wait for it to heat up, take the cod pieces out of the fridge and dredge them in cornstarch. This will help create a golden crispy outside, which not only has an amazing texture but also helps the teriyaki sauce stick better later.
Once the oil is hot, add the cod pieces and fry for about 2 minutes on each side or until golden and crispy all over. If pan frying, make sure to fry all the surfaces to achieve the crispy texture all over.
Once the cod is crispy and golden all over, transfer to a wire rack to drain off the excess oil. Proper draining will prevent oil mixing into your teriyaki sauce.
Add soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, dashi and honey to a wide pan and mix until combined. Place the pan on the stove and heat on medium-high.
Once the sauce starts to bubble, add the cod pieces to the pan.
Gently mix the cod around the pan, turning occasionally to ensure all surfaces become coated in the sauce. Continue to stir over the heat until the sauce has thickened to a syrup-like consistency.
Once thickened, remove from the heat.
Serve up your homemade teriyaki cod with a sprinkle of chopped green onions and sesame seeds, and enjoy!
Jump to Full Recipe MeasurementsRecipe Update
This recipe was updated on July 21st 2023. The original recipe was made with whole cod fillets with the skin on. Since cod fillets are very delicate, I found they broke easily when cooking them in the teriyaki sauce. I changed the recipe to bitesize pieces to tackle this problem and added a marinating step in place of washing them with boiling water. This added an extra 10 minutes to the recipe.
If you want to follow the original recipe with whole fish fillets, watch my 15 minute teriyaki cod video displayed below.
FAQ
Teriyaki only uses 4 ingredients and each one plays an important part. Some recipes don’t use mirin. It’s possible to use more sugar instead of mirin. (Mirin is a sweetened rice wine)
Sake is more important and I don’t recommend switching it out. But if you have to, then you can try switching it for Chinese rice wine, dry sherry or even just plain water. (It won’t be so flavorful though.)
It’s a sweet soy glaze so of course, it’s sweet, a bit salty and a bit tangy.
Traditionally, teriyaki “sauce” is made up of just 3 ingredients in equal quantities: soy sauce, sake and mirin. However, these days it is common to add sugar as well to help make the sauce thicker and sweeter.
Each condiment holds equal importance, with soy sauce adding a deep, salty flavor that is rich in umami, sake contributing a touch of acidity and bitterness, and mirin balancing these flavors with its sweetness. It is for that reason, that it is not recommended to use substitute ingredients when making teriyaki.
Soy sauce, mirin and sake are pretty much the golden-trio of Japanese cuisine, so if you plan to cook Japanese food often, I highly recommend keeping a bottle of each in your pantry. You can also learn more about useful condiments for Japanese cooking in my post, 20 essential condiments used in Japanese cooking. Please check it out if you have time!
Teriyaki sauce can also be customized with additional flavors such as garlic, ginger or chili just to name a few. I personally like to add a small amount of dashi and honey to my teriyaki for added depth!
Teriyaki is one of the most versatile cooking methods in Japanese cuisine and you can essentially use it for any kind of meat, fish, tofu or vegetables! Here are just a few ideas:
Teriyaki Chicken
Garlic Teriyaki Chicken Donburi (rice bowl)
Teriyaki Salmon
Tofu Steak (with teriyaki-style glaze)
Tsukune (chicken meatballs with teriyaki glaze)
Whether you use it in stir fries, side dishes or simply as a sauce, there are endless possibilities when it comes to teriyaki!
I hope you enjoy this Teriyaki Cod recipe! If you try it out, I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below. It’s also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!
More Delicious Teriyaki Recipes
- Pork Chop Teriyaki with Lemon
- Pan Fried Japanese Teriyaki Salmon
- Teriyaki Beef Rice Bowl with Wasabi Twist
- The Best Crispy Japanese Teriyaki Chicken
Hungry for more? Explore my teriyaki recipe collection to find your next favorite dishes!
Quick and Easy Teriyaki Cod
Ingredients
- 150 g cod fillets or white fish of your choice (see in post for suggestions)
- 2 tsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu)
- 2 tsp mirin
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- cooking oil for frying
- finely chopped green onions optional garnish
- toasted white sesame seeds optional garnish
Teriyaki Sauce
- 2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu)
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 2 tbsp sake
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp dashi stock (optional) omit if you don't have dashi
- 1 tsp honey
My recommended brands of ingredients and seasonings can be found in my Japanese pantry guide.
Can’t find certain Japanese ingredients? See my substitution guide here.
Instructions
- Cut 150 g cod fillets into large bitesize pieces and place them in a bag with 2 tsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu) and 2 tsp mirin. Marinate in the fridge for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, start heating the cooking oil to 180 °C (356 °F) for shallow frying or medium for regular pan frying. While you wait for it to heat up, sprinkle 3 tbsp cornstarch onto a plate and coat the cod pieces generously all over.
- Once the oil is heated, place the coated cod pieces in the pan and fry for 2 minutes on each side or until golden and crispy.
- Remove from the oil and transfer to a wire rack to let the excess oil drain off.
- In a separate pan, add 2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu), 2 tbsp mirin, 2 tbsp sake, 2 tsp sugar, 2 tbsp dashi stock, and 1 tsp honey. Mix well and turn on the heat to medium-high.
- Once it starts bubbling, add the fried cod pieces.
- Gently stir to coat the cod and cook until the sauce thickens to a syrup-like texture. Once thickened, remove from the heat.
- Serve and drizzle any leftover sauce over the top. Garnish with finely chopped green onions and toasted white sesame seeds.
- Enjoy!
This was fire! I’ve never cooked teriyaki before. I almost never even order it at a restaurant. As I was following the recipe I kept thinking, “nah, this can’t be right…to much this…to much that.” When it was done and served over rice (your recipe, stove top) with steamed asparagus on the side, I could t believe how dynamic it was! The umami, the salt, sweet, and sake And how they all happened at once without becoming a blended generic flavor was so good. Thank you for making these recipes available to us!
Hi Jesse,
Thank you so much! I’m happy to hear you are enjoying the recipes and I love your idea of serving it with steamed asparagus!
I understand your feeling, it can be quite shocking to know how much of certain ingredients goes into cooking.
Thanks again,
Yuto
H Yuto, this looks amazing and I’m definitely going to try it but I am wondering why you use sugar *and* honey in the Teriyaki? As you said yourself “Teriyaki only uses 4 ingredients and each one plays an important part.” But you’ve added dashi and honey and I’ve not seen any other more traditional teriyaki recipe with these things in it – so it’s just making me curious why you added both sweeteners and the dashi.
Is it just to make it thicker and more syrup-like as it reduces so it clings to the fish? If so doesn’t it make it too sweet?
I’m not criticizing as this looks fabulous, just asking 🙂
Hi Mike,
Thank you for your question! You’re right that traditional teriyaki recipes only use those 4 ingredients, usually with a ratio of 2:2:2:1 (1 is the sugar) and if you see in the recipe I use less sugar and replace that with honey so it’s not too sweet. My main reason for using honey is to add a natural sweetness and different flavor element to a basic teriyaki, it also makes it thicker without having to cook for too long so it speeds up the cooking process a bit too. The type of sugar you use is one of the few ways you can add your own personal touch to teriyaki and I often use light brown cane sugar instead of white sugar as well. As for the dashi, this is something I’ve experimented with for a while and I love the extra umami it adds so now I use it every time I make teriyaki dishes!
Essentially, there are plenty of traditional teriyaki recipes out there so I wanted to put my own spin on it and improve the flavor even more without straying too far from the authentic ingredients.
Thank you so much and I hope you like the recipe!
Yuto
could I air fry or bake the fish instead of shallow frying it?
Hi Ori,
Thank you for the question!
I haven’t tried either of the methods so I cannot say 100%, but I don’t think this recipe will be suitable for air-frying or baking.
Yuto
This is a go-to dish now. Quick, simple and darn good. Usually serve with roasted broccoli in sesame oil and a small bed of Japanese rice.
Hi Garry,
Thank you for trying this recipe! I’m happy to hear this has become a go-to dish! 🙂
Yuto
Made this with tilapia. It was easy and quick to make. The teriyaki flavor was delicious and not overly salty. I like the idea of adding the fish to the sauce and allowing the cornstarch from the fish to thicken the sauce. I’ll definitely make this again.
Hi Christine,
Thank you for trying the recipe and sharing your experience with tilapia! I’m so glad you enjoyed the flavor. Thanks for letting us know it works well with tilapia – that’s really helpful for other readers too!
Yuto
I made this using Swai. It came out amazing. There were ingredients I didn’t have access to because of where I live so instead of koikuchi shoyu I used mirin and I replaced dashi stock with Mizkan brand Udon & Soba broth concentrate. It came out amazing and I’m making it again tonight. We eat it with basmati rice and steamed broccoli. My super picky husband said it’s better than anything similar he’s had at a restaurant.
Hi Laura,
Thank you so much for trying out this recipe! I’m happy to hear it turned out amazing with your substitutions! I’m also truly honored by your husband’s comment. Enjoy your dinner tonight!
Yuto