Teriyaki Salmon

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that my body was built on teriyaki. Between high school and college, I probably had some form of teriyaki at least two to three times a week! My favorite spots were Toshio’s Teriyaki on Rainier, which still serves some of the best chicken teriyaki in Seattle, and Teriyaki First, up on the Ave (RIP). While chicken might be the king of all teriyaki, Salmon Teriyaki is definitely right up there, too; it’s tender and flakey meat pairs perfectly with the teriyaki sauce and is one of my favorite weekday lunches or dinners because it’s so easy to make and comes together in less than half an hour!

What Kind of Salmon Should I Use?

The most commonly used type of salmon in teriyaki is farmed Atlantic Salmon, primarily due to its lower cost while still being buttery and flakey. Its mild flavor is amplified by the teriyaki sauce, resulting in a perfect bite that melts in your mouth! Now, if you wanted to be bougie, Sockeye or King Salmon would also be great options. Sockeye is a bit firmer and leaner, whereas King has a higher fat content that’ll make the dish even richer and more luxurious.

How to Make the Teriyaki Sauce:

The sauce comes together super quickly and combines soy sauce, sugar, mirin, sake, garlic, and ginger. For the soy sauce, I’m not too particular about which brand, and in my household, we buy the 2-quart Kikkoman jug from Costco as its price point and flavor are unmatched.

For the sake, I’ve actually been using a Vietnamese American rice wine from Blue Pheonix, and I’m a big fan of drinking it on its own, but also using it in my recipes. The Blue Phoenix rice wine has subtle notes of yuzu and pineapple, which goes perfectly with our teriyaki sauce. (My friends at Blue Pheonix are offering a 10% discount PLUS free shipping when you use my code: “FEEDTHEPUDGE”), if you’re interested! Otherwise, your favorite sake will still work wonderfully in this recipe!

My recipe calls for minced garlic and grated ginger. If you opt to use the same route, I suggest straining them out of the final product so that you’re left with a really smooth sauce. Otherwise, feel free to substitute both with their powdered form.

Lastly, I’ll go on record by saying that I typically prefer a lighter and thinner teriyaki sauce – BUT, for salmon in particular, I do like a thicker sauce that really glazes the salmon and sticks to it.

Make it a Complete Meal with the Teriyaki Salad Dressing:

No teriyaki plate is complete with the iceberg salad. Give me that over the steamed or sauteed veggies, ALL DAY, EVERY DAY. If you’re looking for the salad dressing recipe, make sure you check it out here. This recipe also happens to be my most popular and viral recipe, with over 5M views across all social media platforms!