Tender and flaky bites of salmon are coated with a ginger sesame sauce, all cooked together in one pan, and ready in about 20-25 minutes. Serve with some rice and vegetables and you have a quick and easy (and healthy!) dinner on the table!
This is one of my Seafood recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
With the new year, a lot of us are making resolutions and starting new ways of eating.
If you’re trying to eat healthier, or maybe just to eat more seafood, then I have a great recipe for you!
These salmon bites cook quickly, and completely mouthwatering thanks to the simple ginger sesame sauce.
We all know how nutritious salmon is… loaded with omega 3’s, high in protein and tons of vitamins, so I’m glad I can enjoy those benefits. And now, so can you!
You won’t believe how such a simple recipe can pack SO much flavor. And it’s ready in less than 30 minutes.
How to make ginger sesame salmon bites?
This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.
- Mix sauce. Just give it a whisk to combine.
- Sear salmon. Let them cook for a couple of minutes, then flip and continue cooking.
- Pour in sauce. Once you’ve poured it in, cover the skillet and cook another few minutes.
- Baste with sauce. As the salmon is cooking the last few minutes, flip and baste the salmon as it cooks.
- Serve. Serve hot, garnished as desired.
Helpful Tip!
I prefer to buy fresh salmon from the seafood counter of my grocery store, instead of frozen filets in bags, since those tend to be very thin. Cooking Light has a great article on how to pick the best salmon at the grocery store. Also, salmon can go “off” or bad pretty quickly, so I prefer to buy my salmon no more than 1 day ahead of time.
Variations of this recipe
- Types of salmon – where I’m located, Atlantic salmon is what’s most readily available, but your favorite type of salmon will work in this recipe.
- Sauce – if you’d like a bit more sweetness, add more maple syrup. More strong flavors? Add more ginger or garlic. Long story short, please feel free to adjust the sauce to your tastes.
- Ginger – if you don’t have fresh ginger, you can use 1 Tbsp of ginger paste (gourmet garden is the brand I like to use).
- Extra saucy – if you’d like additional sauce, for drizzling, please feel free to double each of the sauce ingredients.
- Doneness – The USDA recommends salmon be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F. However, some people prefer their salmon to be more rare or more well-done, like a steak. To be on the safe side, I stick to the USDA’s recommendation though.
FAQ’s
I don’t believe this recipe would be considered keto, since it uses maple syrup. However, there may be keto or low carb alternative to that ingredient that would work well for this recipe. I do think it would generally be considered lower carb, since my calculator shows a serving of this recipe as containing 7g carbs (not including any optional rice for serving). I do advise running this recipe through your own nutritional calculator, since I wouldn’t want to inadvertently pass out any incorrect information.
The most accurate way to tell is to use an internal thermometer. These are generally inexpensive, and invaluable in the kitchen. If you have one, the temperature you’re looking for is 145°F, which is what the USDA recommends for safety. However, some people prefer their salmon at different levels of doneness, so please do so at your own discretion. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can also gently press down on the filet with a fork. If it flakes easily and separates along the white lines running through the fish, then it’s done.
Making salmon bites ahead of time
Since seafood tastes best when made fresh, I don’t recommend making this recipe ahead of time.
However, you can definitely prep ahead if you’d like.
- Sauce – the sauce can be whisked together and refrigerated. Before using it in the recipe, make sure to let it come close to room temperature and give it a good whisk.
- Rice – I know rice isn’t a part of this recipe per se, but it’s a great side dish to make with this salmon. If you do want to have rice, it can be made ahead of time and kept refrigerated.
Storage
Any leftover salmon should be refrigerated in an airtight container and consumed within 3 days.
More Seafood Recipes:
My Favorite Microplane!
A microplane like this one, is a fine grater that’s amazing for zesting citrus, grating cheese, grating garlic, or grating ginger!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 1/2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 1/2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger finely minced or grated
- 3 tsp toasted sesame seed oil
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 lb. salmon filet cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
Garnishes
- black and white sesame seeds
- green onions sliced thinly
Instructions
Make sauce
- In a small mixing bowl, combine soy sauce, vinegar, maple syrup, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and black pepper. Whisk to combine well.
Sear salmon
- Heat a large heavy bottomed skillet with a lid (you'll need the lid later – or if you don't have a skillet with a lid, you can use foil later), over MED HIGH heat. Once hot, add vegetable oil.
- Add salmon pieces in a single layer, and let them cook undisturbed for about 2 minutes. Gently flip salmon pieces over and cook an additional 1-2 minutes on the other side.
Add sauce
- Pour the sauce into the skillet, swirling it around to make sure the sauce is around each piece of salmon. Cover the skillet (or cover with foil if your skillet doesn’t have a lid), and cook for another 4-5 minutes, stirring and flipping the salmon occasionally, or until salmon is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork.
Taste
- Give the salmon and sauce a taste and see if it needs any salt, if so, add a pinch of kosher or sea salt.
Serve
- Serve hot, garnished with sesame seeds and green onions, and with rice if desired.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
- I’ve estimated this recipe serves 4, but please feel free to divide it up into as many servings as you’d like.
- If you don’t have fresh ginger, you can use 1 Tbsp of ginger paste (like gourmet garden brand).
- This recipe tastes best when using real maple syrup.
- We love to serve this salmon over my Garlic Ginger Rice, or plain white rice.
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Catalina says
I’m a huge fan of salmon, and these ginger sesame bites did not disappoint! I love how unique and tasty they are!
Erin | Dinners, Dishes and Dessert says
Such a fabulous dinner! That is definitely a must make!
Sandra says
This sounds perfect dinner on a busy weeknight! Looks so good!
Beth says
This sounds so good! I love the flaky salmon with that Asian sauce. YUM!