This easy paleo teriyaki salmon is made with a homemade teriyaki sauce that is so much yummier than any store bought version! It’s a flavorful start to an easy, mostly hands off meal that you can enjoy any day of the week!
Well, helllloooo! And happy 2019!
Wow. Always weird to say the number of the new year. It’s kind of cliche but it always sneaks up on me! I’m thinking we should embrace it with this yummy & easy dinner recipe because:
your 2019 needs this easy paleo teriyaki salmon.
It’s my favorite meal that I’ve made these past couple of months, and I foresee it coming back again and again in our weekly meal plan for three reasons:
- This salmon recipe is super easy to make – most of the cook time is hands off.
- SO YUMMY. Like so much flavor. With just the right sticky texture and a sweet to salty ratio that will keep you coming back for bite after bite. (The first time I made this recipe, my husband and I didn’t even bother eating off of plates. Literally devoured a whole batch straight off of the baking sheet. Savage I know, but don’t judge until you try this salmon for yourself! 😜)
I figured why not get the year started with a dinner that says: 2019, we are HERE – with some crazy delicious food in tow 💯
Food that is the equivalent of a power pose meal. Strong, bold, and good for your self confidence 😉
Before giving up gluten I used to looooove teriyaki salmon. But as you may know, many teriyaki sauces use soy sauce as the base, which contains gluten.
So I decided to make my own recipe for an ultra yummy, super saucy + flavorful teriyaki sauce. It pairs perfectly with salmon, but you could use it in a bunch of different ways.
Simmering up the sauce is the most time consuming part of this recipe, and that only takes about 15 minutes. Plus it’s make-ahead-friendly, so you could add it to your Sunday meal prep and tuck it into the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
The rest of the recipe is pretty hands off – so you can reclaim some of your evening time and still get a satisfying, crave-worthy dinner on the table.
how to make easy paleo teriyaki salmon
Step 1: Make the paleo teriyaki sauce
All you have to do is combine the sauce ingredients in a small pan and simmer them slowly until reduced to a thick flavorful teriyaki sauce. You’ll want to keep an eye on it and stir every so often so the sauce doesn’t boil over or stick to the bottom / sides of the pan.
The sauce will probably need to simmer for about 12-15 minutes – until thickened and reduced. Keep in mind that it will thicken up a little more as it cools.
Once it’s done, set the sauce aside to cool to room temperature. If you’re making it in advance you can store it in the refrigerator for up to a week until you’re ready to use, otherwise, continue with the recipe!
Step 2: Marinate the salmon
Add about 1/4 cup of the teriyaki sauce to your salmon (It should be just enough sauce to coat) and set the rest aside to serve on the side.
Marinate for about 30 minutes, or up to overnight.
Step 3: Bake the salmon
Once the salmon is ready, brush off any excess marinade and move to a lined baking tray. Don’t forget this part, as the sugar that’s in the marinade will caramelize in the oven and can cause a sticky, hard to clean up mess. I prefer to use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat for easy clean up, but you can also use aluminum foil – just make sure to brush it with a little bit of oil first.
For max flavor: when the salmon is just about done, brush it with a little extra teriyaki sauce and broil it for a minute or two for some nice crispy, caramelized bits on top <– YES.
Serve with a green veggie of your choice – we love to steam up some broccolini and toss it with a little sesame oil and salt, but you could also try green beans, kale or asparagus. Add a little cauliflower rice, white rice, or quinoa, and you’ll be in BUSINESS👌🏽!
Easy Paleo Teriyaki Salmon – Soy Free!
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 3–4 servings 1x
Description
This easy paleo teriyaki salmon is made with a homemade teriyaki sauce that is so much yummier than any store bought version! It’s a flavorful start to an easy, mostly hands off meal that you can enjoy any day of the week!
Ingredients
for the sauce
- 1/2 cup coconut aminos* (can try to substitute with tamari but I haven’t tested it – see notes)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon ginger, grated or minced
- 2 cloves garlic, grated or minced
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- hot sauce to taste (optional)
for salmon
- 1 pound fresh skin on salmon, kept whole or cut into 3 fillets
for garnish
- sesame seeds
- green onions
- cilantro
to serve
- green vegetable of choice
- rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice
- extra teriyaki sauce
Instructions
- Combine all teriyaki sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 12-15 minutes – until thick and reduced slightly. Keep in mind that the sauce will thicken even more upon cooling.
- Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. If you are in a hurry, transfer the hot sauce from the pan to a wide shallow bowl and it will cool more quickly. Additionally, you can move it to the refrigerator to cool even faster.
- While sauce is cooling, prepare the salmon. If desired, you can remove the scales from the salmon skin by scraping them off against the grain with a sharp knife over the sink. Clear away anything surrounding our sink because this process can be a little messy! Quickly rinse off scales under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Remove pin bones using tweezers or a needle nose pliers.
- Move cleaned and dried salmon filet to a pyrex or large bowl. Add 1/4 cup of cooled marinade and turn to coat.
- Once coated, turn the fish to that the flesh side is down and move to the refrigerator to marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight.
- Set the rest of the teriyaki sauce aside.
- When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 450.
- Once the salmon is ready, brush off any excess marinade and move to a baking tray lined with parchment paper, a silicone mat, or aluminum foil that is lightly coated with oil. Bake, flesh side up, for about 10-15 minutes, until just about done – basically when pressed with your finger the center of the filet should still feel a tiny bit soft. If you’re baking the salmon in one piece, it may take a little bit longer than 12-15 minutes, and if your salmon is on the thinner side, it will cook much faster – if it’s less than 3/4 inch thick I would check it after 8-10 minutes.
- Turn the oven up to broil and brush the salmon with some of the reserved marinade. Return to the oven and broil for about 2 or 3 minutes, watching it carefully so it doesn’t burn – just enough to caramelize and finish cooking.
- Remove from the oven and top with sesame seeds, cilantro, green onions. Serve alongside rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice, a nice green vegetable, and the reserved teriyaki sauce.
Notes
- If you want to try substituting the coconut aminos with tamari you may want to add a little more honey since coconut aminos are naturally sweet. I haven’t tested this substitution and I can’t guarantee it will reach the same sweetness and thick consistency.
- If you make the teriyaki sauce in advance and are using it out of the refrigerator, it will get quite thick. Before adding to the salmon to marinate you may want to: either leave it at room temperature for awhile or gently warm it on the stove top.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
Fiona Raikes says
Hi, how long can this keep for? And how would you store it?
Nyssa Tanner says
Hi Fiona! For the best flavor and texture I would cook the salmon just before serving. But if you want to cook a few pieces at a time and save some for leftovers you can totally do that too! It will keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. For the best re-heating method I would suggest either warmly it gently in the oven at 350, or on low heat in skillet, flipping a few times until it’s warmed through. Alternatively you could prep the sauce and salmon filets and keep them stored separately in the refrigerator until you’re ready to cook them!