Maple Teriyaki Glazed Salmon is a twist on a classic teriyaki dish. This recipe sounds more complicated than it really is to make. Chefs are notorious for mixing up teriyaki ingredients and making new flavors, but the recipe really stems from traditional Japanese dishes. A favorite classic is simple sweet potatoes glazed with teriyaki and garnishes with sesame seeds. Also salmon teriyaki is very well known. In this recipe we combine the two to make a one pan complete meal!
What defines teriyaki, and why shouldn’t I just buy it in a jar?
Maple Teriyaki Glazed Salmon is so easy to make, we will explain why you don’t need to buy the sauce! Teriyaki is a complex sweet sauce, usually made up of slow cooked soy sauce, with sugars, mirin and sake cooking wines reduced with scallion, ginger, and garlic until a syrup forms. Sometimes you will se additions of chile flakes, bonito flakes, or other flavor additives. In restaurants large batches are brewed then allowed to sit after carefully cooking slowly in order to not burn. The overall process is actually quite simple. Sometimes the sweeteners are substituted with palm sugars, brown sugars, piloncillo, honey or agave, or molasses. We like to use maple for its rich complexity and relatively lower glycemic content. It also add a certain unique earthiness and tends to have a stronger sweetening power thus using less. Also store bought varieties may contain corn syrup or other additives.
Other things you may consider with this recipe:
This recipe is mouth watering on its own, especially in the fall months. However you can use this base recipe and make a few changes if you enjoy it and want to repeat with some experimentation.
- Try just the salmon with the teriyaki and serve with rice
- Try just the sweet potatoes as a side dish
- Substitute the salmon for other proteins such as pork tenderloin, black cod, braised ribs, or tofu
- Add bacon for more umami flavor profiles
- Add lemon for a citrusy contrast
- Try other vegetables such as cauliflower, spinach, mushroom, turnips, or daikon
Maple Teriyaki Glazed Salmon
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound Salmon skin on preferably. We like Scottish Salmon for this recipe and others
- 1 pound Sweet potatoes peeled and diced into cubes, about one inch
- 1 tsp Ginger peeled and finely chopped
- 1 tsp Garlic finely chopped
- 2 ounces Low sodium soy sauce
- 2 ounces Mirin
- 1 ounce Maple syrup
- 1 tbsp Canola oil
- .5 tsp Sea salt
- .5 tsp Black pepper
- 1 tsp Sesame seeds
- 1 tsp Chives optional, or chopped scallion
Instructions
- Prep the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- Peel and dice the sweet potatoes into one inch cubes
- On the stove top, heat the saute pan on high. Add the canola oil and wait until whisps of smoke appear. Make sure the filet is dry (you can use a paper towel to dry). Season with the salt and pepper. Carefully place the salmon into the pan and lower the heat to medium. Allow to roast until the skin becomes crispy.
- Carefully flip the filet with a spatula, then add the ginger and garlic to the pan. Allow to brown for about 10 seconds, then add the sweet potatoes.
- Roast in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes become soft but retain their shape. Remove from oven and return to the stove top. Add the mirin over medium heat and allow to deglaze and evaporate slightly. Add the maple syrup then the soy sauce. The whole process should only take a few seconds to become a syrupy glaze. Be careful not to scorch or overcook as it will burn quickly. Remove from heat and garnish with the sesame seeds and chives. Bon appetite!
