This easy salmon recipe is perfect for busy weeknights. With a simple 3-ingredient Asian-style glaze, brushed over pan seared salmon and garnished with fresh cilantro, crunchy peanuts and a squeeze of lime juice, this glazed salmon hits every part of your palate.
Table of Contents
- 1 Why you’ll love this easy salmon recipe:
- 2 Ingredients for sweet and spicy glazed salmon recipe
- 3 How to make glazed pan-seared salmon:
- 4 What’s the best salmon for this recipe?
- 5 Pro-Tip:
- 6 What’s the best way to pan sear the salmon?
- 7 Simple Variations
- 8 FAQ’s
- 9 What to serve with Asian style glazed salmon?
- 10 Sweet and Spicy Salmon
- 11 Pin it for later:
Why you’ll love this easy salmon recipe:
This is one of those quick and easy recipes that produces big flavor with a minimum of effort. Those are my FAVORITE kind.
The glaze for this salmon is based on the same sauce I use for this tuna poke recipe. It’s sweet, spicy and absolutely addictive. After making it multiple times, and getting raves from my diners, I knew I needed to share this pan seared salmon with you. It’s THAT good.
This easy salmon recipe delivers big, bold flavors that taste like you should be eating out at a fancy restaurant.
Ingredients for sweet and spicy glazed salmon recipe
- Atlantic Salmon
- Soy Sauce
- Sweet Chili Sauce
- Sriracha
- Butter
- Olive Oil
- Salt & Pepper
- Cilantro
- Scallions
- Peanuts
- Sesame Seeds
- Lime
How to make glazed pan-seared salmon:
- Combine the soy sauce, sweet chili sauce and sriracha in a small bowl and mix well. Set aside.
- Pat dry the salmon filets and season with salt and pepper.
- Heat a nonstick pan over medium high heat and add the butter and olive oil. When the butter foams and bubbles, add the salmon to the pan and sear for about one minute.
- Flip the salmon and brush with half of the glaze.
- Sear for one minute, then flip the fish brush with more glaze and cook for one minute more.
- Remove from the heat and transfer the fish to a plate or serving platter.
- Sprinkle on the sesame seeds, peanuts, scallions and cilantro. Serve with a wedge of lime to squeeze over the fish.
What’s the best salmon for this recipe?
Although you can use any that you like, Atlantic salmon is preferred for this recipe. Why? Atlantic salmon (farmed or wild) has a fattier flesh (you can see the white streaks in the fillet) which translates to more flavor and a better mouth feel for this preparation.
Look for thicker piece of fish (the thicker the portion, the easier it is to cook it to a medium rare).
I actually used a large piece of farm-raised salmon that I found at Costco for this recipe. Generally, they sell farmed salmon in two to two and a half pound pieces. Because there’s only two of us in the house, I usually portion the fish into two or three pieces and wrap them well in double coated freezer paper to freeze for anytime I’m in the mood for a seafood dinner.
Pro-Tip:
Slice the salmon into individual portions before pan searing and glazing, that way you don’t need to worry about the fish flaking apart when serving.
What’s the best way to pan sear the salmon?
I used a non-stick skillet for searing the fish, but you can also use a hot, heavy bottomed stainless steel or cast iron skillet. Just be sure the pan is hot BEFORE you add the butter and olive oil.
We prefer to sear the fish on both sides, but not cook it completely through, so that the interior is warmed but still pink and soft. This gives the fish a luxurious mouth feel that practically melts when it hits your tongue.
Use a pair of tongs or a fish spatula (affiliate link) to flip the delicate salmon. Don’t worry if it breaks, it’s not the end of the world.
Combined with the sweet and spicy Asian style glaze, this pan seared salmon is rich and unctuous. The bright, fresh flavors and textural contrasts between the perfectly seared fish and the toasted sesame seeds and crunchy peanuts is a wonder.
A squeeze of lime juice and sprinkling of cilantro and green onions add a bright pop of freshness to the glazed salmon.
Although you don’t have to use all of the toppings for this easy salmon recipe, the more you can use, the better. Each one takes this dish to a new level and it doesn’t take much effort.
Simple Variations
- If you don’t have peanuts, swap them for toasted sliced almonds or macadamia nuts for crunch.
- Add other fresh herbs like chopped mint, parsley or Thai basil.
- For a lower calorie meal, skip the butter and oil and use a nonstick vegetable spray to pan sear the salmon fillets before glazing.
FAQ’s
It’s really best when assembled at the last minute.
Yes. Look for flaky fish with a higher fat content. You can try this with seared tuna, halibut or
Yes, and in fact, skin on fish will help hold the filet together when pan searing and flipping.
What to serve with Asian style glazed salmon?
We like this pan seared salmon over steamed rice or couscous for an easy dinner for busy weeknights. If you’d like to serve it with a vegetable side dish, try one of these simple ones:
More popular salmon recipes you’ll love:
- Pesto Salmon – this is the most popular salmon recipe on the site.
- Crunchy Salmon Cakes – Best we’ve ever had.
- Smoked Salmon Omelette – Very popular on Pinterest.
- Plank Grilled Salmon with Tomato Fennel Ragout – Under-rated. This one is phenomenal.
- Hoisin Maple Asian Glazed Salmon – My friends’ recipe is easy, healthy and delicious.
- Cedar Planked Salmon Sliders – Can’t get enough of these glazed salmon sliders & BBQ sauce.
- Bourbon Brown Sugar Glazed Salmon Sweet and sticky.
- Spiced Pan Seared Salmon – This has been in our regular dinner rotation for 10 years.
Sweet and Spicy Salmon
Ingredients
- 1 pound salmon fillets preferably Atlantic salmon
- 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons sweet chili sauce
- ¾ tablespoon sriracha
- 2 teaspoons butter
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- sprinkle salt and pepper to season fish
FOR GARNISH:
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves
- ¼ cup roasted peanuts roughly chopped
- 3 scallions thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- lime wedges
Instructions
MAKE THE SRIRACHA GLAZE:
- In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, sweet chile sauce and sriracha. Whisk to combine.
FOR THE SALMON:
- Slice the salmon filets into 4 equal sized slices. Pat the fish dry with paper towels and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add the butter and olive oil. When the butter starts to foam and get bubbly add the salmon filets and sear on one side for 1 minute. Flip the fish and brush with glaze.
- Sear for one minute, then flip again and brush each fillet with more glaze. Remove from heat. (Note: I like to keep the center of the fish rare. If you prefer it cooked all the way through, continue to cook and glaze the fish until you get to the doneness you prefer.)
- Transfer the fish to a serving platter or plates and garnish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds, scallions, peanuts and fresh cilantro. Squeeze a lime wedge over the salmon.
Nutrition
Pin it for later:
We love salmon and I always have ingredients on hand for anything Asian! My guests were so impressed with this. Served with asparagus and jasmine rice. Definitely making again!