Sesame Crusted Teriyaki Salmon

A quick and easy sesame-crusted pan-fried salmon recipe glazed with a sweet and sticky homemade teriyaki sauce

📝 Ingredients

• 2 salmon ((approx. 3 inches wide, 1.5 inch thick))
• sesame seeds
• salt
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2.5 tablespoons sugar ((or honey))
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic ((approx. 2 cloves))
• 1 teaspoon ginger ((grated))
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil ((mix it after sauce has finished cooking))
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 7 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 2 tablespoon water ((cold))
• green onions ((for garnish at the end))

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1--- Make the Teriyaki Sauce ---
2. 2Take the salmon out of the fridge and keep it at room temperature while you are making the teriyaki sauce
3. 3Wash and finely chop the green onions and set them aside for the very end as a garnish
4. 4Peel the garlic. Grate or finely mince the garlic and set it aside
5. 5Grate the ginger or finely mince it. If you are mincing it, make sure they are as small as possible. Alternatively, you can use 1 slice of ginger, and discard it after the sauce has finished cooking. Set the ginger aside
6. 6In a small bowl, mix the rest of the teriyaki sauce ingredients (soy sauce, sugar, rice wine vinegar, water) minus the sesame oil. Set it aside
7. 7In another small bowl mix the corn starch and cold water together and set aside
8. 8Set the stove to medium-low heat and set a small pot over it. Add a bit of oil and wait until it gets hot and shimmery. and toast garlic and ginger in oil for approx 1-2 mins or until light brown
9. 9Add the garlic and ginger into the pot and toast it for 1-2 minutes until it is light brown in color
10. 10Once the garlic and ginger are brown, add the sauce ingredients you previously mixed in a small bowl into the pot. Keep stirring the sauce and cook for 3-5 mins until it starts to bubble
11. 11Once the sauce starts to bubble, mix the corn starch slurry again in the small bowl (the corn starch may separate and settle on the bottom of the bowl) and pour it into the sauce, Keep stirring until the sauce has thickened
12. 12When the sauce has thickened, turn off the heat and mix in the sesame oil. Put a lid on the pot to keep the sauce warm while we cook the salmon
13. 13--- Prepare the Sesame Crusted Salmon ---
14. 14If you are rinsing the salmon or using a previously frozen piece of salmon, make sure to pat dry fish so that the sesame seeds don't slide off the fish
15. 15Lightly salt both sides of the salmon pieces
16. 16Place a layer of sesame seeds onto a plate and press the salmon onto the sesame seeds and flip the fish and do the same on the other side. Alternatively, you can lightly sprinkle the sesame seeds on each side of the salmon if you want to use less sesame seeds
17. 17Using dry hands, gently press the sesame seeds into the fish so that it sticks to it. If your hands are wet during this step, the sesame seeds will transfer off the fish and stick to your hands
18. 18--- Pan Fry the Salmon ---
19. 19Set the stove to medium heat and set a frying pan on top. Add a bit of oil and butter to the pan and wait until the butter has melted and the pan is hot
20. 20Gently place the salmon into the frying pan, and pan-fry it for 3-4 minutes per side. Your goal is to toast the sesame seeds to a light brown color while cooking the fish
21. 21Once the salmon has finished cooking, remove it from the frying pan and set it on a plate
22. 22--- Glaze the Salmon and Serve ---
23. 23Brush (or drizzle) the teriyaki sauce on top of the salmon and serve it with rice or some vegetables. I like to drizzle a bit of the teriyaki sauce onto my rice as well for some extra flavor
24. 24Sprinkle some green onions on top of the salmon and enjoy!