These teriyaki salmon bites are made with a quick marinade that gets turned into a saucy glaze with just a few minutes of cook time. It’s a flavorful, easy dinner recipe with a sticky homemade teriyaki sauce made from tamari (or soy sauce), mirin, lemon, maple syrup, garlic and ginger. With a sprinkle of fresh green onions and sesame seeds on top, it’s a recipe that will leave you wanting to lick your plate!
This recipe is for my teriyaki lovers! I’m fully in that club myself and can’t get enough of this simple yet divine blend of flavors. And as a bonus, with this recipe you’re in luck since you can capture all of that delicious teriyaki flavor without a long marinade time. Just 15 minutes will do, maybe 30 minutes for the over achievers.
No wasted marinade either! Since the marinade time is so short, once you simmer it can become a sauce without any food safety issues that you run into with re-using other marinades. The small size of those salmon nuggets helps the sauce soak in fast so it just all works perfectly.
As you might know by now, 30 minute dinner recipes are something I specialize in and this one won’t disappoint. Salmon bites were going crazy on TikTok awhile back which inspired me to create my saucy skillet honey garlic salmon bites recipe. Those turned out so good that I couldn’t help myself and had to hit you with another quick cooking salmon weeknight dinner!
You can serve this with plain white jasmine rice or my cabbage and carrot loaded simple teriyaki noodles recipe for a delicious complete meal. Salmon bites work great as an appetizer too though so the recipe truly is flexible!
Ingredients
I tested this teriyaki salmon bites recipe multiple ways and decided to go with a tamari base for the salty umami flavor. This pairs with maple syrup for wholesome sweetness. I usually use coconut sugar or brown sugar but maple syrup stirs in fast and adds such a deep sweetness. It’s so good in this recipe!
I added a pop of lemon since it complements the fish nicely and helps mask any underlying “fishiness.” You can see the full cast of characters in the image below and the recipe card.
How to Make Teriyaki Salmon Bites
I tested the recipe several ways and a skillet truly is the best cooking method. This way they get a good sear on them and you can simmer the sauce in the same skillet without dirtying another pan. That being said, you can cook them in your air fryer if you prefer. We’ve got instructions for both in the recipe card!
Here is how you make them the best way though:
- Stir sauce ingredients together. Since we’re just using liquids, a spoon should work fine for this.
- Add salmon pieces to the sauce and marinade for 15 – 30 minutes at room temperature. During this time you can start a pot of rice. You can also slice up the green onions and do any other dinner prep or clean up that is needed.
- Bring a skillet with a large base to medium-high heat. Add avocado oil and tilt the pan to spread the oil evenly across it.
- Quickly place the marinated salmon cubes into the pan, spaced out in a single layer. Let them sear for about 2 minutes.
- Flip the salmon bites over, moving fast and making sure to start with the ones that have been cooking the longest.
- Pour the teriyaki marinade into the pan. Let it come to a simmer, tilting the pan to spread sauce evenly throughout.
- Use a flat thin spatula to remove the cooked salmon nuggets from the heat.
- The sauce will most likely still be thin. If it is, return the pan with the remaining sauce back on stovetop for 1-2 more minutes to thicken it up. Once it has thickened, use a basting brush or spoon to coat the top of the salmon bites with the teriyaki glaze.
- Sprinkle black or white sesame seeds and green onion on top along with a drizzle of chili crisp oil, crushed red pepper flakes, gochugaru or whatever spice you prefer or leave it non-spicy. Enjoy your delicious meal!
I also have a recipe for homemade teriyaki sauce that you can serve with it. It is totally extra and unnecessary but if you’re a sauce lover, you can quickly whip up a batch to serve for the rice or as a dipping sauce. If you do this, you can just use the same pan you cooked the salmon in.
Recipe Tips for Perfect Salmon
Recipe Tips
- Use fresh salmon! And yes, frozen is fine, often even fresher than what you’ll find at the grocery store fish counter. Just make sure to use it quickly once it defrosts or a fishy flavor can develop. Wild-caught salmon is best in my opinion but buy the best quality you can afford.
- Move quickly so the salmon doesn’t overcook. It only needs a few minutes to sear and overcooks fast so you’ll need to move fast. I always add the fish cubes to the left side of the pan first, making my way to the right and follow that sam pattern when I flip them to avoid overcooking.
- Use a large based skillet and don’t crowd the pan or the salmon will steam instead of searing. You need space between the salmon pieces. This is not a good recipe to double unless you have a ginormous skillet.
- Use a thin metal spatula for flipping so the seared edge doesn’t stick to the pan.
Storing Leftovers
As with most fish recipes, this one is best eaten fresh. That being said, you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and rewarm or eat cold. It should still taste okay for up to 3 days but this will depend on how fresh your fish was.
Best Teriyaki Salmon Bites – in a Skillet with Sauce
Equipment
- Medium bowl
- Large rimmed skillet
- Flat spatula for sautéing and flipping
Ingredients
- 1 lb. salmon filet skin and bones removed and sliced into 1 inch (2.5cm) cubes
- 2 Tablespoons avocado oil divided (can substitute sesame oil)
Teriyaki sauce
- 1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons mirin
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice fresh squeezed (can sub rice vinegar)
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup can substitute honey, coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon minced or grated ginger
Garnishes (optional)
- Sesame seeds
- Sliced green onion
- Chili crisp oil sriracha or garlic chili sauce
Instructions
- In a medium bowl mix teriyaki sauce ingredients together.
- Add salmon cubes and marinate for 15 – 30 minutes on countertop (can marinade up to 2 hours maximum but must refrigerate if more than 30 minutes).
- Bring a large rimmed skillet to medium-high heat and add 1 Tablespoon avocado oil, tilting pan to cover the skillet. Oil should be warm enough to spread easily across the pan without smoking.
- Place salmon cubes into the pan, reserving marinade. Let sear for about 2 minutes.
- Flip each salmon cube over using a flat thin spatula starting with the ones that you added to the pan first.
- Pour teriyaki marinade into pan and let come to a simmer while salmon cooks (1-2 minutes). Tilt pan to spread sauce throughout the pan.
- Remove salmon bites from heat and place on a serving plate, individual bowls on top of rice or however you want to serve it.
- If sauce is thin, return pan with sauce back on stovetop for 1-2 minutes to thicken the sauce and then spoon on top of salmon cubes.
- Garnish with sesame seeds, green onion and chili crisp oil and serve right away.
Notes
- To prep salmon, remove any bones with tweezers and use a sharp knife to peel the skin away.
- It’s best eaten fresh but can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and rewarm or eat cold.
- To make in the air fryer:
- preheat to 400° (205° C).
- Add marinaded salmon cubes to air fryer basket or tray leaving space between each one (can line with parchment to make clean up faster).
- Air fry for 4-6 minutes until cooked but not overly dry.
- While salmon is cooking, simmer marinade in a small sauce pan over medium heat, whisking to prevent burning, until it reduces and thickens (3-5 minutes).
- Gently toss salmon cubes in sauce, garnish and serve immediately.
Nutrition
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