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You won’t be able to resist the bright zesty flavors of this incredibly juicy Ginger Garlic Salmon. It’s super Quick + Easy to make and ready in under 15 minutes! You will definitely need to make extra as you won’t be able to eat just one fillet. It’s my GO-TO dish for weeknights when I’m too busy to spend tons of time in the kitchen cooking after my boys get home from school.
Grab your ingredients and let’s begin!
■ Salmon Fillets – Wild Caught is best, but I get it’s hard to get sometimes and Farm-Raised Salmon fillets work just fine in this dish.
■ Olive Oil – I always use good quality extra virgin olive oil for the flavors and aromas it brings rather than just that plain oily taste like low quality olive oil has.
■ Ginger Paste – I love using Ginger Paste that is ready to go so it saves my hands. You can use fresh ginger, but I found the paste works just as good in my opinion.
■ Dark Brown Sugar – Using dark brown sugar has a higher molasses content than light brown sugar and brings a richer flavor to the sauce. You can always substitute this for light brown sugar, but granulated sugar (the white sugar) just won’t cut it in this recipe.
■ Fresh Thyme + Parsley – Using fresh herbs is key for this recipe. The short time cooking the salmon fillets allows the herbs to release their natural oils and flavors.
■ Garlic – Fresh garlic is always best, but I get that sometimes it’s just easier to use the already minced garlic in that lovely little jar.
■ Lemon Zest– You will need the zest of the lemon. It cuts down on the acidity level while still providing that lovely citrusy taste. If you prefer to use lemon juice then use 2 tbsp of juice for each 1 tsp of lemon zest.
■ Dijon Mustard – My hands-down all-time favorite is Maille Dijon Mustard. It has that perfect Dijon taste you want and works perfectly in all of my dishes.
■ Soy Sauce – Use regular (light) soy sauce or even low sodium soy sauce to cut down on the sodium level. You can also use a dark soy sauce (it’s more viscus compared to regular (light) soy sauce) if you want a slightly sweeter deeper flavor and thicker sauce
■ Salt + Pepper – Need I say more on the importance of adding salt and pepper to a dish? If you must know, the salt is used to enhance the flavors os the dish while the pepper adds a little extra flavor that brings more depth to the flavors of the dish.
*** Salty Tip: For any dish that takes longer than 10-15 minutes to cook, I always try to add the fresh herbs near the end, so the flavor doesn’t break down too much. If it’s going to be cooking for a while that’s when I break out the dried herbs as they need more time to infuse the flavor into the dish.
If you have a whole salmon fillet, trim and then cut the salmon into 2.5 – 3 inch portion fillets. You can save the rest for another recipe or cook it all at once. When I make this dish I use the WHOLE fillet (minus the trimmed portions) since I always eat more than just 1 fillets cause it’s just THAT good!
** I save my trimmed pieces and cook them with nothing on it and feed to my pets for those amazing omega-3s to help with their immune system and give them that ultra shiny coat! Don’t have a pet, save those trimmings for a dish that you want that salmon flavor, but without a whole fillet. I will make a post about those recipe ideas in the future.
Making the marinade!
Grab a large shallow dish or even a gallon Ziploc bag and add in 4-5 tbsp olive oil, 2 packed tbsp brown sugar, 2-1/2 tsp ginger paste, 1-1/2 tsp lemon zest, 3 tbsp each of chopped fresh parsley and thyme, 2-1/2 tsp (or 1 tbsp if you’re a garlic lover like me) minced garlic, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, and 3 tbsp soy sauce. Mix together and pour half the marinade over the salmon fillets to coat them fully. Chill for 30 minutes, but up to 1-hour max.
Use all the remaining marinade for this sauce. Salt and pepper to taste. Microwave in a microwave-safe container for 30 sec to warm the sauce or in a small pot over low heat while you cook the salmon. It will give the sauce that extra thickness you want when you spoon it over the salmon.
In a cast iron skillet pan over medium heat, add 1-2 tbsp olive oil. Once it begins to shimmer, place 3-4 fillets and let cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked halfway up the fillet (you will see as it rises up the salmon fillet – there will be a line where it’s still raw). Then flip and cook the remaining 4-5 minutes or until thoroughly cooked through.
Once your salmon is fully cooked, transfer to a plate and spoon warmed sauce over each fillet, and top with some fresh parsley for garnish. These Ginger Garlic Salmon fillets pair perfectly with some Coconut Rice (from the Hawaiian Style Coconut Fried Rice recipe).
Let me know what you pair your Ginger Garlic Salmon with below in the comments!
• STORAGE: Store leftovers in an airtight food container for up to 2-3 days and reheat in the microwave until warm throughout.
Equipment
- 1 Cast Iron Skillet or large saute pan
Ingredients
- 4-6 Salmon fillets deboned + skin removed; 2.5-3 inch wide
- 2 tbsp olive oil for cooking
For the Marinade + Sauce
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp dark brown sugar tightly packed
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 ½ tsp ginger paste
- 1½ tsp lemon zest or 2½ tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp fresh parsley chopped + more to garnish
- 4 tsp fresh thyme
- 2½ tsp garlic minced
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- pinch salt + pepper Plus more to taste when cooking
Instructions
- Trim and cut the salmon into 2.5 - 3 inch portion fillets
- For the marinade: In a large shallow dish or gallon ziploc bag, add 4-5 tbsp olive oil, brown sugar, ginger paste, lemon zest, chopped fresh parsley and thyme, minced garlic, dijon mustard, and soy sauce. Mix to combine.
- Pour half the marinade over the salmon fillets to fully coat them. Chill for 30 minutes, but up to 1 hour max. Save the rest of the marinade for your sauce later.
- For the sauce: In a small pot warm the sauce over low heat for 10-15 minutes or Microwave in a microwave-safe container for 30 sec to warm the sauce.
- In a cast iron skillet pan over medium heat, add 1-2 tbsp olive oil. Once it begins to shimmer, place 3-4 fillets and let cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked halfway up the fillet (you will see as it rises up the salmon fillet - there will be a line where it's still raw). Then flip and cook the remaining 4-5 minutes or until thoroughly cooked through.
- When the fillets are cooked through, transfer to a plate and spoon on the warmed sauce over each salmon fillet then garnish with some fresh parsley.