Glazing a salmon is a great way to make your salmon fillet a delicious, complex meal. A lot of cooking is about balance: evening out sour, sweet, salty, bitter, and umami flavors. You can do this with salmon marinades quite easily, and it’s an easy way to create an elevated salmon dish even with basic cooking skills!
Though we’ve explored many salmon glazes in the past, this one is a classic. Brown sugar and soy sauce is the perfect blend of sweet and salty. Plus, the fish’s rich, umami taste adds another dimension of flavor. You can make this glaze in just minutes and the salmon bakes just as quickly. If your mouth is already watering, don’t delay. Grab this recipe and start cooking!
Brown Sugar Soy Sauce Salmon Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Oshēn salmon fillet
- 1/3 C soy sauce
- 1/3 C water
- 1/4 C olive oil
- 1/4 C packed brown sugar
- 1 tsp lemon pepper
- 1 TB lemon juice
- 4 minced garlic cloves
- 1 tsp of ground ginger
- 2 TB unsalted butter
- 1 TB Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
Step One
Preheat the oven to 375°. Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. It should be large enough to wrap all the way around the fillet once it’s ready.
Step Two
In a saucepan, combine the soy sauce, water, olive oil, brown sugar, lemon pepper, lemon juice, ginger, and garlic. Then, cook it over medium heat.
Step Three
When the sugar is fully melted, add butter and dijon mustard. Mix the ingredients in until the butter is melted and both the butter and mustard are fully combined. Then, remove it from the heat.
Step Four
Place the salmon fillet on the baking sheet skin side down. Season the fillet with salt and pepper. Then, pour your sauce mixture over the salmon. Finally, fold the aluminum foil around the salmon fillets. (Wrapping it in foil and baking it will make the salmon tender and flavorful.)
Step Five
Bake your brown sugar glazed salmon for 15 - 18 minutes. Then, open the foil and turn the oven to broil. Let it broil for 2 minutes just to crisp it up.
How to Make Brown Sugar Soy Sauce Salmon
Make double the glaze.
This sauce is really tasty. So, if you like a saucier salmon, or you’re planning to serve this over rice or quinoa, make double the glaze! It’s a delicious way to tie a whole meal together.
Substitute soy sauce with tamari or coconut aminos.
If you want healthier, gluten-free soy sauce alternatives, coconut aminos and tamari are great substitutes. They have less sodium too! Coconut aminos are made from tree sap. It’s naturally soy and gluten-free. However, tamari still has soy but is usually gluten-free. (Make sure to check, though, because not ALL of them are gluten-free.)
Use the air fryer instead.
If you want to make this in the air fryer instead of the oven, make the sauce as usual. Pour the sauce over the salmon. Then, put the salmon in the air fryer on 400° F for 8-10 minutes.
Grill it for another flavor dimension.
If you don’t like to pan fry or bake salmon, grill it instead! Preheat the girl to medium high heat before you begin. Then, lightly oil the grill grates. Either cook it in the foil bag or directly on the grill (skin side down). Cook it for 6-8 minutes or until the flesh flakes easily off with a fork.
Serve with potatoes and roasted vegetables.
Roasted vegetables add tons of extra earthy flavor to buttery-rich salmon! Pick one or two vegetables from this roasting guide, and then make some variations of potatoes. Roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, or baked potatoes balance out the light, flaky texture of the salmon with something heavy and hearty.
Continue the Asian inspiration.
Soy sauce and ginger are obviously Asian-inspired! You can double down on that and make a whole Asian-inspired meal including white rice, Japanese potato salad, green bean shiraae, and spicy edamame. Yum!
Add more citrus.
If you really love lemon salmon, you can cut the mustard and double all the lemon ingredients! This will add another layer of flavor to the salmon filet. That acid will cut through those sweet and salty flavors for a perfectly balanced dish.
Don’t skip the foil.
Keeping food in foil has a steaming effect that works perfectly for salmon! The aluminum foil protects the delicate protein from the direct heat, while the salmon reabsorbs all its juices to create a richer flavor. In fact, all the flavors come through stronger with a foil packet! Get that perfect, flakey salmon every time.
Brown sugar soy sauce salmon is the perfect quick meal!
Salmon is a versatile protein that can be cooked in a variety of ways. Whether you want a hearty pasta or a light salad, or whether you’re in the mood to grill or pan fry, salmon can satiate your appetite! Not only is salmon delicious, but it’s also nutritious.
This is especially true if you use sustainable, BAP certified, ocean-farmed fish like Oshēn salmon. You can grab your salmon fillets here using code FRESH for 15% off at checkout. Not only is our salmon top quality and humane, but it’s also guaranteed on your doorstep 7 days fresh than the competition.
If you’re looking for more delicious recipes to incorporate into your weekly meal plan, check out the recipe section on our blog. We’ll post new articles or recipes weekly! Additionally, if you love our salmon, don’t forget to subscribe to save and to join our Oshēn Club! There is no easier way to get quality salmon and add salmon into your regular healthy diet! What are you waiting for? Let’s get to cooking. You’re going to love this recipe!