Firecracker Salmon

Let me tell you about this Firecracker Salmon, it’s a total winner! With its delicious Asian sauce, it’s both easy and incredibly tasty, ready in just about 20 minutes.

If you’re like me and always on the lookout for a salmon recipe with a twist, this one’s for you. It’s got that perfect combo of salty, sweet, and a bit of heat that I absolutely love in my seafood.

We are always experimenting with new Asian flavors, from Filipino Adobo to Indo-Chinese Dragon Chicken to Japanese Curry. This is one of my new favorites.

The sauce is so jam packed with great flavors, and it pairs so well with the tender buttery salmon. Trust me, you’ll be coming back to this one again and again.

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Ingredients

Here are the things you will need. For exact measurements, please see the recipe card at the end of this post.

• Salmon – I prefer fresh salmon, but you can use frozen (thawed of course) if that’s all that is available.
• Soy sauce – Asian staple.
• Sambal oelek – In it’s absence you can mix some kind of hot sauce, sweet chili sauce and red chili flakes.
• Brown sugar – I sometimes use honey for a little different flavor profile.
• Ginger and garlic – Both freshly minced.
• Olive oil
• Salt & pepper

How to Make Firecracker Salmon

1. Prep: While my skillet is heating up (I prefer cast iron, but non-stick works too), I finely chop some ginger and garlic. Then, I mix them in a bowl with soy sauce, sambal oelek, and brown sugar to make the magical firecracker sauce.

2. Sear salmon: Next, I season my salmon with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. Once the skillet is hot, I add some olive oil, then I sear the salmon skin side down for about 4-5 minutes. After that, I flip the salmon and cook it for another 3-4 minutes.

3. Add sauce: Then, I pour in the sauce, give everything a good mix, and generously spoon the sauce all over the salmon. Done!

Recipe Tips and Tricks

• Control the heat: Adjust the amount of sambal oelek or substitute to suit your spice tolerance. The recipe can be easily modified to be milder or spicier.
• Skin-on for moisture: I always cook the salmon with the skin on because it helps retain moisture and prevents the flesh from falling apart.
• Don’t overcook: Salmon cooks fast, so it’s important not to overdo it or it can dry out. I know it’s ready when it flakes easily with a fork.

So there you have it friends, one flavor bomb of a salmon meal! Go beyond the “salt and pepper” routine and try this delicious recipe for dinner tonight. Please leave a comment or review when you cook this, I love hearing from you.

And be sure to subscribe to the GypsyPlate mailing list, we’re always cooking up new recipes for you!

Firecracker Salmon, on our Gypsy Plate… enjoy!

Try these other scrumptious salmon recipes!
Salmon with Mango Salsa
Baked Sockeye Salmon
Finnish Salmon Soup
Maple Pecan Salmon
Marry Me Salmon
Panko Baked Salmon
Salmon Patties

Firecracker Salmon

Yield: 2 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

This Firecracker Salmon is so tasty, with an incredible sauce. And it only takes about 20 minutes from start to finish!

Print

Ingredients

• 2 (8oz) salmon fillets
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sambal oelek (see note 1)
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 heaping tablespoon chopped garlic
• ½ tablespoon chopped ginger
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Make firecracker sauce: mix together soy sauce, sambal oelek, brown sugar, ginger and garlic in a bowl.
2. Rub 1 Tbsp olive oil on flesh side of salmon. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Heat remaining olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.
4. Add salmon, skin side down, to skillet and cook 4-5 minutes. Flip and cook an additional 3-4 minutes.
5. Flip salmon back over, pour firecracker sauce into skillet and coat the salmon well with the sauce. Cook until sauce is hot.

Notes

1. In absence of sambal oelek, use a mix of any hot sauce, sweet chili sauce and some red chili flakes. That being said, it is readily available in the Asian section of most grocery stores.
2. Leftovers: This is a great meal prep option. You can keep leftovers 2-3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Simply reheat in the microwave, or in a covered pan with a little water.

Nutrition Information

Yield 2 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 710Total Fat 49gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 37gCholesterol 143mgSodium 1617mgCarbohydrates 15gFiber 1gSugar 11gProtein 52g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.