Sesame Ginger Baked Salmon in Foil
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A quick and easy Asian inspired salmon in foil recipe. Sesame ginger salmon baked in foil is tender and flakey. Brushed with sweet honey sesame ginger sauce that will have you craving more with every bite!
Simple dinners, oh how I love you. 
Salmon in foil. It’s totally become my favorite thing to make. This is the third salmon baked in foil recipe and i’m loving it just as much as the first one! Tender, flakey, flavorful salmon every single time. The secret is in the foil. It allows the salmon to steam and keeps it from drying out. The last couple minutes of broiling really help develop that jaw-dropping, hip-popping (um.. what?) caramelized color that makes me want to prance around the kitchen with a baking tray full of this stuff.
I’m telling you. This is another easy breezy sesame ginger salmon recipe that’s easy to pull together for weeknight dinners and those moments when you can’t figure out whats for dinner mainly because you really don’t want to stand in front of a hot stove for 30 minutes. –> Enter this sweet, spicy, caramelized salmon goodness that will have you doing just 10 minutes of prep work and eating in no time. Happy bellies make happy families, right?
Hangry is so not attractive.
Unlike my other salmon in foil recipes, this one has a glaze that not only flavors the fish but also makes a sauce. Which is perfect when you have a bowl full of rice that needs a littttttle bit of sauce to get all nice and flavorful to go along with that sesame ginger salmon.
Since this salmon recipe has a lot more sauce that goes in with it, be extra generous with the foil because a.) you don’t want to clean a pan that has caramelized honey stuck on there. OMG. Kill me now. NO. and b.) because that’s our sesame ginger glaze, man! We need to drizzle that stuff all over a big bowl of steaming jasmine rice and sprinkle it with just a hint of toasted sesame seeds and chopped scallions.
Comfort! Comfort! Comfort! It’s perfect for the rainy autumn days ahead.
And just look at that! Out it comes from the oven all caramelized and toasty. The last few minutes under the broiler really add all the color that the salmon needs. But don’t move! A few seconds too long and this beauty would dry out. Now hit it with a big handful of chopped scallions. Yumma-nomma-ding-dong! Can you tell i’m passionate about this by the way i’m just unleashing all my dorkiness?
I’ve said this before and i’ll say it again. When you bake salmon in foil it’s really important to splurge on the good quality salmon. Wild-caught is always best. The natural flavors of wild-caught salmon simply can’t be mimicked by the farm-raised stuff. I’ve found that using ‘pink salmon’ will leave you with a wet soggy mess! Especially in this recipe. Your sauce will not be the consistency you want it to be. It will most definitely be runny because of all the excess water your salmon will release. It’s not the recipe, it’s the salmon.
I encourage you to use Sockeye or Coho salmon. You can tell I used Sockeye because of it’s vibrant red orange color. My grocery store rotates a special on wild-caught salmon every couple of weeks. And though it’s a buck or two more per pound than farm-raised, it’s well worth it.
It’s all about that glaze with this salmon recipe.
Start by heating up the oil in a small saucepan and add in that garlic and ginger when it gets all nice and sizzly then comes the soy sauce and rice vinegar. Let it cook down just a tad, remove it from the heat and add in the honey and stir to combine.Drizzle in the sesame oil and your sauce is ready! Now just baste your salmon, and pour the remaining sauce around it.
Make sure your foil around the salmon in super sturdy. I did a single sheet, followed up a criss-cross sheet and another single one just in the center to cover the seams. If you pack your salmon this way, the chances of the sauce spilling over are slim to none.
Now sit back and be tortured for the 15 minutes it’ll take to bake/broil the salmon.
Baked salmon in foil. It’s light, it’s healthy, it’s flavorful.
This asian inspired salmon is going on my list of favorites. I just can’t get enough!
Sesame Ginger Baked Salmon in Foil
A quick and easy Asian inspired salmon in foil recipe. Sesame ginger salmon baked in foil is tender and flakey. Brushed with sweet honey sesame ginger sauce that will have you craving more with every bite!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pound wild-caught salmon (sockeye or coho)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon EACH: grated ginger, minced garlic, AND rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 5 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced (greens only)
Instructions
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375ºF. Tear three pieces of foil that are slightly larger than the baking sheet, large enough to wrap the salmon in. Place one piece of foil on the baking sheet, followed by the second one going the other way (like a cross) and the last one going the same direction as the first. This will ensure none of the sauce leaks out.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil and add the ginger and garlic and allow to sizzle for just 30 seconds, add the rice vinegar and soy sauce and allow the them to reduce for 30 seconds to a minute. Stir in the honey and remove from heat. Add the sesame oil and red pepper flakes.
- Place the salmon filet in the prepared foil, using a brush or spoon, brush the salmon with the sesame ginger sauce. Any remaining sauce can be poured around the salmon. Sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds. Wrap the foil so all sides are properly closed so the sauce does not leak.
- Bake salmon for 12-14 minutes or until firm (see note). Open the foil, spoon the sauce surrounding the salmon onto the fish, place under the broiler on for the 1-3 minutes, keeping an eye on the salmon so it does not burn. Remove from the oven, if your sauce is a little liquidy, allow the fish to rest for just 5 minutes. This will allow the sauce to thicken a bit. Serve with sliced scallions garnished on top.
Notes
- SALMON: I suggest using a good quality salmon for this recipe. Try to avoid using 'pink salmon' as this type of salmon is quite watery and will release lots of water in the baking process causing the sauce to be super runny.
- BAKING TIME: may vary slightly due to thickness of fish. Feel for firmness on the thickest part of the filet to make sure your fish is cooked through.
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10 Comments on “Sesame Ginger Baked Salmon in Foil”
i’ve made quite a few broiled teriyaki salmon recipes in my day but this is hands down the absolute best and i was ‘handicapped’ with using a side of farm raised sockeye but it was the most moist, delicious salmon i’ve ever had, i kid you not. it’s still warm from the oven but i had to write now lest i forget, lol. thank you for this truly heirloom-type recipe.
Im new to the salmon game but this looks amazing and thank you for the tips on what kind to buy. Trying it this week!
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OMG!!!! That was awesome
omg, it looks delish!!
I don’t know whether to buy toasted sesame oil or regular sesame oil.
What kind was used for this recipe, if you don’t mind?
Hi Lola, I used toasted sesame oil for this recipe. It does have a more pronounced flavor than regular sesame oil though. Either will work for this recipe, really just comes down to preference!
This salmon looks delicious! Pinned!!
Thanks for pinning, Kristen!
That is exactly dishes i love. On your photo i see that baking is perfect. It is very hard to bake salmon as you did. (i have to look about salon quality)
This looks delicious! I love any salmon dish with Asian flavors.