Fresh salmon gets chopped into bite-sized cubes then pan-seared to crispy tender perfection in this simple yet amazing Crispy Sesame Salmon Recipe. Sweet and savory sticky salmon will surely bring life to your weeknight meals!
If you’re like me and your affinity for crispy salmon runs deep, you’ll delight in the fact that each and every bite of this Crispy Sesame Salmon greets you with perfect texture.
Because the salmon is chopped into cubes and then pan-seared in a skillet for maximum surface area crisp, the salmon turns out undeniably maximally crispy, yet it remains tender on the inside and has a flavorful Asian flair.
I enjoy the sticky salmon with Coconut Rice, Asian Cucumber Salad, and sauerkraut or kimchi, but you can also serve it up with your favorite sides.
Make a fun bowl out of it with avocado, mango, edamame, and your favorite Vegetable Fried Rice.
When your bowl is fashioned up, you’re in for an amazing unique meal to keep healthy weeknight healthy eating fun and interesting.
Let’s discuss the fresh, simple ingredients for this recipe.
Ingredients for Crispy Sesame Salmon:
Fresh salmon filets (I use King salmon or Atlantic salmon), coconut aminos, toasted sesame oil, avocado oil, garlic, and rice vinegar.
This combination of ingredients makes for a sweet and savory delicious Asian sesame salmon.
For Crispy Salmon Bowls:
If you’re doing as I did and turning the crispy salmon into bowls for a complete meal, make my Asian Cucumber Salad, steam up some white rice or brown rice, chop some green onions, and pick up some kimchi or sauerkraut from the grocery store.
You can drizzle the rice with low sodium soy sauce, coconut aminos, fresh lemon juice, or teriyaki sauce for more flavor if you’d like, and squirt everything with sriracha for a nice kick.
Recipe Customizations:
- Consider adding red pepper flakes or sriracha to the sauce ingredients to kick up the heat or your favorite teriyaki sauce for an even saucier adventure.
- For sesame ginger salmon, add 1 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger to the skillet while you’re cooking it. You can also add orange zest for citrusy flair.
- Substitute soy sauce or liquid aminos for the coconut aminos if you’d like. If you do so, I suggest adding 2 teaspoons of pure maple syrup to make a sweet sauce, as coconut aminos has a natural sweetness that soy sauce lacks.
Let’s make this amazing salmon recipe!
How to Make Crispy Sesame Salmon:
In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the coconut aminos (or soy sauce), rice vinegar, garlic, and sesame oil. Set aside until ready to use.
Chop the salmon into cubes (if you prefer your salmon skinless, you can cut the skin off and discard it before chopping it. I leave the salmon skin on).
Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over high heat and allow the skillet to heat up for a couple of minutes.
Carefully place salmon cubes on the hot surface of the skillet. Allow them to cook undisturbed for 2 to 4 minutes. Carefully flip salmon cubes to another side using tongs and cook for an additional 2 to 4 minutes, until two sides are deeply golden brown.
Pour the sauce into the skillet and gently swish it around until all of the salmon is exposed to sauce. Cover the skillet and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes, stirring/flipping occasionally), or until the salmon has cooked through.
Salmon is considered fully cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
You can use a meat thermometer to spot check the fish by inserting the thermometer into the largest pieces.
The exact cook time will vary depending on the size of the chunks and the temperature of the fish before it goes into the skillet.
Taste the salmon for flavor and add more coconut aminos, rice vinegar, or a splash of fresh lime juice, and a sprinkle of sea salt to taste.
Serve the crispy sesame salmon with your choice of side dishes.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Recipe Tips:
- For the best result, use fresh salmon filets instead of frozen salmon, as the texture turns out perfectly. If you only have access to frozen salmon, thaw it completely before proceeding with the recipe.
- If you have the time, marinate the chopped salmon in the marinade ingredients for up to 24 hours prior to cooking it. This gives the salmon even more flavor!
- Get creative by picking your favorite bowl ingredients! Seaweed salad and crab salad will give you a sushi bowl vibe. Sautéed or stir fry veggies will add bulk, fiber, and vitamins to the meal. A simple green salad or cauliflower rice is a great low-carb option as well.
When all is said and done, this simple recipe can easily be a 30 minute meal from start to finish, depending on what else you’re making to accompany it.
Enjoy cooking Asian-inspired food at home? Check out my Easy Honey Garlic Chicken and Asian Baked Boneless Chicken Thighs for more crispy yet tender meat.
If you are a huge salmon fan, also check out some of these healthy dinner recipes!
More Delicious Salmon Recipes:
- Salmon Poke Recipe
- Mediterranean Salmon in Parchment Paper
- Crispy Skillet Salmon with Lemon Caper Dill Sauce
- Creamy Tuscan Salmon
- Teriyaki Salmon
Enjoy this healthy salmon recipe for weeknight meals or meal prep!
Crispy Sesame Salmon Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 lb salmon chopped into bite-sized chunks
- 3 Tbsp coconut aminos or soy sauce*
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 5 large cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- Sea salt to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the coconut aminos (or soy sauce), rice vinegar, garlic, and sesame oil. Set aside until ready to use.
- Chop the salmon into cubes (if you prefer your salmon skinless, you can cut the skin off and discard it before chopping it. I leave the salmon skin on).
- Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over high heat and allow the skillet to heat up for a couple of minutes. Carefully place salmon on the hot surface of the skillet and allow them to cook undisturbed for 2 to 4 minutes before flipping them to another side and cooking for an additional 2 to 4 minutes, until two sides are deeply golden brown.
- Pour the sauce into the skillet and gently swish it around until all of the salmon is exposed to sauce. Cover the skillet and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes, stirring/flipping occasionally), or until the salmon has cooked through. Salmon is considered fully cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 130 degrees Fahrenheit. You can use a meat thermometer to spot check the fish by inserting the thermometer into the largest pieces. The exact cook time will vary depending on the size of the chunks and the temperature of the fish before it goes into the skillet.
- Taste the salmon for flavor and add more coconut aminos, rice vinegar, or a splash of fresh lime juice, and a sprinkle of sea salt to taste.
- Serve the crispy sesame salmon with your choice of side dishes. I love the salmon with steamed white rice, Asian Cucumber Salad, kimchi (or sauerkraut), chopped green onion and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
Do you have any suggestions if I am out of sesame oil? Would love to make tonight but if you think it wouldn’t work if I omit then I will save recipe for another time! Thanks in advance
Hi Kristie! You can replace the sesame oil with any cooking oil you have (olive oil, avocado oil, canola oil, etc). The purpose of the sesame oil is to help marinate the salmon and also to add flavor. So you’ll be missing the sesame flavor but the recipe will still work with an alternative oil. Happy cooking!
This is my preferred recipe for cooking salmon. It is so tasty and there are so many ways that you can add other ingredients (like the minced ginger or chili oil) to add another layer of goodness. Thank you for sharing this great recipe.
My pleasure, Barbara! I’m thrilled to hear you enjoy the recipe! xo
I poked through a few sesame salmon recipes online before settling on this one, because I knew it could be this simple. The recipe worked out well. The cook on the salmon, the crispiness, was great. My husband objected to the quality of salmon I purchased 😵💫, but that was my fault. Made a couple tweaks based on what I had on hand:
I used garlic confit in the sauce and blended it with an immersion blender, and the result was a bit of a thicker sauce that needed the oil drained off. The taste was amazing but the texture and visual wasn’t that great. Open to any suggestions on how to do that better!
Topped with furikake. Definitely recommend!
The recipe doesn’t say what you did with the garlic – the photos show chopped or minced?
Hi Daniel! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback! I’m happy the recipe turned out well and the tweaks you shared sound so great! For the visual, it could be that the sauce needed some extra stickiness for a lacquered appeal. I find that if I stick with coconut aminos, I get that glazed look and when I use soy sauce, I often get a duller look. Hope that helps!
You nailed it regarding the garlic – it needs to be finely chopped/minced before use.
Thanks so much for taking the time to share your experience! xo
Absolutely delicious. Perfectly simple and followed exactly. My husband adores this. Flavors are perfect and not burnt at all. Have made before and will be making many more times in the future!
It came out great! I added a little chili oil to spice it up a bit but otherwise followed exactly as written. Thank you!
Ooh, I love that! Sounds great!
Wanted something quick for dinner. This was a great recipe. Easy to follow the recipe. It came out amazing, I didn’t change a thing. Served it with rice and an Asian salad. It felt healthy and the clean up was easy. Will keep this in the rotation.
That’s so great to hear, Janet! Thanks so much for swinging back around to share your experience! xo
Do you mince the garlic?
Hi Angela! My apologies for not being more specific! Yes, you’ll want to mince the garlic for the best result 🙂
Delicious! I love salmon, plus Asian flavours so this hit all the right spots! It’s so easy to make so it’s definitely one for a fuss free weeknight dinner, if needed. I served my salmon on top of jasmine rice and with a side of kimchi, yum!
Right?! I feel the same way – the flavors just make the salmon even better…it’s a real whirlwind for the taste buds. So happy you enjoy it, Debbie! I love it with rice and kimchi too 🙂 xo
This recipe is so delicious! I love Asian flavours so this definitely hit the spot. It is so easy to make this, instead of paying an extortionate amount outside.
I’m so happy you enjoy it, Debbie! I just love how simple it is to make, yet how flavorful it turns out. xo
Just made this for me and my 10yo daughter… insanely good. My daughter was so impressed with dads cooking tonight. Thank you
Aww yaaay! I’m so happy to hear it! Thanks for letting me know, John! xo
Currently enjoying this meal with your easy Asian cucumber salad recipe and some kimchi I bought at target. Delicious!!!! I added it to quinoa, and my husband is eating it with rice. This will be in our dinner rotation now.
Yaaay so thrilled you and your husband are enjoying the salmon! Thanks so much for letting me know, Nancy! Love the combination of kimchi, quinoa (or rice) and cucumber salad with the crispy salmon. Yum! xo
This was soo good. I added a little chili oil because I wanted some spice and a bit of maple syrup, and my boyfriend and I agree that this is our new go-to method for cooking salmon. We had it with rice, avocado, chopped carrots, spring mix, honey chipoltle brussels sprouts, and Sriracha mayo for a makeshift poké bowl. Amazing.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Kristen! I love the idea of adding chili oil – sounds amazing! Also those bowls were probably so great! I’ll have to try your same method! xoxo
How would this be lowfodmap with so much garlic?
Hi Morgan! The recipe is not listed as Low-FODMAP 🙂 Not all of the recipes on my site are Low-FODMAP as I used to eat a low-FODMAP diet but I don’t anymore. Hope that helps! xo
I dont understand how this would be anything but deeply burnt
Have you tried the recipe?