Sake Ginger Glazed Salmon

Sake ginger glazed salmon recipe, marinated in a Japanese yakitori sauce and fresh ginger.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
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Updated December 20, 2024
Elise Bauer
Sake Ginger Glazed Salmon
Elise Bauer

My sister Karen is in town, flush from completing a grueling, 500 mile bike ride from San Francisco to LA.

Karen has always been a super athlete, and with her current passion for triathlons takes a lot of care about how she nourishes her body.

This is one of her favorite recipes for salmon, one of the best sources of Omega 3!

Sake Ginger Glazed Salmon
Elise Bauer

This is a very simple, highly flavorful salmon dish, using a classic Japanese yakitori marinade with the addition of some finely grated fresh ginger. The dish benefits from sitting in the marinade for several hours.

If you don't like the look of the ginger, you can strain it out of the basting sauce, but you'll miss out on the flavor.

Sake Ginger Glazed Salmon

Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Marinating 60 mins
Total Time 100 mins
Servings 4 servings
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Ingredients

Marinade:

  • 1/2 cup sake

  • 1/2 cup soy sauce (use gluten-free soy sauce for gluten-free version)

  • 1/2 cup mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)

  • 2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • A dash of red chile pepper flakes

  • 1/4 cup white sugar

Salmon:

  • 1 1/2 pounds salmon fillets

  • Olive oil

Method

  1. Marinate the salmon:

    Mix the soy sauce, sake, mirin, ginger, garlic, chile flakes, and sugar in a medium bowl.

    Place the salmon fillets in a sturdy freezer bag. Pour the marinade into the freezer bag with the fish. Seal the freezer bag and place in a baking dish (so that if the bag leaks it doesn't get all over your fridge).

    Place in your refrigerator and chill at least an hour, preferably several hours.

  2. Simmer marinade, reduce by half:

    Remove the salmon fillets from the marinade. Place the marinade in a small saucepan and heat it until it simmers. Simmer it for several minutes or until the sauce has reduced by half.

    sake-ginger-salmon-method-1
    Elise Bauer
    3a Grilling method:

    Brush the grill grates with olive oil; pre-heat your grill to medium heat. Place salmon fillets on a piece of aluminum foil (brushed with olive oil) over the grill grate, skin side down. Brush the salmon with the marinade glaze. Cover the grill.

    Cook the salmon 6-10 minutes (depending on thickness of the fillets), brushing again with the marinade halfway through the cooking, until the salmon is just barely cooked, and easily flaked with a fork.

    3b Pan frying method:

    Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the salmon 3 to 4 minutes per side, basting frequently with the marinade. Serve once the salmon is just barely cooked through and is easily flaked with a fork.

    3c Baking method:

    Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking dish with aluminum foil. Brush the top of the foil with olive oil. Place salmon on the foil, skin side down. Brush with marinade.

    Bake for 10-15 minutes depending on how thick the fillets are, basting frequently with the marinade, until the salmon is barely cooked through and is easily flaked with a fork.

Links:

Grilled salmon with Asian dipping sauce from Kalyn's Kitchen

Sake Ginger Glazed Salmon
Elise Bauer
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
421 Calories
19g Fat
20g Carbs
31g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 421
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 19g 25%
Saturated Fat 4g 18%
Cholesterol 80mg 27%
Sodium 1830mg 80%
Total Carbohydrate 20g 7%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 16g
Protein 31g
Vitamin C 5mg 27%
Calcium 35mg 3%
Iron 1mg 6%
Potassium 661mg 14%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.