Quick and easy honey garlic salmon baked and ready in under 30 minutes. With a sweet and savory marinade and sauce of garlic, ginger, honey and soy sauce.
With the recent popularity of crispy honey garlic chicken and me being totally knocked off-guard by the deceptively humble sauce that just rocks that recipe, I’ve decided to make a baked salmon version. It’s simple, it has FIVE ingredients and it’s tasty. Also, it’s super addictive. I liked it so much, I made an air fryer version too. So if you own an air fryer, head on over and grab the 8-minute air fryer honey garlic salmon.
And if you’re a die-hard fan of the sauce and just can’t get enough, try out honey garlic chicken skillet, slow cooker honey garlic chicken, and the insanely popular honey garlic shrimp with over 2 million pins.
How To Make Honey Garlic Salmon (1 Min Video)
Ingredients in Honey Garlic Salmon
HONEY GARLIC SALMON RECIPE TIPS
Salmon: You can tell the salmon is done cooking when it is no longer translucent (red or raw) but opaque (pink). If the salmon flakes easily when pressed down gently with your finger or a fork (aka it separates easily along the white lines that run across the fillet), it is cooked! An easier way is to use a meat thermometer. I have several of these at home and they get used very often for chicken breasts and steaks as well so it’s a worthwhile investment. Back to salmon, the FDA recommends cooking fish to an internal temperature of 145° F.
Searing: I seared the top of the salmon in a skillet over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes to brown it a little before baking. You can do the same thing by broiling the salmon for 1-2 minutes in the oven once it’s done cooking. This step is optional though, depending on how you like your salmon and how much work you want to do. I like crispy tops so it was worth the extra step for me.
Sauce: To quickly thicken the sauce over the stovetop, you can add a cornstarch slurry. Add it in once the sauce has come to a boil and keep stirring until the whiteness of the cornstarch slurry disappears into the sauce. This is when you know the cornstarch has worked and the sauce is as thick as it can get.
Honey: If you don’t have regular honey sitting in your pantry, you can substitute it with maple syrup.
Soy sauce: Regular or low sodium soy sauce both work. You can also substitute it with tamari or coconut aminos.
Garlic: You can use either fresh garlic or garlic powder. If you’re using fresh garlic, a little mini grater will come in handy so you don’t have to break out the cutting board and a knife.
Ginger: The ginger part here is optional but it does add a lot of flavor. If you’re not a fan, you can skip this and it will not break the recipe. Otherwise, use fresh minced ginger or a few dashes of powdered ginger.
Add more flavor: Add more flavor with red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, fresh lime, or lemon juice. Also, try toppings like black sesame seeds or freshly sliced green onions for texture and crunch.
And that’s it. I wasn’t kidding when I said it was super easy. Not too shabby for a dinner that’s also pretty healthy. Enjoy!
MORE SALMON RECIPES TO TRY
- Air Fryer Honey Garlic Salmon
- Honey Mustard Salmon
- Balsamic-Glazed Salmon
- Lemon and Parmesan-Crusted Salmon
- Salmon Piccata
- Everything Bagel Salmon
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Honey Garlic Salmon
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 2 1x
Description
Quick and easy honey garlic salmon baked and ready in under 30 minutes. With a sweet and savory marinade and sauce of garlic, ginger, honey and soy sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. salmon fillet
Sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced/ 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger, minced (optional)
- 4 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
Instructions
- Combine the sauce ingredients and divide the sauce in half.
- Marinate the salmon in half of the sauce for 15-30 minutes.
- Arrange salmon on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon.
- Baste the salmon with the leftover marinade halfway through.
- [Optional step] Over medium-high heat, bring the other half of the sauce to a boil and simmer for 3-5 minutes until reduced.
- Dish and serve the salmon hot drizzled with the remaining sauce.
- Enjoy!
Notes
For a slightly crisp and caramelized top, sear the top of the salmon over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes before baking or broil at the end for 1-2 minutes until browned.
If you own an air fryer version, try out air fryer honey garlic salmon.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
Comments & Reviews
This looks amazing, going to make it for wine Wednesday tomorrow night! One question… Do you buy the salmon with or without the skin?
Without the skin for me. It makes things easier! Good luck Ashley!
Just made this for dinner. Had to triple the recipe because there are 6 of us in the family. It was awesome. Even my finicky daughter loved it. The glaze is yummy and I am definitely going to try it on the chicken next. Thanks for such a yummy recipe.
★★★★★
Glad it was such a hit and that it scales well! Let me know how you like the chicken? 🙂
Found this pin last week and made it the same night! It was a hit with everyone, kids included! The Mr. Has been bugging me to make it again, but I used the last of the honey the last go round. He came home from work and brought honey with!!! This is dinner again tonight
★★★★★
That’s such an awesome story! Him bringing home some honey! 🙂
Yes and it was awesome again. We did salmon and mahimahi, all prepped the same. They both came out great, though if I do mahi again. I will cook it for a little less time.
★★★★★
my question is are you using the marinade after the salmon was in it to make the sauce on the stove? Or did you make a fresh thing of sauce since it had raw fish?
Thanks ! Sounds yummy
I used the marinade for the sauce. Since I boiled it down for a reduction, any worries from contact with raw salmon are taken care of. And it doesn’t taste fishy! Thanks, Kaitlin!
For the person that doesn’t like cooked salmon and would much prefer it raw in sushi, this recipe isn’t half bad. I’ll try to work salmon into my diet this way. It will definitely get pinned and I’ll go searching for other great recipes!
★★★★
I’m not used to eating raw fish although I did have this fantastic tuna ceviche the other day with ahi tuna steaks that I’ve been craving ever since. Thanks for the comment, Kim!
I just made this for dinner tonight and had to come back to tell you that it was sooooo good!
★★★★★
Thank you so much for coming back and letting me know, Kim! Love getting these kind of comments! Made it, liked it, letting you know!
Looks SO yummy!!! I love this dish!!!
Thank you! I love that people are having salmon success stories with it! 🙂
The salmon was great! I just made it tonight for my friend and he loved it. He ate every bit and was asking for more. Too bad I only made a piece for him and one for myself. This was my first success with salmon at home. Thanks so much. This date night meal was a hit!
When I read this, I couldn’t stop smiling. I made someone’s date night a success! Yaaaaaaaaaaaay! Love how my recipes affect lives even if just a little 🙂 🙂
Is there a way to lower the sodium intake?
Most of the sodium would be from the soy sauce so my only recommendation is to sub low sodium soy sauce. My nutritional label is for regular. Kikkoman claims their less sodium soy sauce has 40% of the salt removed but with the same flavor! I hope this helps!
I’ve never cooked salmon before, but I picked it up when I saw some on sale, and now I’m trying to figure out what to do with it! This recipe sounds right up my alley! Super easy without several ingredients and steps! I’m trying it tomorrow night, and I’m excited!!!
It turned out great! Hubs and I loved it… kids not so much. But they’re more impressed by fish sticks and mac and cheese. =)
Whoohoo! Glad the adults loved it. I know how kids are 😉 Thanks for coming back and letting me know how it worked out for you guys!
Oh and just an afterthought but if the kids like cheese and you’re not opposed to giving them LOTS of it, they might like this: http://thecookingjar.com/chicken-alfredo-pasta-bake
Thanks for the tip! That looks delicious! I pinned it to put on next week’s menu!
Thanks for the great recipe. Will be making this tonight!
★★★★★
Welcome! Hope it turns out okay for you. I always get a little nervous when people say they’re cooking my stuff! Will they like it or not? 🙂
Yes, I love Salmon dishes so much…Yours makes me starve before go to bed. God save!…my weight please…
I know exactly what you mean. I’m always browsing Pinterest recipes at night and end up drooling at 2 am in the morning!
So easy, but so delicious! What a great idea …thanks for sharing!
It’s definitely good for busy people. On the table in less than 30 minutes without sacrificing flavor! Thanks, Jodee 🙂
This looks just amazing! And your photography is stunning!! 🙂
★★★★★
Thank you, Annie 🙂 I’m glad you like the pics. I didn’t realize how shiny they were till I had put everything away!
Salmon is a weeknight staple in my household so this recipe is definitely one I will be recreating.. thanks for sharing it!
You’re very welcome, Thalia. It’s so darn easy to make too. Hope you guys like it!
I’m a little confused. In the recipe the first instruction says to marinate salmon. Are we using the sauce? At the end after boiling, you say baste in the sauce. Is this the same sauce were marinating in?? I don’t normally baste with my marinade. Would you suggest that I double the recipe?
Yes, the sauce is used for the marinade. While the salmon is baking, you baste it halfway through with the same sauce. Whatever is leftover is then reduced through boiling to make it thicker and to use as extra sauce for a drizzle after everything is cooked. Some people are a little uncomfortable using the same sauce used in the marinade as a drizzling sauce and that’s okay. In this case, I would suggest to make the sauce and then halve it. Half for marinating and half for the basting/drizzling. Hope this helps!
thank you for explaining that. I was confused too! I’m making this for Easter lunch tomorrow!
Just had This honey salmon it’s perfect 🙂
★★★★★
Happy you liked it, Susan! 🙂