Salmon is a bit on the expensive side, but it’s a really nice “sensible splurge” to have on special occasions or when you want to treat yourself. Fish can be intimidating if you’ve never cooked it before, but I promise that this Baked Ginger Salmon is so foolproof that it’s a great beginner fish recipe. I also love this recipe for the fact that the leftovers hold up really well, so it’s a really great item for meal prep.
Baking Time Will Vary
Salmon filets come in a variety of thicknesses, even sometimes within one fillet, you’ll have one end that is very thick while the opposite end is very thin (like the filet I used in the photos below). Thankfully, this recipe is pretty forgiving. For thicker fillets (1-2 inches thick) you’ll want to bake your salmon for about 20 minutes, for thinner fillets (½-inch or so) you’ll probably only need around 15 minutes. Since my fillet had both a thick end and a thin end, I baked for the whole 20 minutes and the thin side was still not dried out.
To verify you’ve cooked your salmon long enough, you can use an instant read thermometer in one of your thicker pieces and make sure it has reached 145ºF.
What is Toasted Sesame Oil?
Toasted sesame oil is an important ingredient in this dish. This is an oil that is expressed from toasted sesame seeds, so it has a super deep nutty flavor. Just a little splash of this oil really adds a lot of flavor, so you don’t want to skip it. You can find toasted sesame oil in the international foods aisle of most major grocery stores. While it is not always labeled “toasted” you can tell you have toasted sesame oil by the deep brown color. Regular sesame oil (not toasted) is a light straw color, like canola oil.
What to Serve with Baked Ginger Salmon
Because this main dish is so simple, I like to keep everything in the meal super simple. Today I served my Baked Ginger Salmon with Sesame Roasted Green Beans and plain rice, but I think this salmon would also be AMAZING served over Coconut Rice or my Crunchy Cabbage Salad. You could also pair it with something simple like steamed broccoli and Sesame Rice.
Baked Ginger Salmon
Servings 4Ingredients
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger ($0.10)
- 1 clove garlic, minced ($0.08)
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.08)
- 1 tsp soy sauce ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp toasted sesame oil ($0.02)
- 1 lb. fresh salmon ($7.57)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Grate about 1 tsp fresh ginger. Combine the ginger, garlic, brown sugar, soy sauce, and toasted sesame oil in a bowl.
- Cut the salmon into four equal portions. Place the portioned salmon on a baking sheet lined with parchment or foil, skin side down.
- Spread the prepared ginger glaze over the top of each piece of salmon.
- Bake the salmon for about 20 minutes (15 minutes for thin fillets), or until the internal temperature reaches 145ºF. Serve immediately.
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Equipment
Nutrition
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How to Make Baked Ginger Salmon – Step By Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Grate about 1 tsp fresh ginger. If you’re new to working with ginger, it is actually easier to grate when it’s frozen, so when I bring it home from the store I wash it up really well then just pop it into a freezer bag and store it in the freezer. That way I always have fresh ginger on hand. P.S. I never even bother to peel it anymore, I just make sure it’s washed well before freezing.
Combine the grated ginger with 2 Tbsp brown sugar, 1 clove of garlic (minced), 1 tsp soy sauce, and ¼ tsp toasted sesame oil.
Mix the glaze ingredients together until combined.
Cut a one pound salmon fillet into four portions. I cut the thinner end a little wider and the thicker end a little narrower to make the portions more even. If your salmon has skin and scales, you don’t need to remove it. The salmon will be baking skin down, and the salmon flesh easily comes off the skin after baking.
Place the salmon portions on a baking sheet lined in parchment or foil (for easy cleanup), then spread the ginger glaze over the surface of the pieces. You can smear a little on the sides, but leave most of it on top. It will drip down the sides as it bakes.
Bake the salmon in the fully preheated 425ºF oven for about 20 minutes (a little less if your fillets are thin), or until the internal temperature of the salmon reaches 145ºF. The glaze that drips off the side of the salmon may burn on the baking sheet, but the fish and the glaze that is on the fish will not burn.
Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 3 days. Enjoy!
I’ve made this several times, always with great results. I serve it on a bed of rice pilaf with asparagus and a squeeze of lemon.
Just made this and it was absolutely delicious and easy, easy, easy. I needed to add probably double the soy sauce and sesame oil, though. With the amounts listed I had sort of wet brown sugar crumbles rather than an actual liquidy glaze. I definitely plan to make this again!
Also meant to say that this glaze looks great!
Just pointing out that 3/4 lb is 12 oz, so if you cut it into three pieces, each piece will be 4 oz.
DELICIOUS!
Except, I had some trouble with the ratios of the glaze. I had to add a lot more soy sauce and sesame oil.
Not sure what went wrong.
Great work on the glaze. I love easy and simple ways to make great food. I love ginger with fish too. This will be on my dinner menu sometime soon. Thanks!
I have a salmon recipe quite similar to this that I make regularly, it is SO delicious!
One thing I always do when cooking salmon in the oven is to make little foil packets for each piece, and pinch them closed, so the salmon poaches and steams in its own juices in the oven. That way, it gets nice and tender. After about 15 mins of baking in the foil packets, I open them up so the tops of the filets are exposed and then turn on the broiler for a couple minutes so the marinade caramelizes and gets nice and gold and crunchy. Hard to mess up that way!
P.S. I am eating a slice of your cinnamon raisin no knead bread as I write this review…YUM :)
Yum. I love these flavours together. I’m lucky to live in New Zealand where salmon is one of the cheaper fishes you can buy. But you’re right, still more expensive than ground beef.
If you peel your ginger with the edge of spoon instead of a peeler you’ll save a lot of ginger from being cut away. It’s surprisingly quite a bit easier too!
Here’s a vid on it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9zgXSdnPGI
Love the site!
Frozen fish was on sale at the start of Lent where I live so I stocked up. Problem is, it’s still in my freezer. I’ll definitely be making this for dinner tomorrow. Yum!
Maybe try tuna? Tuna is thick and fatty like salmon so hopefully it would go just as well.
im allergic to salmon! (weird i know) do you think this would go well on other kinds of fish?
I encourage you to find a way to keep the skin on…it’s like the best part of salmon. But I love your blog like none other.
I make a sauce really similar to this, but I add a little chili paste in mine, super yummy!
I’ve got a cut of ahi tuna in my freezer, wondering how to cook it. I think this recipe, and a simple Asian style salad would do the trick. Thanks!