Maple Soy Baked Salmon is one of the most simple and flavorful ways to enjoy a tender flaky salmon fillet. Coated in an easy glaze, this healthy dish is quick and amazingly delicious!
Whether you eat fish once or twice a week or once or twice a month, you’ll want to switch up your recipes every now and again. Try our pan seared salmon and Crispy Baked Cod for two methods of cooking two different yet equally delicious types of fish.
If you are a salmon lover, the ease and simplicity of this tasty recipe will remind you of all the things you love about this juicy, tender, and hearty fish. Plus a really good sauce always makes things better.
We all need an easy go-to meal on weeknights. And the more simple healthy meals we have in our back pockets, the easier it is to eat healthy in a pinch. Especially recipes that only require simple ingredients readily available in our kitchens!
This recipe requires no marinating for long periods of time beforehand and even still the flavors permeate the flesh just as it would if it did require time to marinate. This means you’ll have dinner on the table in just over 30 minutes.
This is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. The sweet soy and maple syrup glaze is the perfect smooth velvety texture against the meaty fillet. Ginger and soy provide pleasing aromatic flavors that come together nicely when all flavors are fused together.
How to make this Baked Salmon with Maple Soy Glaze
This recipe is cooked with the skin on to keep the salmon moist. It is easy to remove after cooking by simply placing a spatula between the fish and skin after baking and gently lift the salmon onto plates.
Step 1: Preheat the oven and prepare your cast iron pan or baking dish by coating the bottom with oil.
Step 2: Place salmon fillets in the pan and bake.
Step 3: While the salmon is baking, combine the soy sauce, maple syrup, minced garlic, and ginger in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium-high heat. Stir often until it thickens into a glaze.
Step 4: Take the salmon out of the oven and pour glaze over top, reserving a few tablespoons.
Step 5: Let the salmon rest a few minutes before serving, and then drizzle those remaining tablespoons of glaze over top.
Serve on a bed of steamed white rice and your choice of vegetable side for an easy, healthy, and complete meal your entire family will love!
Tips for Buying Salmon
Picking the “right” salmon can feel like a full-time job. Unless you’re in the seafood industry or a marine biologist, you’re really just counting on the information that is put out there in hopes of choosing what’s best for you and your family.
There is no right or wrong, but there are things to consider when looking for salmon steaks or fillets. Below are just some things to think about.
- Buying Wild Caught Alaskan Salmon is your best chance at avoiding synthetic additives, antibiotics, and other things found in farmed fish. Alaska has also banned salmon farms and wild-caught is more sustainable.
- If you are avoiding farmed fish, you’ll want to avoid Atlantic Salmon as catching wild Atlantic salmon is no longer allowed. All widely available Atlantic salmon is farmed.
- Look for fattier wild-caught fillets, they tend to have the most Omega 3s (like King Salmon).
- Look for the darker red/orange color when purchasing wild-caught. These fillets tend to be higher in antioxidants. The darker color in farmed salmon is from synthetic additives that have no nutritional value.
Rest assured whatever you choose, it is considered a healthy part of a balanced diet. Even just consuming once a week, you’ll still reap the rewards and major health benefits of this tasty fish.
Storage Suggestions
Salmon can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days in the fridge. It makes great leftovers reheated slightly the next day. You can even leave it cold, chop it up and add it to a bowl of greens for a lovely salmon salad!
FAQ’S
It is usually best to marinate fish for 30 minutes to 1 hour for best results. Sometimes up to 4 hours is ok if the marinade is not too acidic (ie one with vinegar or lemon juice). Fish marinated too long can cause it to become mushy.
It is recommended by the FDA that salmon be cooked to 145 degrees F (63 C) in the thickest part of the salmon. It will continue to cook after it is removed from the oven, so remove it from the oven at 140 F be sure to allow for an extra 5 minutes to make sure it doesn’t overcook. If you prefer more rare salmon, remove it at 135 degrees.
Salmon can be baked at 350 – 425 degrees with great results. For salmon that has been marinated, bake at lower temperatures so the sauce doesn’t burn. For salmon that is has is dry, you can bake at higher temperatures for more crispyness.
For a 1 inch thick salmon fillet:
Bake at 425 degrees F for 10-12 minutes
Bake at 400 degrees F for 12-14 minutes
Bake at 375 degrees F for 14-16 minutes
Bake at 350 degrees F for 18-20 minutes
For each additional inch of salmon, add 4-5 minutes of cooking time.
The key to great salmon is to not overcook it, which makes it tough or undercook it, which makes it more unsafe. To check for desired doneness, insert a fork into the thickest part and twist it gently. The salmon is done when it is no longer pink and translucent. It will flake easily as well.
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Maple Soy Baked Salmon
Ingredients
- 1 pound salmon fillets cut into 2-4 pieces
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ¼ cup soy low-sodium soy sauce or gluten free tamari
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons ginger paste or fresh ginger
- Fresh scallions optional topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
- Add oil to a cast iron pan or baking dish and coat the bottom of the pan
- Place salmon fillets in the pan and bake for 15 minutes.
- While the salmon is baking, add the soy sauce, maple syrup, garlic, and ginger to a small saucepan.
- Bring to a low boil and simmer over medium high, stirring often until it thickens into a glaze.
- Reserve a few tablespoons of the glaze to drizzle over top once served.
- Remove the salmon from oven and pour the remaining glaze over top.
- Let the salmon rest 5-10 minutes before serving.
- Serve over rice with a favorite vegetable.
Erin
Excellent! I make this all the time!
Sherri
I’m so happy to hear that!
Mika
It was delicious!!!!!
Stephanie Farmer
This was one of the best salmon recipes we’ve made. We put a light glaze of maple syrup and salt and pepper on the salmon before baking. The glaze after baking was perfect!
Gary D Dorn
This sounds delicious, I’m going to try it for sure.