Putting together an elegant dinner doesn’t have to take hours! Would you believe that in less than twenty minutes you could put together a delicious and healthy, restaurant-worthy meal made with only six ingredients?
Everyone in my family loves salmon so we eat it quite often. A pan seared filet with a nice golden crust is always perfect but there’s something about a glaze that makes seared salmon really sing! Flaky, tender fish with a caramelized, sticky glaze is a combination that makes my mouth water just thinking about it!
Here’s what you need:
You can find bottled Korean barbecue sauce at most grocery stores or online, but there is nothing better than making your own at home. You can adjust the flavors to your specific tastes. Plus you can casually brag that you made it yourself. No big deal. I happen to have a great recipe for Korean Barbecue Sauce that I use all the time. It’s one of my favorite sauces and I make it constantly and keep in my fridge to add a quick flavor boost to meats and veggies!
Sear the salmon.
You don’t want to get started on the wrong foot here. There are two things that will ensure golden brown fillets that flip over effortlessly.
- Fully preheating your pan before placing the fillets in. Add your oil and when it just barely begins to smoke, that is your clue that the pan is ready.
- Patting the fillets dry first. This is true when searing meat of any kind. Eliminating as much moisture as possible from the surface of the fillets will prevent steam from forming, leaving your salmon with a perfectly golden crust.
Also make sure your oven is preheated as well before you get started. The moment you brush on your glaze, you will immediately place the salmon in the oven to caramelize. If you have to wait, your salmon will cook for too long in the hot pan and be way overdone.
Sear the fillets for 4 minutes, top side down first. Flip them over and brush Korean barbecue sauce all over the tops and sides. Place in a 400 degree, preheated oven to finish cooking the salmon and caramelize the sauce.
I prefer my salmon at medium to medium-well, which takes roughly four minutes in the oven. If you prefer yours a bit more done, let it go for another one to two minutes, but keep an eye on it. It does overcook quickly.
This salmon is beautiful atop a salad or over steamed rice with vegetables . Try it with my Mango Sesame Slaw or Sexy Garlicky Green Beans!
Other recipes to try:
Korean Barbecue Salmon
Ingredients
- 4 salmon fillets 6 ounces each
- salt
- olive oil
- 8 tbsp Korean Barbecue Sauce
Instructions
- Pre-heat skillet to medium-high and oven to 400 degrees.Use a paper towel to pat each salmon filet dry and sprinkle each side with a little salt. Remember that the sauce has quite a bit of salt so go easy it.Add a couple tablespoons of olive oil to the hot pan and add the salmon top side down for 4 minutes without moving. Flip the filets over and immediately add the sauce. Use the back of a spoon or a pastry brush to spread the sauce all over the top and sides. Place skillet in the oven and bake for 4 minutes or until desired doneness is reached.
Korean BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut palm sugar
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1 tbsp gochujang
- 2 cloves garlic grated
- 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger grated
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except cornstarch to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat for about 4 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to 2 tablespoons of water to make a slurry. Stir the slurry into the sauce and simmer for 3 minutes more until it thickens.