Use this recipe for Salmon Teriyaki Marinade to bring savory Asian and umami flavors to your fish dinner. Just marinate and bake salmon in the oven for an easy, healthy, and delicious meal!

A bowl of cooked white rice topped with teriyaki salmon pieces, garnished with sesame seeds and chopped green onions, with chopsticks on the side.

Table of Contents

Salmon Teriyaki Marinade

Marinating fish is a fantastic way to add tons of flavor with very little effort. Unlike proteins like beef and pork, fish doesn’t have any fibrous connective tissue to break down. So, the only purpose for marinating salmon is to add flavor.

The great news is, this only takes about 30 minutes! While the salmon bakes in the oven, you can make a couple of easy Asian side dishes to serve with the meal.

This easy marinade recipe is just one of several salmon marinade recipes I have on this site. For a light and refreshing Mediterranean flavor, you can use a Greek marinade, or make this Italian salmon recipe.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

You only need 4 ingredients, and they are all budget friendly!
Quick dinner idea. The marinade comes together in 5 minutes. Add another 30 minutes for marinating the fish, plus 15 minutes for baking salmon in the oven.
Tangy Asian flavor. The rich, umami flavor of soy sauce pairs perfectly with the spicy ginger. Both flavors create a delicious teriyaki salmon dinner!

If you like the flavors of Asian cuisine, you might also want to make my recipes for Soy Ginger Salmon Marinade and Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry.

Ingredients and Substitutions

avocado oil – This heart-healthy oil is easy to find, and not terribly expensive. Olive oil and canola oil are good substitutes. For more Asian flavor, you can use sesame oil.
fresh garlic – The flavor of fresh garlic is best, but to make dinner prep easier, you can substitute with minced garlic in oil.
scallions (spring onions) – I suggest only using the green parts of the onion, because the white portion has a strong flavor that could overpower the other marinade ingredients.
soy sauce or coconut aminos – Coconut aminos is a gluten-free, Keto, Paleo, and Whole30 compliant soy sauce substitute. Another option is to make my recipe for soy free teriyaki sauce.

Labeled ingredients in small glass bowls: teriyaki sauce, oil, garlic, and green onion, next to salmon marinating in a food storage bag.

Making and Using the Teriyaki Salmon Marinade

To make the marinade, whisk the ingredients together in a bowl, or you can whisk them together in whatever dish or container you plan to use for marinating.

Marinating salmon is a great way to add flavor, but with a soy-based marinade like this one, it’s possible to over marinate. Keep in mind, soy sauce has a lot of sodium in it, which can cause the fish to be dry.

Cooking Salmon Teriyaki in the Oven

While your oven is preheating, transfer the salmon filets from the marinade to a foil-lined baking dish. Aluminum foil helps to crisp up the skin on the fish.
Place the fish skin side down on the foil, then spoon a couple of tablespoons of the soy ginger salmon marinade over the fish. Then, immediately throw away any additional marinade, because it isn’t safe to reuse.
How long to bake your salmon depends on how thick your filets are. On average, it takes about 15 minutes for fish filets to cook all the way through.

To see if the salmon is cooked through, use an instant-read food thermometer to take the internal temperature. Raw fish and seafood are safe to eat when the internal temperature reaches 145°F.

Another easy way to check is to use a fork to gently pull away a piece of the fish. If it flakes easily, it’s probably ready to pull out of the oven.

To cook the marinated salmon in a skillet on the stove, follow the instructions shown in my easy Italian salmon recipe.

To air fry teriyaki salmon, use the instructions in my Air Fryer Tilapia recipe.

Close-up of baked salmon teriyaki pieces glazed with sauce, garnished with sesame seeds and green onions, served on a bed of white rice.

Tips for Success

Avoid over marinating. You only need to marinate salmon in the teriyaki marinade for 30 minutes. To avoid the fish from being mushy, marinate salmon for no longer than 2 hours.
To make this recipe compliant with Whole30, Paleo, Keto, and gluten free diets, use my soy free teriyaki sauce recipe. Or, substitute coconut aminos for the soy sauce.
This recipe can be doubled or tripled for marinating more than two salmon fillets.

Healthy Sides for Teriyaki Salmon

Starches and grains: Sides like Jasmine rice and broccoli rice are delicious with Asian meals. If you want something other than rice, you could serve lentils or air fryer sweet potato fries
Vegetables: A dark leafy green like Bok choy is a healthy option that tastes great with salmon teriyaki! Other delicious and easy to make veggies are air fryer broccoli and roasted sweet potatoes and carrots.

Chopsticks holding a piece of baked marinated salmon, with rice in the background.

Salmon Teriyaki Marinade

Make this salmon teriyaki marinade recipe to add a savory Asian umami flavor to your fish. Just marinate and oven bake salmon to perfection!

No ratings yet

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 15

Marinating Time: 30

Total Time: 55

Servings: servings

Author: Madison Wetherill

Ingredients

3 tablespoons teriyaki sauce or soy free teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoons avocado oil olive oil, or sesame oil
2 tablespoons minced scallion green parts only
2 cloves garlic minced
1 pinch salt and pepper or more/less to taste, as desired

Instructions

Prepare the Marinade

Add all ingredients to a small bowl. Whisk well to combine.
Note: You can do this up to a day in advance. Cover and store the marinade in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it.

Marinating

Pat the salmon fillets dry with paper towels. Transfer to a glass baking dish or heavy-duty zip top storage bag.
Pour the marinade over the salmon, then turn fillets over to ensure that both sides are fully coated.
Marinate in the container at room temperature for 30 minutes, or cover and transfer to the refrigerator to marinate for up to an hour.
Alternatively, you can seal the bag or container and freeze the salmon in the marinade for up to 4 months.

Baking Salmon in Oven

Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Remove fish from marinade, shaking off any excess. Set the fillets skin side down in a foil-lined baking dish.
Pour a little of the marinade over the fish (this helps to keep it moist as it cooks). Discard remaining marinade, as it is not safe to reuse. *See Notes
Set the baking dish in the oven and cook for 13-15 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily when pierced with a fork.

Notes

Reusing and/or serving marinade as a dipping sauce is not recommended. Uncooked fish, meat, and poultry contain bacteria that transfer to the marinade. Per USDA recommendations, it is not considered safe to reuse for any purpose unless it is boiled for several minutes first.
To make this recipe compliant with Whole30, Paleo, Keto, and gluten free diets, use my soy free teriyaki sauce recipe. Or, substitute coconut aminos for the soy sauce.
This recipe can be doubled or tripled for marinating more than two salmon fillets.