Soy Ginger Salmon Marinade and Cooking Instructions
Use this soy ginger salmon marinade on your fish for a perfect blend of savory and zesty flavors! Quick and easy to make, this recipe will help you create a flavorful weeknight meal!
Soy Ginger Salmon Marinade
Salmon is a just one variety of fish that is high in protein and rich in heart-healthy, Omega-3 fats. For the nutritional benefits alone, it’s a great choice to make for a healthy dinner.
The better news is, this soy ginger salmon marinade is just one of several salmon marinade recipes I have on this site!
This particular marinade has lots of savory flavor. It’s simple to make, and a delicious way to add umami flavors to your fish!
Why You’ll Like This Asian Marinade Recipe
- You only need 5 simple ingredients, and they are all budget friendly!
- Super quick dinner idea. This soy ginger salmon marinade comes together in 5 minutes or so. Add another 30 minutes for marinating the fish, and 15 minutes for baking salmon in the oven..
- Incredible Asian flavor. The rich, meaty umami flavors of soy sauce and salmon taste fabulous with the fresh ginger and sweet and tangy citrus juices.
If you like the flavors of Asian food, you might also like my recipe for Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- sesame oil – This heart-healthy oil is commonly used in Asian cuisine. Feel free to use canola oil, avocado oil, or even olive oil instead.
- citrus juice – All you’ll need are a couple of tablespoons of orange juice and lime juice. If you only have one on hand, you can omit the other. Lemon juice is fine, too.
- soy sauce or coconut aminos – Coconut aminos is a gluten-free and Whole30 compliant soy sauce substitute.
Notes for Making and Using Soy Ginger Salmon Marinade
To make the marinade, whisk the ingredients together in a nonreactive bowl. This just means, use a bowl made of materials that won’t react with acidic foods (like citrus juice). Anything made of stainless steel, ceramic, or glass is perfect.
How Long to Marinate Salmon
Unlike proteins like beef and pork, fish doesn’t have any fibrous connective tissue to break down. So, marinating salmon is just to add flavor, which only takes 30 minutes to an hour.
In fact, if you marinate fish for too long, it can become mushy.
Not only that, but there are acidic ingredients in this soy ginger salmon marinade. If you marinate salmon (or any fish) for much longer than 30 minutes, the acids in the citrus juice will begin to cook the fish, just like they do in a ceviche recipe.
Baking Salmon 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 your salmon is cooked through, use a fork to gently pull away a piece of the fish. If it flakes easily, it’s ready to pull out of the oven.
Healthy Sides for Baked Salmon
- Starchy sides/grains: An Asian side dish like Jasmine rice or healthy broccoli rice would be great with your fish dinner. If you want something other than rice, you can make some air fryer sweet potato fries
- Vegetables: A dark leafy green like Bok choy is a healthy option that tastes great with baked salmon! Other veggie side dishes to consider are air fryer broccoli and purple cabbage and carrot slaw.
Soy Ginger Salmon Marinade Recipe FAQ
Marinating salmon is a great way to add flavor, but with a soy-based marinade, it’s easy to over marinate. Keep in mind, soy sauce has a lot of salt in it, which can cause the fish to be dry. Additionally, this marinade has acidic ingredients that can begin to break down the protein after a couple of hours.
Soy Ginger Salmon Marinade
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1.5 tablespoons orange juice
- 1.5 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 pinch salt and pepper or more/less, to taste
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a small nonreactive bowl (see Note 1) 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.
To Marinate Salmon
- 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, turning to make sure there's a nice coating on both sides.
- 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 3-4 months.
Cooking Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C).Remove fish from marinade, shaking off any excess. Set the salmon 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
- A nonreactive bowl is made from a material that won’t react with acidic foods like citrus juice and tomatoes. Nonreactive materials include stainless steel, ceramic, or glass. Acids will corrode and cause damage to reactive materials.
- 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 first, for several minutes.
- The nutritional values shown are for the soy ginger marinade only. This recipe makes enough to marinate two 6-ounce salmon filets.
