Maple Glazed Salmon
This Maple Glazed Salmon recipe comes from my cookbook Maple (Quirk Books, 2015.) So you know this recipe has been through a rigorous testing process! So if you have been searching for the best maple syrup salmon recipe, your search is over my friends! It uses just a few simple ingredients and takes very little prep time. Plus it has tons of bold ginger, soy and maple flavor that pairs beautifully with the tender and buttery salmon!
This easy salmon recipe originally appeared in my cookbook Maple: 100 Sweet and Savory Recipes Featuring Pure Maple Syrup (2015).
Table of contents
Why we love this Maple Salmon Recipe
Like our foolproof method for crispy pan fried salmon this Maple Glazed Salmon recipe is an easy main course for entertaining or to serve any night of the week.
The flavorful maple glaze is the perfect combination of sweet and spicy that beautifully complements the buttery flavor of the salmon. It goes with all sorts of simple sides for a completely delicious meal that the whole family is going to love!
If you love this delicious salmon recipe, try our foolproof method for crispy pan fried salmon too!
Maple Glazed Salmon Recipe ingredients
- Salmon: Prior to purchasing your salmon, I recommend looking at the Seafood Watch app or website to see which kind of salmon to buy. This site is frequently updated depending on which farms are using sustainable practices or which populations of wild-caught salmon are being overfished. Purchase your center-cut, boneless fresh salmon from your local fishmonger.
- Maple Syrup: Pure dark maple syrup has the deep maple flavor with a subtly rich caramel undertone that is needed for this recipe. It adds just the right amount of sweetness for this savory recipe.
- Soy Sauce: To season the sauce you’ll need soy sauce. Tamari or coconut aminos also work. To make this lower in sodium look for a reduced-sodium soy sauce or tamari.
- White Vinegar: the maple glaze would be too sweet without an acidic ingredient to balance it out so we added in white vinegar which has a clean bright acidity. Lime is a good alternative and unseasoned rice vinegar would also work.
- Fresh Ginger: Peel and grate the ginger with a microplane grater or finely mine by hand with a sharp chef’s knife.
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes: for a little heat. If you do not care for spice, omit it. You could sub in a little cayenne pepper or hot sauce if you do not have red pepper flakes or crushed red pepper on hand.
- Garnish: Scallions and Sesame seeds
How to make Maple Glaze Salmon
Step 1: Prepare Marinade
Stir glaze ingredients, soy sauce, maple syrup, vinegar, ginger and chili flakes in a baking dish.
Step 2: Marinate Salmon
Place salmon skinned side up in the maple syrup mixture; refrigerate 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Step 3: Prepare the Baking Sheet
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Prepare baking sheet with foil.
Step 4: Bake Salmon
Place salmon, skin side down on prepared sheet. Roast in preheated oven until center is barely cooked, about 9-15 minutes.
Step 5: Make Maple Glaze
While salmon is baking, pour marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Simmer until thick, about 6-9 minutes.
Step 6: To Serve Maple Glazed Salmon
Place baked salmon on serving dish and pour maple glaze over top. Garnish with green onions and toasted sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Tips for making Maple Salmon
- We suggest using fresh salmon instead of frozen as it has better texture and doesn’t dry out or leak white albumin.
- If using frozen salmon, make sure it is fully defrosted and do not overcook it.
- If using Sockeye salmon or another smaller species that has smaller or thinner fillets than Atlantic salmon, adjust your cooking time accordingly by checking for doneness on the shorter end of the cooking range.
- Do not marinate longer than an hour as the salmon will get too salty and the texture can get a little tough.
- For the strongest maple syrup flavor look for Dark Robust Grade A maple syrup. Do not use artificial maple syrup (which is made from flavored corn syrup) or pancake syrup this will give the salmon off flavors.
- If you are salt sensitive, you can use 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce.
Serving Maple Syrup Salmon
This flavorful salmon dish can be paired with sides with Asian-influenced flavors like ginger, soy and sesame. Or pair it with lightly seasoned fresh vegetables. Here are some ideas on what to pair with this recipe:
- Try with a fresh green vegetable like a simple green bean recipe.
- Our sauteed Napa cabbage and brown rice are a great way to round out the meal.
- I love the crunch of this Napa Cabbage and Ramen Noodle Salad and the way the dressing goes with the sweet glaze of this salmon recipe.
- My sesame noodle recipe and Asian slaw are two more that come to mind.
- Try this Roasted Sugar Snap Peas recipe for a simple side that comes together with 5 minutes of prep.
Leftovers, Make Ahead, Reheating
- Make Ahead: The marinade can be mixed up to 1 week in advance. Do not marinate the salmon for longer than 1 hour. If necessary, drain the salmon and store in the refrigerator separately.
- Leftovers: Store this maple glazed salmon with any extra glaze in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you have leftover salmon, it’s great to have cold on top of a salad for lunch the next day.
- Reheating: To reheat in the oven, wrapped in aluminum foil to keep in the moisture.
FAQs
Yes, you can eat the skin of the salmon. You can leave the skin on and remove it once the fish is baked. But, we suggest prior to baking the salmon, remove any pin bones and the skin from the salmon filets. Here’s how to remove salmon skin. Or your fishmonger can quickly do for you if you ask.
There are a few ways you can test to see if the salmon is done.
1) Use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature. Remove it when it reads 125 degrees F.
2) Test with a knife. Simply press the knife into the salmon to see if it flakes.
And as a general rule of thumb, for ¾-inch thick filet it will take about 6 to 8 minutes. For 1-inch filets, 7 to 9 minutes, and for thicker pieces, 9- 12 minutes.
Thanks so much for reading. If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my free weekly email newsletter for healthy recipes delivered right to your inbox. Or follow me on Instagram. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It is very appreciated. Happy Cooking! ~Katie
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Maple Glazed Salmon
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Easy Maple Glazed Salmon is a wonderful main course for entertaining or any night of the week! Perfectly cooked salmon topped with a bold maple, soy, ginger glaze, this dish is sure to become a family favorite!
Ingredients
- 4 portions center-cut salmon filets, skin removed if desired (about 1 pound)
- 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup, preferable Dark Robust
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, optional
- Scallions and sesame seeds for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Stir soy sauce, maple syrup, vinegar, ginger and crushed red pepper in a baking dish.
- Lay salmon skinned side up in the marinade and refrigerate 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet with foil.
- Lay salmon on the foil, skinned side down. Roast until the fish is just barely cooked in the center for medium, about 9 to 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, pour the marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Simmer until thick and syrupy, 6 to 9 minutes.
- Pour the reduction over the fish before serving.
Notes
- Store any leftover salmon with extra glaze in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To test doneness, use an instant read thermometer and remove when internal temperature read 125F or when the salmon begins to flake when pressed with a knife
- To pan-fry: heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Place skin side down and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side. Remove from heat and when cooled, remove skin, top with glaze and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes
- Cook Time: 15 Minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 ounces
- Calories: 261
- Sugar: 13 g
- Fat: 11 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 23 g
How is this a 0 Carb recipe with 15g
I am confused. Can you clarify where you read that? This has 15 grams of carbs and I do not recall calling it 0 carb or low carb for that matter. Our standard for low carb on this site is 9 grams and under. So if somehow you think we stated otherwise let me know and I will try to correct the error. Thanks!
Absolutely delicious. Yummy. The tin foil is needed for the high temp.
Thank you Katie.
I am happy that you tried this glazed salmon recipe. It is a favorite of mine and a hidden gem!
This salmon is outstanding and easy to make. Thanks to Katie’s straightforward instructions, I even managed to successfully skin the salmon with my chef knife, which just happens to be slightly dull. It’s so good to be able to trust that any recipe from Katie will work!
Thank you Carol! I am glad that you liked this one. I will have to find you a used copy of my book. Nice seeing you in BodyPump this morning! Thank you (as always) for coming back to rate and review!
This looks delicious. Can shallot be subbed for scallions? I cook for two and hate to buy ingredients that take up space in the fridge and will likely be thrown out after using just a little of them.
The scallions are optional, so if you do not want to include them you can omit them. Shallot would work if you do want to add an alium element. It will be yummy without either though.
Katie – the maple glazed salmon looks delicious! I’m diabetic II, so is there something else I can use instead of ‘maple syrup’? I like the flavor, but this recipe has 13 grams of sugar. Is there such a thing as a ‘light’ maple syrup so I can bring the sugar content down some? Just didn’t know what your thoughts would be on this.
I do love & thank you for your recipes….the vegetables and soups..,..and desserts (whenever I can use Monkfruit instead of sugar). Keep up the good work!! Thanks for any advice you can give – Debra
Hi Debra,
So nice to hear from you and happy to hear this recipe appeals to you. I think you could try this without the maple syrup. Without the maple, the sauce will possibly seem too strong, so once it is reduced (step 5) use sparingly. And yes, you could use monkfruit if you like. I would omit it and only stir it in to taste after you have reduced the sauce. You may only need a tablespoon or two of monkfruit.
Love to have another excuse to use real maple syrup in a meal! So bummed–totally forgot to add the green onion/sesame seed — will do that next time as the family loved this so it’s on the rotation. Thanks for another great recipe Katie!
You know how there are kitchen staples… well this recipe is to be included on that list. It’s so nice… be sure to include the sesame green onion garnish. Do this at least once a week… sometimes twice. Thanks for sharing!!!
This is the best recipe for maple-salmon that we’ve made! We find most recipes lose the maple flavor, but it shines here and this is so simple to make. Thanks for another delicious dinner!!
Alesia- thank you for such high praise! I’m so glad you liked the recipe!!
This salmon was delicious. Made it for Valentine’s Day and it was perfect. The glaze was amazing. We will be making this again and again and not just for special occasions.
Thanks Michele! I’m honored that you used this recipe for your Valentine’s Day!
That salmon looks so deliciously juicy and tender! I’ll be making this for dinner soon!
Beth- thanks for the comment and rating! Let me know what you think after you make it!
This is one of my favorite ways to prepare salmon. So simple yet incredibly flavorful.
Thanks Gina- sometimes the simple recipes are truly the best!
Definitely loking for more ways to eat salmon and this looks perfect. Looking forward to making this.
Hey Amanda! Thanks so much- let me know how you like it!
This is one flavorful salmon recipe! It was an easy to make and the family loves it!
Thanks Mirlene! I’m so glad your family enjoyed it!