Maple Glazed Salmon Fillet

By
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm is a renowned British food writer, classically trained chef, teacher, and author with over 25 years of experience writing about British food and cooking.
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Updated on 11/29/21
Maple Glazed Salmon Fillet

The Spruce / Elaine Lemm

Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 40 mins
Servings: 4 servings

Salmon is such a tasty, healthy, and easy fish to cook. With its robust flavor, adding glazes and marinades suits it well. Here, the salmon is glazed with maple syrup and soy, providing the ideal sweet and savory combination.

The marinade takes only 20 minutes and when cooked in a hot pan, the glaze crisps up and slightly caramelizes resulting in a delightful color and texture. With the addition of garlic, ginger, and a dash of chili pepper this dish will is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

Here the salmon is cooked on a griddle or frying pan but works just as well when cooked on the grill, as long as the coal or flame is not too high. If the flame is too high, you will run the risk of burning the sweet glaze of the fish. You can serve it with rice and fresh veggies or mix it in with some salad.

Ingredients

  • 4 salmon fillets, skinned

  • 1/2 cup maple syrup

  • 1 lemon, juiced

  • 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic

  • 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

  • 1/2 teaspoon chile flakes

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Lay salmon fillets on a piece of paper towel and dry carefully. Check fish over for any bones. Remove with tweezers if you find any. Lay fillets side by side in a glass or ceramic dish.

  3. Combine maple syrup, lemon juice, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger and mix thoroughly. Add chile flakes and stir again.

  4. Pour marinade over salmon. Cover and let marinate for 20 minutes at room temperature. Turn after 10 minutes, so all sides of fillets come into contact with marinade. 

  5. Heat a griddle or cast-iron frying pan over high and add oil. Heat until hot but not smoking.

  6. Take fillets one at a time from marinade and carefully transfer to pan. Cook 2 minutes.

  7. Reduce heat to medium and cook fillets for 4 minutes.

  8. Then flip over and cook for an additional 4 minutes. Remove from pan and keep warm. 

  9. While salmon is cooking, transfer marinade to a small saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce to create a thick, syrupy sauce, then strain. 

Tips

  • If you have access to wild salmon, we recommend using it. The stronger flavor of wild suits the glaze best. No worries, if not, it is still delicious with farmed salmon.
  • The recipe does lend itself to wrapping in foil for the grill as the fish will steam, not roast as here.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
915 Calories
51g Fat
31g Carbs
80g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 915
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 51g 65%
Saturated Fat 9g 45%
Cholesterol 224mg 75%
Sodium 661mg 29%
Total Carbohydrate 31g 11%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 25g
Protein 80g
Vitamin C 30mg 148%
Calcium 107mg 8%
Iron 2mg 9%
Potassium 1544mg 33%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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