If you’re looking for a quick and delicious feel-good dish, this easy maple sesame salmon delivers. After using, reduce the marinade down to become a rich, savory, and sweet glaze for the juicy sesame seed topped salmon. If you’re looking for more seafood dishes, we always love these homemade Maryland crab cakes.
It’s helpful to have a few simple dinner options on regular rotation so that you can have wholesome and satisfying meals on the table in no time. This 6 ingredient maple sesame salmon serves that exact purpose. (So does our favorite pesto shrimp!) Served with rice and steamed vegetables or a green salad, it’s a flavorful home-cooked dinner and the kind of carefree meal you prepare when you don’t have a lot of ingredients or time.
Tell Me About This Easy Maple Sesame Salmon
- Texture: The crunchy toasted sesame seeds are a pleasing contrast to the juicy, flaky salmon underneath.
- Flavor: Let’s not waste any good stuff! The marinade eventually becomes a glaze that is drizzled over the baked salmon. Just let it thicken on the stove as the salmon bakes. Made with soy sauce, garlic, pure maple syrup, and sesame oil, this thin glaze has the perfect savory and sweet balance.
- Ease: This dish is so simple that you may feel like you’re doing something wrong. Whisk marinade ingredients together, pour over the fish, then reduce the marinade on the stove as the fish bakes.
- Time: This dinner takes a little over 30 minutes to complete.
Honestly, when a recipe delivers on taste AND requires little effort and ingredients to prepare, it’s a major win.
Use Pure Maple Syrup
The marinade really packs a punch and most of the flavor comes from the maple syrup. Be sure to use good-quality pure maple syrup and not imitation breakfast syrup. You’ll miss out on most of the flavor.
How to Marinate the Fish
You can marinate the salmon for at least 15 minutes or up to 8-9 hours. A longer marinating time means more scrumptious flavor, so keep that in mind if you want to plan ahead. Place the salmon into a zipped-top bag or sealable container with the marinade.
More Favorite Dinner Recipes
- Baked Lemon Herb Salmon & Honey Garlic Soy Glazed Salmon
- Slow Cooker Chicken Chili
- Sausage Stuffed Peppers
- Baked Chicken Meatballs
- Honey Garlic Shrimp
- Zucchini Fritters
- Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Apple Cider Chicken
Easy Maple Sesame Salmon
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: Asian
Description
If you’re looking for a quick and delicious feel-good dish, this easy maple sesame salmon delivers. After using, reduce the marinade down to become a rich, savory, and sweet glaze for the juicy sesame seed topped salmon.
Ingredients
- 4 salmon fillets, skin removed (about 2 lbs total)
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds (1 Tablespoon per salmon fillet)
- optional for garnish:Â chopped scallion
Instructions
- Place the salmon fillets in a baking dish, sealable container, or zipped-top bag. Whisk the maple syrup, soy sauce, sesame oil, and garlic together in a medium bowl. Pour over the salmon fillets, coating them thoroughly. Cover the dish/seal the container or bag. Refrigerate for 15 minutes or up to 8–9 hours.
- Preheat oven to 375°F (191°C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, parchment paper, or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- Line the marinated salmon fillets on the baking sheet and top each with sesame seeds. Hold onto the used marinade—see step 4. Bake the salmon for 15–20 minutes depending on thickness, about 10 minutes per 1-inch inch thickness measured from the thickest part of the fillet or until the thickest part reaches 145°F (63°C) internal heat. If desired (for crispier edges), broil the salmon on high for the last 3 minutes.
- Reduce the glaze: Pour the used marinade into a small saucepan or skillet. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove cooked salmon from the oven. Garnish with chopped scallion and serve with thickened maple glaze.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Dish | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat, Parchment Paper, or Foil | Small Saucepan
My husband just made this for dinner and it was DELISH! When he discovered that he had to reduce something, I had to talk him through it. Another hit Sally. Thanks.
All your recipes.are delicious !!!!!!
I still go back to this recipe even after saving it years ago! Such a delicious salmon dish.
This was one of the first times I’ve successfully made salmon, thanks to Sally’s great instructions. The reduced sauce on top is delicious!!
I just made this recipe for dinner and it is one of the best salmon dishes I have ever made or eaten! Thank you so much for this recipe, my husband was practically licking the plate.
I have made this salmon with rice and vegetables several times now! It has become a staple recipe in our home and is in our weekly rotation! Thank you so much for another great recipe!
My favorite salmon ever. The sauce is the best, so yummy! Now my mother in law won’t eat salmon any other way!
Delicious and easy!!
This is my absolute favorite salmon recipe! With summer coming, I’d like to find a way to cook this on my Blackstone grill instead of in the oven (that way I can even make it when we go camping). Any advice on how to modify the cooking instructions for that?
Hi Michele! I haven’t tested it with this recipe, but you can try the grilling instructions from my honey chipotle salmon. (That’s what I would do!)
Delicious! Definitely making this again SOON!
Super easy and yummy! Sally, so grateful for your recipes. Since my family cannot live on sweets alone (I would much rather bake than cook) I appreciate recipes that include “real food” ; )
A wonderful recipe Sally, so easy, quick and the epitome of clean eating!
Greetings from Germany 🙂
Delicious! My husband LOVED it! Followed recipe exactly, but poured all marinade and fresh broccoli in same baking pan. Easy peasy and yummy. A total winner!
This was SO GOOD! Thanks!
We LOVE this recipe. I make it with salmon and chicken (my husband doesn’t like salmon), and my whole family gobbles it up.
This was so good! My husband and I are vegetarians, so I subbed a block of extra firm tofu cut into four “filets”. I marinated them for 45 minutes, baked for 15, and then turned the broiler on for 3. We had them with farro, peas, and match stick carrots tossed with extra glaze. So delicious!!! :o)
Sally, I made this salmon recipe for my family on Saturday. I make A LOT of salmon and my family said this was the BEST! Â It was so simple and delicious! I can’t wait to make it again. Boiling the rest of the marinade was such a great idea.Â
This was lick the plate good. Â I kept trying to magically make some reappear on my plate, but instead I’ll just make it again tonight. Â And probably every night until my husband gets sick of it. Â I make salmon about four times a week because it cooks quickly and we eat pretty late at night. Â This may be the best I’ve had. Â We are planning to make this and serve it over an oriental salad of sorts at our restaurant this summer. Â Thank you Sally!!
Delicious and so easy! I made this with chicken since my husband doesn’t like fish, and added a side salad and rice. So so good and prep time was less than five minutes. Thanks Sally!
I have never been so pleased with a salmon recipe made at home – thank you thank you thank you for posting this recipe! Even as an Asian girl, I find it tough to get the right balance of soy sauce, sesame oil, and sweetness – and I think this recipe is perfect!!Â
Hi Sally!
I just tried this last night with Cod Fish instead of salmon as I’m not a fan of Salmon(but my husband is and probably would’ve fallen over if I made it for him hahaha) and it was absolutely delicious! I’ve seen other people asking about it working with chicken and I’m sure it would be amazing with that as well or even pork with some stir fried veggies it would be like a healthy take on asian take-out. Thanks for sharing another good one!
This salmon does not just LOOK amazing…it IS amazing! I made it for our Sunday night dinner with fresh green beans (with sesame seeds on them as well-we love sesame seeds!) and the salmon was a hit! Tender and full of flavor! We HAD a favorite salmon recipe but It has been replaced! ! Very easy effort for such an amazing look and taste! Thanks Sally!Â
Hi Sally, I just made this for Sunday lunch, served it with mashed potatoes and broccoli – awesome! Actually, it was the first time I prepared salmon at home (I am not much of a cook, I definitely prefer baking) – I can’t believe how easy this is! And it tastes great, just like something you would expect eating at a restaurant!Â
Thank you so much for this recipe and good luck with your move!Â
PS: Did you try this with chicken?Â
Isn’t cooking salmon remarkably simple? When I’m in my normal routine, I probably prepare it at least 2x week. I haven’t tried this with chicken, but a few readers have been asking about it. It would absolutely work!
Hi Sally, I just wanted to let you know: I tried this with chicken yesterday, an it turned out great! Marinated the chicken for about 4 hours, than put it in the oven for 30 minutes at 200°C. I used a small oven-proof casserole and added all the sauce because I was afraid the chicken would become dry.Â
I actually tasted a lot like the caramel chicken I always get from my favorite Chinese take-out place. Now I just have to figure out how they make their breadcrumb coating 🙂Â
The sauce turned out a bit too liquid, I might add a little cornstarch next time I prepare the chicken version.Â
Thanks again for this awesome recipe!Â
Hi Sally! My absolute favorite salmon recipe is your honey soy ginger but I’ve become soy intolerant so I was excited to see this maple one. Is there a substitute/ok to omit the soy sauce in this recipe or the other one?
Hi Wendy, coconut aminos would be the best substitution here! Omitting it completely would lose quite a bit of taste.