Soy Ginger Salmon Recipe

Sometimes my kids think they don’t like fish. Then they eat recipes like this soy ginger salmon, and they beg me to make it again the next night. Of course!

Now that Lent is upon us once again, I’m doing my best to follow in the traditions I grew up knowing, the same ones I’m passing on to the wee ones.

I attended Mass on Ash Wednesday, although I sadly had to explain to Little Miss (again) what the ashes were for.  I chose to give up Nutella for Lent – and if you know anything about me, you know that was a big sacrifice.

And we’re going to be eating a lot more fish.

I was playing around last week, trying to figure out how I was going to use the last of a knob of ginger that was… needing to be used or frozen immediately.  And it dawned on me that a soy ginger salmon would be really tasty.  And that I could convince Mister Man (who has  a love-hate relationship with salmon) that he would love it.

The best part of this fish dish is that it requires very few ingredients and is super easy to make.  I marinated it a couple hours just to let the flavors really soak in – and partly because I had to run to school to pick up the wee ones from an activity and wanted to be able to throw it in the oven when I got home.  As long as you give it 20 or so minutes to marinate, you should be good, though.

As a side note, I cooked two pounds of salmon, plus I had sides.  I expected to serve this for dinner and have enough for lunch the next day.

Little Miss had seconds, and Mister Man had thirds.  There was less than an ounce remaining after dinner, although Little Miss did insist I send that for her lunch.  It was a hit.

How to Make Soy Ginger Salmon

Mince the two cloves of garlic.  In a shallow dish (or be ecologically unfriendly and put the marinade ingredients in a plastic bag), place the soy, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger – grating the ginger directly into the dish.

I find using my zester is perfect for this task.  Use a fork or spoon to stir together the marinade, whisking until the brown sugar is dissolved.

Add the salmon fillet, turning to ensure it is fully coated in the marinade.  Cover the dish and place in the fridge for two to three hours, turning once if you can.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Tear off a large piece of tin foil.  Place the salmon fillet in the center of the tin foil.  It’s fine if some of the marinade goes with the salmon, but reserve the majority of it.

Make a papillote from the tin foil – even though I know this isn’t paper.  Fold up the long sides of the tin foil, and crimp them together.  Do the same with the short sides so that you’ve created a tent over the salmon.

You want to try to prevent most steam from escaping, and the tin foil should not be wrapped around the fish – you want air circulating in your tent.

Place your non-papillote in the oven for 10-12 minutes.  At that point, turn it up to broil, and broil for an additional 2-3 minutes – cooking time will depend on the thickness of your fillets.

You can check on it to see if it is done.  When it flakes easily and is no longer bright pink inside, it is done.  Salmon is best eaten medium rare rather than fully cooked through, in my opinion.

While your salmon is cooking, pour your reserved marinade into a saucepan and turn up the heat so that the marinade boils.  Boil for five to seven minutes to reduce it (and kill any bacteria lingering around).

If you want to make this more of a glaze to brush on your salmon at the end, make a slurry with a little cornstarch and cold water and pour that into the marinade, which will thicken it up nicely.  I like it more as a sauce than glaze, personally.

When the salmon is cooked, pour the sauce over the fish and serve immediately.

Have you ever had soy ginger salmon?

Enjoy this article? Please share it and save it for later!