This is a classic, simple, Japanese salmon marinade used in thousands (millions!) of Japanese households every day. With only 3 ingredients in the marinade, it takes all of 30 seconds to prepare and 6 minutes to cook, making this the ultimate 10 minute meal!
Japanese Salmon recipe
This is an authentic, simple Japanese marinade that can be used for any fish but is especially great with salmon.
In this recipe I’ve cooked this by pan frying but it is really great broiled/grilled too. With pan frying you get a really crispy skin (which I love) and the wonderful caramelisation, and with broiling/grilling, the exterior is less caramelised making it softer and a bit juicier which is also delicious. But with both, the inside is the same – moist and incredibly juicy (make sure you don’t overcook it!). If you are cooking salmon without skin, I recommend broiling/grilling it as flipping salmon without skin is quite difficult.
The salmon marinade is classic Japanese flavours – soy sauce, mirin and sake. It doesn’t get anymore “Japanese” than that! The fish really needs to be marinaded overnight (or 3 hours at the absolute minimum) because it’s not a “saucy” dish – all the flavour is in the marinade and it needs the time to infuse into the fish.
The most important thing to remember with this Japanese salmon is to cook it over medium heat – because of the sugar in the mirin, if you cook it over too high heat then the sugar will burn before the inside of the fillet is cooked. If you have trouble regulating the heat on your stove, then I recommend broiling/grilling it instead.
As you can see from the photo below, I love my salmon just cooked so the inside is a gorgeous coral colour and out-of-this-world juicy, infused with the flavours of the marinade. I only marinated it for 3 hours – the absolute minimum time. If you marinade it overnight, which is the recommended time (or even up to 24 hours for an oily fish like salmon) then your salmon will be slightly stained with the marinade.
This is also a great recipe for the BBQ – the smoky flavours add another dimension and the marinade is made for BBQ-ing! This is a great simple recipe to add to your repertoire. – Nagi x
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Japanese Salmon with Mirin and Soy Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 salmon fillets (5 oz / 150 g each)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp mirin
- 1 tbsp sake
- 1/2 tbsp oil
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients except the oil in a ziplock bag, remove as much air as possible and marinade overnight (or minimum 3 hours).
- Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a non stick pan over medium heat.
- Add salmon skin side down, cook for 2 to 3 minutes until crispy. Check the skin to ensure it isn't cooking too quickly - if it is, then turn down the heat and/or remove the pan from the stove briefly to allow the temperature to decrease.
- Drizzle over remaining marinade in the ziplock bag over the flesh side. Flip and cook the flesh side for 2 minutes, or to your liking. I like salmon medium rare so the inside is very moist and just cooked.
- Rest for a couple of minutes, remembering that the salmon will continue to cook while resting, then serve.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition
Hi Nagi,
Is soy sauce light soy or dark soy? Thanks
Hi Maggie, when I write “soy sauce” I’m referring to regular soy. Light soy and dark soy are different again just for more confusion!
Is sake the same as cooking sake?
Yes you can use cooking sake ☺️
There are different kinds of Mirin at the store. Are you using ‘regular’? Would seasoned Mirin work?
Hi Ann, what are the ingredients in the seasoned Mirin?
Hi Nagi, totally embarrassed but I was looking at rice vinegar. I know, completely different! 😬
I’m all set now. Bought the ingredients and making tonight! Thank you!!!
hello, I was wondering if you could help me with a few tips.
I want to broil the salmon fillet for a party.
1. At Costco, i usually get the ones without skin, should I still do 10 min? Also, my broiler default says 525 degrees. it doesn’t say “high”, is 525 degrees F sound right?
2. If i do find a fillet with skin, do i broil it with skin side up or skin side down?
3. I will be using 2 long fillets, and therefore the thickness varies. should I cover the thinner parts with aluminum foil at 8 min in or just let it cook? will it dry out?
Hi, Nagi! Will it still taste good if I omit the sake? Or do you have a recommended substitute for it? 🙂
Thank you!
Hi Trish! Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry is a great sub! N x
ah gosh, I feel so unlucky. Lots of these Japanese recipes include that WITH mirin. At my local market, in the asian section, I can only find mirin. It’s very upsetting. I suppose I’ll turn to Amazon.
Hi Lana! Yes Mirin is one of the 3 key ingredients in Japanese cooking! 🙂 N x
Nagi you need to reintroduce this recipe. This is so awesome. Subtle Japanese flavors. Wow.
Just curious can the sake be replaced with dry sherry like some of your recipes. I did and it was good but wondering if sake would have been different.
My new go-to salmon recipe. Everyone loved it! I baked the pieces in the oven at 200 and reduced the leftover marinade as a sauce.
That’s great to hear Tamarra! Thanks for letting me know! N xx
5 stars- My family won’t let me make salmon any other way! I’ve discovered my local Asian store has a bigger bottle of mirin compared to the Obento brand I get from woolies but it has 14% alcohol. Which is the more authentic one to use? Which brand do you use? Thanks Nagi!
Hi Tamarra!!! DEFINITELY the one from the Asian store, my mother would have my head if I used Obento brand (well, she caught me with it once and was tut-tutting away, saying how wrong it was!!)
I just made this yesterday and this morning. I used sesame oil and cooked on low heat for 4-5 minutes, and it turned out perfect!
That’s so fantastic Gabe! I’m so pleased to hear you enjoyed this, thanks for letting me know! N xx ❤️
I’m so excited to try this. As a busy mom, I am always looking for something tasty that doesn’t require a lot of chopping and preparation! Thank you.
OOOH! I hope you enjoy it! N xx
can i do this without the sake?
Sorry Chloe, it’s a pretty key ingredient! 🙂
Hi Nagi, I’ve made this recipe so many times now and just had to come back to tell you how much the whole family love it. The flavours complement the salmon perfectly and your instructions for cooking are spot on. So quick and so easy – thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!!
Yummmm. I love simple. Just need to remember to marinate!
So true! But at least with this one it literally takes 30 seconds to make the marinade!