Shioyaki salmon is one of favorite salmon dishes to make because it is so simple, yet so good. Shioyaki salmon is a Japanese fish dish where you put salt and sake on the fish, and have it sit in the fridge for about 2-days. You end up with salmon that has crispy skin, is super flaky (if you choose the right type of salmon), and flavorful from the salt. You only need three ingredients to make this dish, salmon, kosher salt, and sake. We eat this with steamed rice , some vegetables, and if you are feeling fancy, miso soup.

Fish is one of those ingredients that I struggled with cooking in the beginning. I always overcooked it, didn’t know what part of the fish I should buy, and didn’t even know what fish to buy. I mean there are like 5 different types of salmon alone! So getting a few, easy to cook, fish recipes that you can cook, and cook well, is super important to your cooking journey. Shioyaki salmon is one of those great fish dinners that is really hard to mess up. However, in full disclosure, I did mess it up multiple times in the beginning. The key is buying the right part of the fish, cutting it in thin slices, and buying the right type of fish. If you do those things, you are going to have great fish.

Tips for cooking Shioyaki Salmon

Broil not bake – Broiling the salmon will give you the best taste with a crispy skin. Plus your salmon is done in 10-12 minutes so that is awesome.
Steelhead – Ah, this is my trick to having great shioyaki salmon. I actually use steelhead, which is an oily fish that is very very similar to salmon. The color and the taste is so similar, in fact I bet a sushi restaurant has even served this to you. Steelhead is oily, cheaper, and tastes a ton better than Atlantic salmon. If you don’t like salmon it is probably because you have only bought Atlantic salmon.
1-day is not enough – I have tried having the salmon in the refrigerator for 1-day and 2-days, and I can say with a fact, you have to let the salmon stay in the fridge for 2-days. I wouldn’t leave it in the fridge for longer than 2-days though, because it will be way too salty.
When you buy the fish – Ask for the thicker part of the fish. You also want to try and remove the bones from the fish before broiling if you can. I just use my hands to get them out.

What to eat with broiled salmon

Steamed rice – You have to eat this with rice. If I’m feeling up for it, I even make salmon rice balls.
Steamed or stir fry vegetables – If you have green beans or broccoli this is the perfect side dish for shioyaki salmon.
Garlic spinach – I happen to serve this with Garlic spinach with sesame oil a lot too.
Miso soup – As I mentioned before miso soup is a nice addition to the rice, salmon, and vegetables to complete the meal.

I adapted this great recipe from Justonecookbook, the best website for all things Japanese food. She is my favorite go-to cook for Japanese recipes, and I have cooked sooo many things from her website. The only changes I have made are the way I cut the fish, I go with straight down, vs diagonal, to make the cooking more even, and I go with steelhead instead of Atlantic or sockeye. I think the oiliness of the steelhead just tastes amazing.

Shioyaki Salmon

This Shioyaki Salmon is a flaky, flavorful, easy to make broiled Japanese salmon dish. Salmon, salt, and sake is what you need to make an amazing fish dish.

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Servings

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Equipment

Baking pan

Ingredients

1 lb Salmon
1 tbsp Kosher salt
1 tbsp Sake

Instructions

Cut the salmon into thin 3/4 inch to 1 inch slices.
Add 1 tbsp of sake to both sides of the salmon. Have the salmon out for about 10-15 minutes as the sake soaks into the salmon.
Then pat the salmon dry with some paper towels, and then rub 2 tbsp of kosher salt into both sides of the salmon.
Add paper towels to a tupperware or pyrex that fits all of your salmon.
Put your first row of salmon onto the paper towels. Then go and lay another row of paper towels over the top of them. Then add your second row of salmon on top of the paper towels, and finally cover again with a row of paper towels.
Cover the top of a the pyrex with saran wrap or if you used a tupperware cover with the top. I would put the salmon into the refrigerator for 2-days.
After the 2-days, get the salmon and put onto foil-lined baking pan.
Preheat oven on broil high heat.
Broil for 10 minutes, and then take out of oven.
Serve with steam rice!