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Teriyaki salmon bites are a delicious and easy crowd-pleasing dinner. Homemade teriyaki sauce is sweetened with apricot jam or honey to make a glaze that perfectly coats crispy salmon bites.
This teriyaki salmon bites recipe is a weeknight dinner winning recipe in my house. Salmon is cubed into squares and seared until golden brown and crunchy on all sides. An easy healthy homemade teriyaki sauce sweetened with apricot jam perfectly glazes the salmon for a sweet and salty bite.
I serve these salmon bites with simple sautéed shiitake mushrooms and bok choy or any greens I find at the market. You could also serve this teriyaki salmon recipe over my grain bowl with ginger dressing or alongside the miso soba noodles.
Salmon is one of my favorite entertaining dishes, I love to grill a whole side of salmon, roast salmon fillets with herbs, and make salmon burgers. I’ve been so excited to make a salmon bites recipe with an incredible healthy teriyaki sauce sweetened with apricot jam that’s so easy to make.
The best part about this salmon recipe is it takes about 45 minutes from start to finish, perfect for a weeknight dinner or entertaining friends. I serve bok choy and shiitake mushrooms with the salmon bites, but I also love to make a sushi bowl with white rice or even salmon tacos.
Teriyaki Salmon Bites Recipe Features
- 45 Minute Recipe: This is a great dinner for a weeknight and makes even better leftovers for lunch the next day. It requires minimal chopping and effort, perfect for after a long day at work.
- Healthy Reduced-Sugar Teriyaki Sauce: Rather than use sugar, I sweeten the teriyaki sauce with fruit-sweetened apricot jam. The jam also gives the sauce a nice caramel-fruit flavor.
- Stovetop or Oven: I tried this recipe two ways for you, on the stovetop and also in the oven, depending on your cooking level.
Reduced-Sugar Healthy Teriyaki Sauce Ingredients
The ingredient list for this salmon bites recipe may look a bit daunting at first, but trust me it’s so simple to make. The healthy teriyaki sauce is made with ingredients I always have in my kitchen (and recommend that you do too!).
- Fresh Ginger: Gives this sauce a bright and almost spicy flavor profile, plus has incredible anti-inflammatory properties.
- Garlic: I always say the more garlic the better, add as much or as little as you please. It pairs perfectly with the sweetness of the apricot jam.
- Tamari: Tamari is my preference as a gluten-free soy sauce alternative. But you can also use liquid aminos or reduced-sodium soy sauce in this recipe.
- White Miso Paste: One of my favorite ingredients in general, miso paste is fermented soy beans. A little miso paste a long way and adds an incredible umami flavor to the sauce.
- Red Chili Flakes: For some added heat! Omit if you like a mild sauce.
- Fruit-sweetened Apricot Jam: My secret ingredient to sweeten the teriyaki sauce without sugar. Be sure it’s a no sugar added apricot jam. Honey can also be used as a natural sweetener but is higher in sugar content than the apricot jam.
- Lime Juice: Adds brightness and brings all the flavors together.
- Ground Black Pepper: Adds a bit of heat to the sauce.
Salmon Bites and Bok Choy Recipe Ingredients
Once the sauce is reduced to a nice glaze, the rest of the salmon bites recipe can be assembled!
- Toasted Sesame Oil: Adds a delicious hidden richness to the bok choy and shiitakes.
- Bok Choy: Crunchy and refreshingly light in flavor. Lacinato kale or collards can be used if bok choy is difficult to find.
- Shiitake Mushrooms: Often used in Asian cuisine, they have woody stems that need to removed before cooking. Great light mushroom flavor and tender when cooked just right.
- Avocado Oil: My neutral cooking oil of choice that is a good source of vitamin E and monounsaturated fat.
- Salmon: Organic salmon (not wild) is best for this recipe since it’s a thicker fillet.
- Sesame Seeds: For crunch and additional healthy fats.
- Scallions: A light onion flavor to garnish the salmon bites.
How to Make Reduced-Sugar Teriyaki Sauce
- Heat the avocado oil in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Cook the garlic and ginger until aromatic, about a minute.
- Whisk in the tamari, miso paste, chili flakes, and apricot jam until smooth.
- Simmer the teriyaki sauce for 12 minutes until it is glaze-like (think of honey) and coats the back of a spoon nicely.
- Remove the sauce from the heat.
- Stir in the lime juice and season with pepper.
- Allow the sauce to cool, this will allow it to further thicken.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Type of Salmon to Buy for Salmon Bites
When going to the grocery store, it may be confusing with all the different labels on types of salmon. Organic salmon, wild salmon, farm raised salmon, it’s confusing! For this recipe I recommend organic center cut salmon fillets with the skin removed.
This cut of salmon is thicker than wild salmon which makes it easier to cube and cook the recipe. Organic salmon is raised in organically clean water environments and with higher standards than regular farmed salmon. It is a great source of protein and omega-3s.
When buying the fish from the fishmonger, be sure to ask them to remove any bones as well as the skin. The fishmonger can the cube the fish for you into 1-inch pieces.
How to Make Teriyaki Salmon Bites and Bok Choy
- Heat sesame oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat.
- Saute the bok choy and shiitake mushrooms and cook until tender and lightly golden, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Remove the bok choy and shiitake mushrooms to a platter until ready to serve.
- Heat avocado oil in the same nonstick skillet over medium-low heat.
- Season the salmon cubes with salt and pepper.
- Sear salmon cubes on all sides until lightly golden brown, about 5 minutes.
- Pour over the reduced-sugar teriyaki sauce and gently stir to coat the salmon bites in the sauce.
- Cook another 10 minutes until sauce caramelizes lightly onto the salmon and salmon is cooked through.
- Serve salmon bites over bok choy and shiitake mushrooms.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced scallions.
Teriyaki Salmon Bites Recipe Tips
The beauty of this recipe is I also tested it in the oven if you would prefer to have more hands-free cooking!
Oven Cooking Method:
- Prepare the reduced-sugar teriyaki sauce in the same method as above.
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Toss the salmon cubes with avocado oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Place the salmon cubes on the baking sheet.
- Place bok choy and shiitakes on the second baking sheet.
- Drizzle with sesame oil and toss to coat.
- Roast both baking sheets for 15 to 18 minutes, flipping salmon bites halfway through cooking, until golden brown and opaque.
- Remove salmon bites to a large bowl with sauce and gently toss to coat.
- Serve salmon bites over the bok choy and shiitakes and a garnish with sesame seeds and scallions.
I can’t wait for you to make this recipe, please drop your feedback using a star or a comment! Tag me on recipe photos on Instagram, I would love to share them.
Try these other Salmon Recipes!
The Best Teriyaki Salmon Bites Recipe
Ingredients
Reduced-Sugar Teriyaki Sauce:
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger peeled and grated
- 3 cloves garlic grated
- 1/3 cup tamari or liquid aminos or reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon white miso paste
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 1/4 cup fruit-sweetened apricot jam or honey
- 1 lime juiced (about 2 tablespoons)
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Salmon Bites and Bok Choy:
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 1/2 pounds bok choy or baby bok choy thinly sliced into 1/2-inch thick ribbons
- 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms stem removed and large caps cut in half
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 pound organic center cut salmon skin removed and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 teaspoons white or black sesame seeds to garnish
- 2 tablespoons scallions thinly sliced to garnish
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Cooked brown rice optional to serve
Instructions
For the Reduced-Sugar Teriyaki Sauce:
- In a small saucepan over medium heat add the avocado oil. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until aromatic, a minute or so.
- Add the tamari, miso paste, chili flakes, and apricot jam or honey. Bring to a simmer, whisking constantly until combined.
- Allow the sauce to simmer and reduce until slightly thickened and the sauce coats the back of a spoon nicely, 12 minutes (the sauce should look like honey).
- Remove from the heat, stir in the lime juice and season well with pepper. Allow the sauce to cool until just warm (the sauce will continue to thicken as it cools).
For the Salmon Bites and Bok Choy:
- Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the sesame oil. Add the bok choy and shiitakes and allow to cook until tender and lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove to a platter and set aside until ready to serve.
- In the same nonstick skillet, add the avocado oil over medium-low heat.
- Season the salmon cubes with salt and pepper. Sear in the skillet for 5 minutes per side until lightly golden brown.
- Pour over the teriyaki sauce and gently stir to coat. Continue cooking another 10 minutes until the sauce caramelizes onto the salmon cubes and the salmon is fully cooked through.
- Serve the salmon bites over the bok choy and shiitakes and garnish with sesame seeds and scallions. Serve with brown rice as desired.
Notes
- If you can’t find bok choy, substitute with lacinato kale or collards (be sure to remove the stems before cutting into ribbons).
- Ask your fishmonger to cut the salmon into 1-inch pieces for you.
- For the oven method of the salmon recipe:
- Make the reduced-sugar teriyaki sauce like the above method
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly toss the salmon cubes with avocado oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on the prepared baking sheet with even space in between each piece to help with browning. Set aside.
- On the second prepared baking sheet add the bok choy and shiitakes, drizzle with sesame oil and toss to evenly coat. Season with salt and pepper.
- Place both baking sheets in the oven and allow to roast for 15 to 18 minutes, depending on how you like your salmon cooked. Flip the salmon cubes halfway through cooking and remove when they opaque pink and lightly browned on the edges. The bok choy and shiitakes should be tender.
- Place salmon bites in a large bowl and pour the teriyaki sauce over the top, gently toss to coat the salmon bites in the sauce.
- Serve garnished with sesame seeds and scallions.