Sweet and Spicy Teriyaki Salmon Lettuce Wraps
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Guess what? Homemade teriyaki sauce is extremely easy to make and only takes a few ingredients! There’s no need to crowd your fridge with store-bought marinade. This tangy-sweet sauce has just a bit of kick from the addition of red pepper flakes. If you like things on the mild side, I’d recommend using half the quantity of red pepper flakes. Lettuce wraps with baked teriyaki salmon like this are a great healthy-ish dinner that can be made in a hurry! Check out my step by step how-to video here on my IGTV!
Sweet and Spicy Teriyaki Salmon Lettuce Wraps
Table of contents
What’s in Teriyaki?
This sweet and spicy homemade teriyaki sauce is extremely easy to make. I prefer making my own so I can control the ingredients used in it. Many store-bought sauces contain more sugar and additives.
- Soy sauce
- Brown sugar
- Mirin
- Honey
- Sesame oil
- Red pepper flakes
- Cornstarch
Key Ingredients in This Recipe
- Salmon – Sockeye salmon is very lean so the marinade helps to keep it very moist when cooking. The fish only needs to be marinated for a few minutes to lock in the flavor.Since this type of salmon is thinner than Atlantic salmon it takes less time to cook.
- Butter lettuce – If you can’t find butter lettuce in your store, I’d recommend substituting with iceberg lettuce.
- Crispy rice – Any medium to long grain rice variety can easily be used for the crispy rice. I generally use whatever type of rice I happen to have leftover! Use day-old rice for the best crispy rice. It will fry and get crispy rather than steaming!
- Teriyaki sauce – While I prefer the flavor of homemade teriyaki sauce it can easily be swapped with your favorite store-bought sauce.
How to make teriyaki salmon lettuce wraps
- Whisk together the ingredients for the teriyaki. In a small saucepan whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, mirin, honey, sesame oil, red pepper flakes and ½ cup water.
- Reduce the sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking occasionally until the sauce reduces and thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. In a small bowl whisk together the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the soy sauce mixture and continue to simmer until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about an additional 2 minutes.
- Let cool and store. Let the sauce cool completely, about 30 minutes. The sauce can be made 2 weeks ahead of time – cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Marinate the fish. Add the filets to a large bowl and pour half the teriyaki sauce over the top, turning the salmon to coat them in the sauce. Let marinate for 15 to 30 minutes.
- Bake the fish. Preheat oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Arrange salmon filets on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake until just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove and set side.
- Make the crispy rice. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, add the oil and heat through. Add the rice to the pan, breaking up and large pieces. Cook, untouched, until the bottom is crispy and golden brown, about 3 minutes. Stir and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and set aside.
- Assemble and serve. Arrange the lettuce leaves on a platter. Top with a scoop of rice then break up pieces of salmon and add to the lettuce cups. Top with sesame seeds, green onions, radish and a drizzle of the leftover teriyaki glaze.
Cooking with Day Old Rice
Day old rice is optimal for cooking fried rice since it has dried out a bit. When making fried rice the goal is to fry it so it’s a bit crispy and absorbs the rice rather than steaming it to the point that it is mushy. While day-old rice isn’t required it definitely makes for the best texture. In this recipe the rice is crisped in the remaining pork fat.
If you don’t have leftover rice you can mimic the dried rice by spreading the cooked rice in an even layer on a baking sheet and refrigerating it for an hour or freezing it for about 15 minutes to 30 minutes. This shortcut will draw the moisture out while saving time.
Other Recipes to Try
If you enjoy this recipe, I recommend checking out some of these
Sweet and Spicy Teriyaki Salmon Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients:
For the sweet and spicy teriyaki:
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ¼ packed cup dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup mirin
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
For the salmon and assembly:
- 1 pound filet Alaskan sockeye salmon, cut into 4 equal portions
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 cups day old cooked white rice
- 2 medium heads butter lettuce, leaves separated
- 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
- ¼ cup thinly sliced green onions
- Pickled watermelon radish or sliced radish, for serving
Instructions:
For the sweet and spicy teriyaki:
- In a small saucepan whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, mirin, honey, sesame oil, red pepper flakes and ½ cup water. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking occasionally until the sauce reduces and thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. In a small bowl whisk together the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the soy sauce mixture and continue to simmer until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about an additional 2 minutes.
- Let the sauce cool completely, about 30 minutes. The sauce can be made 2 weeks ahead of time – cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
For the salmon and assembly:
- Add the filets to a large bowl and pour half the teriyaki sauce over the top, turning the salmon to coat them in the sauce. Let marinate for 15 to 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400ºF (200ºC).
- Arrange salmon filets on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake until just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove and set side.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, add the oil and heat through. Add the rice to the pan, breaking up and large pieces. Cook, untouched, until the bottom is crispy and golden brown, about 3 minutes. Stir and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and set aside.
- Arrange the lettuce leaves on a platter. Top with a scoop of rice then break up pieces of salmon and add to the lettuce cups. Top with sesame seeds, green onions, radish and a drizzle of the leftover teriyaki glaze.
DID YOU MAKE THIS?
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Absolutely awesome! Our boys love anything and everything spicy and teriyaki, so I know they would devour these in minutes!
Yay! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for sharing!