And all in just about 30 minutes. Yessss!

Caramelized Teriyaki Salmon with Sesame Toasted Buckwheat | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

So today is all about this super simple, super quick and crazy delicious caramelized teriyaki salmon.

Teriyaki is one of my most loved sauces. As a kid, my dad would make a stir fry with grilled chicken in a teriyaki sauce, I always loved it. Now that I’ve grown up and cook on my own, I’ve learned that teriyaki sauce is actually so simple. It’s basically just reduced soy sauce, a little rice vinegar and a lot of ginger, at least  in today’s case.

FYI, I am on a HUGE ginger kick lately. I cannot get enough.

Since we are smack in the dead of winter, I felt like today might be a good day to have a summer-ish meal. I mean, to be honest you can make this recipe any day of the year, but for some reason, to me it feels a bit summery, you know?

Caramelized Teriyaki Salmon with Sesame Toasted Buckwheat-2

I dunno, maybe it’s the salmon, I tend to think of fish as more of a summer food, but yet I still cook it year round. Who knows!! What I do know is that this is one of those dinners (or lunches!) you make on a day when you need a little sunshine in your life, but the sun just will not pop out from behind those snowy clouds (or rain clouds depending on where you live).

Don’t get me wrong, there are A LOT of snowy days when all I crave is a big bowl of cheesy soup, and an even bigger bowl of pasta, but then there are the days when I am just like… well, SO over it all. Over the snow, over the cold and ready for warmth and tropical things. I know you know just what I am talking about.

This dish is perfect for those kinds of days. It’s fast, healthy, colorful and totally perfect for breaking out of the heavy winter food rut you may be in. It’s also totally satisfying! Hello, carbs, protein, sweetness, saltiness and a little bit of veggies too.

Complete meal!!

Caramelized Teriyaki Salmon with Sesame Toasted Buckwheat | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

The salmon takes SO little time. I was inspired by this month’s issue of Bon Appetit to make a salmon teriyaki the simple, traditional way. So not a whole bunch of sugar and a gazillion other ingredients. These days it seems like teriyaki sauce has a whole bunch of ingredients that I personally cannot even pronounce. Even the homemade version seem to have a whole slew of ingredients and thickeners. NONE of that here. Just soy sauce, rice vinegar, sake, a pinch of sugar and ginger.

Promise it’s all you need to make a killer piece of salmon teriyaki. You first start by caramelizing the salmon in a skillet over high heat. I love this method of cooking salmon because it gets the outside sweet and crisp, but the inside stays moist and tender. You then simmer the teriyaki sauce down to a thin glaze and add the salmon. Done and done.

You see, so simple.

Caramelized Teriyaki Salmon with Sesame Toasted Buckwheat | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

For my side dish I had a long debate in my head about whether or not I should use buckwheat noodles (aka soba noodles) or just cooked buckwheat. At the time I was feeling like all I ever tell you guys about are noodles, so I went with the regular old, cooked buckwheat. I have to admit though, I think I really prefer the soba noodles. That’s not to say that the buckwheat was not delicious, but just more that I REALLY like noodles. If you’re like me and are a big ole noodle person, you can sub cooked soba noodles in place of the buckwheat. Just toss them with the dressing and you”ll end up with sesame toasted buckwheat noodles. YUM!

And you guys?? That’s kind of it. No stories or rambles today, my brain is thinkin Friday, Friday, Friday and then it’s thinking oh no, I’m watching Asher for the next five days. What am I gonna do with her?

All you mom’s out there? Tell me, how do you work and have fun with you kids at the same time?

Also, what the heck do I do with her for FIVE days and FOUR nights?? I’m thinking we might go and make some pottery one day, and then if the weather is nice maybe go horseback riding, and then MAYBE, if I’m feeling super sisterly, I might take the little girl to get her nails done, because she would LOVE that. But see, I have this thing about getting my nails done. As in I hate it cause it totally weirds me out. Bad experience when I was younger… still makes me cringe.

UGH.

Caramelized Teriyaki Salmon with Sesame Toasted Buckwheat | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvestCaramelized Teriyaki Salmon with Sesame Toasted Buckwheat | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest
Caramelized Teriyaki Salmon with Sesame Toasted Buckwheat | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest
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4.32 from 19 votes

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

The Recipe

Caramelized Teriyaki Salmon with Sesame Toasted Buckwheat.

By halfbakedharvest

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Asian, Chinese
Keyword: buckwheat, salmon, teriyaki

This is super simple, super quick and crazy delicious caramelized teriyaki salmon.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 Servings
Calories 341 kcal

Ingredients

Sesame Toasted Buckwheat

  • 1 cup raw buckwheat groats*
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons peanut oil
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • juice + zest of 1 lime
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger
  • 1/2 hot house or english cucumber sliced thin
  • 2 green onions sliced
  • 1/3 cup fresh cilantro chopped

Instructions

Sesame Toasted Buckwheat

  1. Bring 2 cups water to a boil, add the buckwheat and boil until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain. Add the buckwheat to a bowl and toss with the soy sauce, peanut oil, honey, lime zest + juice and ginger. Stir in the cucumber, green onions and cilantro. Keep warm and serve a long side the salmon.

Salmon

  1. In a bowl, whisk together the sake, rice vinegar, soy sauce and ginger. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the oil. Sprinkle the top of the fish with with the sugar. Once hot, add the salmon, skin side down. Sear for 2-3 minutes or until the skin is crisp. Carefully flip the salmon and cook another 2-3 minutes or until the salmon has caramelized slightly. Carefully remove the salmon from the pan.
  2. Wipe the skillet clean of any grease and add the teriyaki sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook for 3-5 minutes or until the sauce has reduced by a 1/3. Add the salmon, skin facing up. Cook two minutes and then remove from the heat. Serve the salmon along side the buckwheat and drizzled with the teriyaki sauce. EAT!

Recipe Notes

* You can also substitute soba noodles for the buckwheat, I did, and found them to be delicious! *Salmon inspired by the January 2016 issue of Bon Appetit.

Caramelized Teriyaki Salmon with Sesame Toasted Buckwheat | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

And now we eat. Preferably with chopsticks because they are my favorite and SO fun!!

P.S I love chopsticks! 🙂

Caramelized Teriyaki Salmon with Sesame Toasted Buckwheat | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest