Sweet Chili Salmon
Glazed with an easy, homemade Thai chili sauce, this spicy sweet chili salmon recipe is full of flavor and made in under 30 minutes. Serve it with this easy garlic rice recipe and crispy brussels sprouts for a delicious, healthy meal.
Why I love this sweet chili salmon
This sweet chili salmon recipe is so simple, and you can make it with ingredients from your pantry. You don’t even need sweet chili sauce because we’re making it from scratch and it’s super easy.
The homemade chili sauce is made in a skillet on the stove and then the salmon gets coated in it and broiled until it’s flaky and tender. While it’s cooking, the sauce thickens just a little bit more and creates a beautiful caramelization that makes the sauce even better.
It pairs perfectly with a serving on of jasmine rice and honey Brussels sprouts, but you can serve it with whatever sides you prefer.
Here’s what you’ll need to make it
If you don’t have an oven proof skillet, you can make the sauce in a saucepan and then broil the salmon on a baking sheet.
How to broil salmon
Make the sauce. Mix the sauce ingredients together until smooth. Add them to a preheated cast iron skillet oven medium high heat and cook until thickened.
Glaze the salmon. Push the sauce to the side and add the salmon fillets to the pan. Use a spoon to spread the sauce on top of the salmon.
Broil the salmon. Transfer the skillet to the oven and broil for 8 – 10 minutes, depending on the size of your salmon fillets. Cook until the salmon reaches 145˚F. It should be flaky and tender, but not dried out.
FAQs and tips for making the best salmon
I think salmon is better when it’s broiled rather than baked, but if done correctly, both methods can produce really great tasting salmon. It’s all about not over-cooking the salmon and keeping it tender and juicy. I think this is easier to accomplish with broiling.
No. You don’t need to flip salmon when broiling it. As long as the pan you’re using has been preheated, you can simply leave it under the broiler until it’s cooked through.
No. You should never wash raw salmon (or any other type of raw seafood or meat) before cooking. This will spread germs in your kitchen and it’s completely unnecessary to make salmon. I do recommend drying the salmon by patting it with paper towels to remove any excess liquid before cooking.
Sweet chili sauce is made from a combination of vinegar, sugar and chili flakes, along with seasonings like ginger and garlic. It’s often thickened with cornstarch to create a thick condiment style sauce.
This recipe would be great with:
- Easy coconut rice recipe
- Pistachio arugula pesto
- Crispy roasted brussels sprouts
- Easy moroccan couscous recipe
More salmon recipes you’ll love
- Smoked salmon appetizer platter
- Grilled salmon kabobs
- Maple glazed salmon
- Walnut crusted salmon with basil walnut pesto
Ingredients
- 4 – 6 salmon fillets
- Salt & pepper
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 – 3 teaspoons red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 4 – 6 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Preheat oven broiler (550˚F), and liberally season salmon fillets with salt & pepper. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk brown sugar, cornstarch, red pepper flakes, garlic, ginger and mustard with vinegar and water until smooth.
- Heat a large oven proof skillet to medium-high heat. Add sauce mixture and allow it to cook, stirring frequently, until it starts to thicken.
- Push the sauce the the side and add the salmon fillets to the pan. Spoon the sauce mixture over the salmon until nicely coated.
- Transfer pan to the oven and broil for 8 – 10 minutes, or until salmon is cooked through (145˚F) and flakes easily.
This looks SO good! Raita is pretty much amazing on everything and a spice rubbed salmon sounds like perfect summer food. Mmmm. And no it’s not weird to be envying the bears’ salmon!
Any way I can work yogurt into a meal, it’s on! I too am excited for salmon season–it’s everywhere here in Seattle!
Ah! I’m so jealous. I bet you have the best seafood over there! You’re so lucky.
Lucky is correct. I have some friends here who don’t eat seafood and I think they’re nuts!
The url and comments refer to Moroccan Salmon Cucumber Raita, but the recipe is for Sweet Chile Salmon. Could you please update? I would like to read the reviews and comments for the chile salmon.