As a salmon lover, this is what I believe to be the Best Marinade for Salmon!
This summer, my sister came to stay with us at our rented beach house in Massachusetts. She brought a recipe from Food and Wine magazine that was shared by chef Stephanie Izzard. The recipe was a Grilled Tomato Salad with Mozzarella and Unagi Sauce. It was a bit of a pain to prepare– since you have to grill the tomatoes, which can be tough if the tomatoes begin falling apart! The salad turned out to be really delicious, and it was all because of the sauce drizzled on top.
We immediately determined that the sauce would be perfect for salmon. So that’s how this recipe originated. If you have a really delicious piece of good salmon, you can lightly coat it with olive oil, salt and pepper and grill… brushing lightly with the marinade as you grill. Or if you prefer for the salmon to have the strong flavor of a marinade, you can cover the salmon in the sauce and marinate in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before grilling. Be sure to save some sauce for drizzling after it it cooked.
Leftover, marinated salmon is perfect for topping a great green salad too!
Best Marinade for Salmon
Ingredients
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup mirin
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons sake or soju
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, whisk together the soy sauce, mirin, sugar and sake; bring to a boil. Simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture has reduced to about ¼ cup (about 12 minutes). It will be rather syrupy. Let cool.
- When cooled, whisk in the mayonnaise and lime juice, and season with salt..
- Keep refrigerated until ready to use with salmon. If it thickens up too much, just heat it a bit to soften it. Drizzle over salmon and marinate for about an hour before grilling or baking. You can brush the sauce on while cooking if you'd like to.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Here are a few more marinated salmon recipes you might enjoy:
- Maple Glazed Salmon by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Asian Salmon Steaks by RecipeGirl
- Salmon Teriyaki by Closet Cooking
- Balsamic Glazed Salmon by RecipeGirl
- Barbecued Salmon by RecipeGirl
Salmon is my husband’s favorite and I’m always looking for new inspiration! This marinade sounds like a delicious change of pace. Pinning!! xo
This sounds delious. What could be substiuted for the sake? Just white wine? Thanks
I love sweet-salty marinades on salmon. But adding lime and mayo make it even more complex and delicious! A must try 🙂
Hmmmm… I see that I may have some competition for the “best” title. I love the sake and mirin in this. I use a whiskey in my marinade that served me well for a lot of years. Competition might heat up here!