Sesame salmon combines the tangy flavors of sesame oil with the sweetness of mirin in a sauce that’s perfect for spooning over cooked salmon.
Jump to RecipeWe always have one week out of the month that we do “pantry week” at our house. That means we only make meals based on what we have on hand without getting any new groceries. It’s a great way to use up foods and prevent them from going to waste.
Our last “pantry week” included a few things we had in the refrigerator and freezer. I had mirin from a client recipe and I wanted to use some of that. We also had plenty of salmon in the freezer, and green onions that needed to be used. Put that all together with a few other staples we keep on hand and we had sesame salmon!

Sesame Salmon Step by Step
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound salmon, skin-on, cut into 4-5 portions
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 green onions
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame seed oil
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp mirin

Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350F. Sprinkle the salmon with salt.
Heat the oil in a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place the salmon, skin-side up, in the oil and cook for about 3-5 minutes.

Meanwhile, finely chop the whites of the green onion and slice the green parts.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk the green onion whites, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, sesame seed oil, sesame seeds, honey, and mirin.

Carefully flip the salmon and spoon the sauce over the fillets.

Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for about 3-5 minutes, until the fish flakes easily with a fork. I like using my cast-iron skillet for meals like this since I know it can withstand the heat of the oven without a problem.
Garnish the salmon with the sliced green onion and more sesame seeds. We served this with a side of rice.

Leftovers
As with most seafood recipes, I am not a fan of reheated leftovers. The fish tends to get a strange texture or gets overcooked when reheated. If you want to save any leftover sesame salmon, I suggest storing it in the refrigerator and eating the next day. Reheat in a skillet on low heat or in the oven until just warmed through.

Recipe
Originally Published On: February 14, 2022

Sesame Salmon
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound salmon (skin-on, cut into 4-5 portions)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 green onions
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame seed oil
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp mirin
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F
- Sprinkle the salmon with salt
- Heat the oil in a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat
- Place the salmon, skin-side up, in the oil and cook for about 3-5 minutes
- Meanwhile, finely chop the whites of the green onion and slice the green parts
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk the green onion whites, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, sesame seed oil, sesame seeds, honey, and mirin
- Carefully flip the salmon and spoon the sauce over the fillets
- Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for about 3-5 minutes, until the fish flakes easily with a fork
- Garnish the salmon with the sliced green onion and more sesame seeds
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Sesame Salmon FAQs
Mirin is a Japanese wine. It’s often found in Japanese dishes, and has a sweet yet tangy flavor.
Mirin will often be with the oil and vinegar, in the international foods section, or possibly with other condiments.
Nothing will have the exact same taste as mirin. But if you can’t find it, try substituting with sake, sherry, or rice vinegar in equal amounts.
Oh I love that this is sesame! WE love making chicken with sesame but haven’t tried salmon!
I’m a big fan of salmon, and all-time I look to cook it differently and I like your version I’ll try it today. Thank you Stephanie for sharing this with us.
This is a recipe to save for an at home date night with my husband. Thank you so much for the post!
That ‘pantry week’ thing is good. I don’t like throwing out food either. I do have such days too though with me I don’t have a name for it haha…
My kids dont usually like fish recipes but for the first time, they said it’s one of the nicest things Ive ever made for them. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe
I did put a little bit more honey and it tasted great. This is one to repeat 🙂
I love salmon! It’s without a doubt my favourite dish to make and eat! Add a bit of lemon and it’s perfect! Never tried adding sesame, though. That’s something to try next time we make it.
This looks yummy, and I haven’t tried before, I would love o try this sesame salmon recipe!
That looks absolutely delicious and tasty! I would really love to try this recipe!
My mom absolutely loves salmon and she has eaten plenty of dishes that have that ingredient. Would definitely want to try making this as lunch for her sometime. It looks quite delicious as well.
Nnniiiiccceeeee…it’s my first time seeing a dish involving fish and sesame seeds! I hope I like it.
I LOVE salmon and trying new salmon recipes. I just pinned this to make later as it looks delicious!
Very nice sesame salmon recipe. Looks delicious. Fantastic pictures. Thanks.
omg this looks sooooo good…I love salmon but never had sesame salmon, I can’t wait to make your recipe.
we;ve been eating more fish lately, so I need recipes like this to try. Love salmon!
Oh my, this salmon recipe looks super delicious! I can’t wait to try the recipe this weekend. Thanks for sharing this!
Mmm this looks and sound so flavorful! Such a perfect, light recipe too. Definitely need to make this over the weekend!
I like the idea of the crunchy texture on top of the salmon. Sounds like a great dish for year round, and an easy idea for when we have guests.
This recipe looks so delicious! I will definitely make this next time. Yummm!
Friday is fish day for us and my kids love salmon so always looking at different ways to cook it, this recipe looks absolutely delicious
I love salmon ❤️. The dish looks so delicious! Even though I dislike sesame, I’d love to try this recipe 😍.
I am not a fan of fish but this dish looks really good. I am sure fish lovers will love trying and eating this dish