Sweet Glazed Korean Salmon over Sesame Cucumber Noodles

Salmon has always been more of a special occasion dish for us, perhaps due to the price, but more due to the simple fact that fish can sometimes be intimidating to prepare! However, given the time of year, I’d expect to see more sales popping up on seafood. And now that I’ve got this seriously quick and super easy Sweet Glazed Korean Salmon recipe to share, I think salmon will be making more of an appearance in my kitchen in the coming months.

The glaze is the rockstar component of this salmon because of:

• the sweetness from the Korean gochujang sauce and honey (find it here or in the Asian aisle of your grocery store)
• the tangy, salty flavor from the soy sauce and rice vinegar
• the savory minced garlic and ginger 
• the drop of sesame oil. A little bit goes a long way in giving this salmon that classic Korean flavor.

Simply use a whisk and bowl to mix the glaze ingredients together to form a smooth mixture and brush it over the top of each salmon filet. Once the salmon’s coated well with the glaze, transfer any extra glaze to a small saucepan, bring it to a simmer, and then remove from heat. You’ll use this for the finishing touches once the salmon is cooked. And trust me, you can’t have too much glaze on this salmon!

To cook the salmon, you’ll need to preheat the broiler, and once the salmon goes in, it’s just a 5-7 minute wait! That gives you just enough time to create a bed of tangy and crunchy cucumber noodles for the salmon to rest on. These noodles are ridiculously easy to make and quite similar to the cucumber side dish I made for these Korean Beef Meal Prep Bowls. In a large bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients together. Add in the cucumber noodles and toss. If you don’t have a spiralizer to make cucumber noodles, no worries! You can slice the cucumbers instead.

Now it’s time to put everything together. When the salmon comes out of the oven, brush the rest of the glaze on each filet and then get a little fancy by sprinkling some sesame seeds and green onion over the top for extra flavor. Portion out the cucumber noodles on a plate or in a bowl and lay each salmon filet on the bed of noodles.

For an extra filling meal, serve this Sweet Glazed Korean Salmon over Sesame Cucumber Noodles alongside your favorite grain. I went with classic white rice but brown rice, quinoa, or farro are all great options. To keep things low carb, you could serve with cauliflower rice or even double the cucumber portion of the recipe for an extra large serving of the sesame cucumber noodles.

Fancy enough to serve guests and easy enough to make on a busy weeknight! This Sweet Glazed Korean Salmon over Sesame Cucumber Noodles is a keeper for any occasion.

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Sweet Glazed Korean Salmon over Sesame Cucumber Noodles

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

7 mins

Total time

17 mins

 

Author: Krista

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

Salmon:

• 1½ teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 pound of salmon, cut into 4 filets
• Dash of salt and pepper

Glaze:

• ¼ cup gochujang
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 knob (1/2-inch) of ginger, minced

Sesame Cucumber Noodles:

• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• ½ teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 cucumbers, spiralized
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Prep the salmon: Preheat the broiler in your oven. Rub the sesame oil over the salmon. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Make the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the glaze ingredients. Brush the salmon filets with the glaze. Save any extra glaze to use right before serving. (see notes)
3. Broil the salmon: Place the salmon filets on a baking sheet lined with tin foil. Broil for 5-7 minutes.
4. Make the cucumber noodles: In a large serving bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, honey, sesame oil, garlic and red pepper flakes. Add the cucumber noodles and toss with the dressing. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the noodles.
5. Serve: Serve each salmon filet on a bed of cucumber noodles. Option to serve rice on the side.

Notes

If there's leftover glaze, bring it to a simmer on the stove for a couple minutes. Brush this salmon with this extra glaze once it comes out of the oven.

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