Salmon has to be my favorite food. Full stop. I’d eat it any day, any way. And citrus+salmon is a combination I’ve loved for forever (I mean, who does’t?). I have another citrus salmon recipe on the blog, but this one feels like its more grown-up, more evolved cousin. They both are delicious, but this Ginger Citrus Salmon happens all on one pan, comes together in minutes, and is heaven when served with brown rice. Plus, I feel like this recipe just makes more *sense* in the kitchen. And we’re allowed to change and grow! So consider this new version of citrus salmon my next step towards growth. I love that for me.
Now, what makes this salmon delicious is that the sauce is both sweet AND salty. Because oranges have this fresh type of sweetness that just begs to be combined with spicy and savory. The oranges break down in a little simmer sauce, and fried ginger helps amp up the flavor along the way. But if you aren’t feeling it with salmon, this sauce also goes amazingly well with halloumi, cod, tofu, you name it! So what to make for your weeknight dinner during citrus season? Solved.
Table of contents
First, let’s gather the ingredients for this ginger citrus salmon
Here is everything you will need, in the order you’ll need it!
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 3 tablespoons peeled and sliced fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons freshly sliced garlic
- 2 medium Birdseye chilies, sliced and seeds removed, if you don’t like heat!
- 4 large scallions, plus more sliced scallions, for garnish
- 2 medium navel oranges
- 1 1/2 pounds salmon, cut into four fillets
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Steamed white or brown rice for serving
Step #1 – Make the super simple sauce
This sauce is only three ingredients, but it’s what is in charge of the salty, sweet and acidic elements of the recipe!
The three ingredients are: Fish sauce, honey and rice vinegar, and when you whisk them together, they are a flavor POWERHOUSE. Especially when we later simmer them with the fried ginger in this ginger citrus salmon.
Step #2 – How to pan-fry salmon
This is the year where we no longer fear pan-frying fish! It’s easy, and YOU DO NOT NEED A NONSTICK PAN. I REPEAT: YOU DO NOT NEED A NONSTICK PAN.
Now that I’m done yelling, here are a few of my tips for cooking salmon:
- Make sure your pan is ripping hot. Don’t crank the heat up on it (keep it over medium), but make sure your pan has at least 3-4 minutes to warm up. You don’t want it smoking, but when you add your oil, you want it to bead at the top of the pan.
- Skin-side-down first, and cook that part the longest. You want to cook salmon for a longer period of time on the skin side than on the other side. This makes it so the skin is crispy, and the interior is still buttery. Cook the salmon skin-side-down until you see that it’s a light pink a little over halfway up the side of the fillet. Then flip and cook another two minutes, but no longer!
- If the salmon is sticking, it’s not ready yet. When salmon has cooked, it will naturally release from your pan. So if it still feels a little sticky on the pan, give it more time. It’ll release for you soon!
Step #3 – Make the ginger citrus sauce
This sauce is a few quick and easy steps:
- Fry the garlic, ginger and chilies – this means add them into the same oil you cooked the salmon in, and let the garlic get golden. The last thing you want is underdone garlic slices. They come off a little sad.
- Add the scallions and coat them in oil – this will help them cook down!
- Add the citrus, the sauce, and let it all reduce! Pile everything into the pan, bring it to a simmer, and let it go as you watch the citrus break down and the sauce get a shade darker and stickier. It might start looking less pretty, but it will be ten times as delicious.
Looking for other salmon recipes?
I got you. Here are a few favorites from the site!
And that’s everything for this Ginger Citrus Salmon!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3
Watch the recipe here
The video may not fully represent the recipe. For best results, follow the instructions as written.
Ginger Citrus Salmon
Equipment
- 1 chef's knife
- 1 large sauté pan
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 3 tablespoons peeled and sliced fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons freshly sliced garlic
- 2 medium Birdseye chilies sliced and seeds removed, if you don't like heat!
- 4 large scallions plus more sliced scallions, for garnish
- 2 medium navel oranges
- 1 1/2 pounds salmon, cut into four fillets
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Steamed white or brown rice for serving
Instructions
- Add the rice vinegar, honey and fish sauce to a cup or bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Make sure the ginger is peeled and sliced into matchstick pieces, and set it aside with the sliced garlic and chilies.
- Remove the bottoms of the scallions and slice them in half crosswise, then once lengthwise, making them into long strips. Set those aside.
- Peel the oranges and slice one into medallions. Halve the other lengthwise and slice it into half moon pieces. Set both aside.
- Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper on each side.
- Set a large sauté pan over medium heat and let it heat up for 3-4 minutes, or until it's very hot. Add a drizzle of oil to the pan.
- Gently place the salmon fillets skin-side-down into the oil. Let them cook undisturbed for 5-7 minutes, or until the salmon is light pink over halfway up the side of the fillet. The skin will naturally release from the pan then, so they should be easy to flip (if the skin hasn't released, they aren't ready).
- Flip the salmon and cook an additional 2 minutes. Then remove from the pan and set aside.
- Reduce the heat on the pan to medium-low to let the oil cool a bit.
- When the oil has cooled just a touch, add the ginger, garlic and chilies and bring the temperature back up to medium. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the garlic is beginning to turn golden.
- Add the scallions and mix to coat in the oil. Then add the oranges and the rice vinegar mixture. Mix and let this come to a simmer. Simmer for 4-5 minutes, the oranges will begin to break down into the sauce. Cook another 2-3 minutes, or until the sauce has gone from thin to thickened.
- To serve, portion half of the citrus sauce on the bottom of a serving plate. Add the salmon (skin side up, if you want the skin to stay crisp), top with the other half of the citrus sauce and garnish with fresh scallions.
- Serve with steamed rice (any kind!)
Loved this!! Even more flavorful than I anticipated
So glad you enjoyed it!
Can’t wait to make it! Huge fan of your YouTube channel too! What can we sever as a side to make it low carb? Thanks!
Hi! So happy you like my page, thank you for the kind words! And any steamed or roasted vegetables would be a great side – think: broccoli, caulilflower, or bok choy!