Perk up your dinner tonight with this Firecracker Salmon. Red pepper flakes and Sriracha sauce provide this salmon with some fiery flavor that give this salmon its name.
Let me cut to the chase here. Because as far as fish goes, this is probably as incredible as you’re going to get. I’m not being biased or anything here, I’m just telling you now you’re going to love this salmon.
I’m beginning to get an unhealthy obsession with anything Sriracha. This is coming from someone who never used to eat spicy anything. And now look at me, I put it on everything.
Back when I worked in IT, we used to follow the KISS principle when it came to developing applications, keep it simple, stupid. I like to follow that same principle in cooking most of the time. So if you can manage to whisk a few ingredients together and pour it over the fish, then you can manage to make this simple recipe.
FIRECRACKER SALMON
Now you may look at this salmon and because of its color and its name you’re going to think that this salmon really is so hot that you won’t be able to touch it. Well, it is a bit spicy but I added some brown sugar into the marinade to balance off the spiciness with a bit of sweetness. Trust me on this, it works, this marinade is the bomb.
HOW TO MAKE FIRECRACKER SALMON
You will want to marinate your fish for at least a couple hours. I believe I left mine in there for 2.5 hours and the longer you leave it, the tastier it will be. Then simply bake it for about 15 to 20 minutes, this really depends on the thickness of your salmon, it might take a bit more if thicker.
You can also use salmon fillets if you don’t want a big piece of fish like this, especially if you’re serving it to guests. If you want to grill this salmon, I would recommend putting it on a large aluminum foil that you can fold up around the edges, so that the marinade can sit in there, then you can grill it with foil and all.
HOW TO SERVE FIRECRACKER SALMON
I would serve this over some plain steamed rice, or with a side of steamed vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower.
LOOKING FOR MORE SALMON RECIPES? TRY THESE:
- Teriyaki Salmon Sheet Pan Dinner
- Maple Mustard Glazed Salmon
- Asian Glazed Salmon in Foil
- Honey Garlic Salmon and Veggies Sheet Pan Dinner
- Maple Soy Grilled Salmon Steaks
Firecracker Salmon
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb salmon fillet no skin
- 2 green onions chopped
For Marinade
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp fresh ginger minced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup soy sauce low sodium
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp Sriracha sauce
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl whisk all the marinade ingredients together.
- Place salmon in a baking dish and pour marinade over the salmon. Rub the marinade over both sides making sure the entire salmon is covered. Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and let it marinate in the fridge for 2 hours up to 24 hours.
- Preheat oven to 375 F degrees.
- Remove the plastic wrap from the baking dish and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Note that the baking time could vary depending on the thickness of the salmon.
- Garnish with chopped green onions and serve immediately.
Notes
- Feel free to adjust the amount of sriracha and pepper flakes to your preference.
- You can use skin-on salmon if that's what's available to you.
- Total time does not include time required to marinade the salmon.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Nutrition
I just tried this recipe for my family and it was a massive success. I stuck to the recipe as is but only had a 2.3 pound salmon fillet on hand. Most of it went at the meal (4 people) and the remainder within a few hours eaten cold by my son. So even cold this was very good.
Hi Ban! Thanks for commenting, I’m so glad you guys enjoyed the recipe!
i love salmon recipe!! thanks for sharing!
Don’t change a thing. This recipe is perfect! We have used this firecracker at least a dozen times over the last two years. We have never baked it, only grilled. We do indirect for about 16-18 min (depending on thickness) on a grill mat sprayed with cooking spray. You can put a small handful of wood chips on the coals or a portable smoker box, if you want a little smoky flavor. We just can’t bring ourselves to do any other recipe than firecracker for our salmon fix.
With the grill mat you can do skinless or skin on. It will never stick.
Thank you so much for commenting and letting me know. I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe!
Looking forward to trying this with my next salmon purchase. Would you say the 1 1/2 lbs. would be 4 servings? Sorry if I missed this in the recipe…
Yes, 4 servings! We have the servings listed in the recipe card.
Excellent – no changes…delicioud!
I have made this probably 5-6 times now. Absolutely wonderful. I use a little more brown sugar. We like a sweet glaze. And I bake it approx 14-15 min then I broil it for a minute or 2 to get the glaze to caramelize a bit. I have it marinating right now. Am serving with a broccoli casserole.
So glad you love this recipe! 🙂
This is a wonderful recipe! It is now our family’s go-to marinade for salmon.
Thank You! This recipe is my favorite go to marinade for salmon. I appreciate the savory sweet flavors and how happy it makes me feel. When I cook this recipe, I imagine I’m a five star chef! I am marinating salmon as I type this comment. I am so glad that I found you! Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas, Bernice!
Best salmon ever!
So happy you enjoyed it!
If im just cooking two steaks of salmon should i still cook for 15-20??
Yes still the same time
Family member is allergic to soy. What substitute should I use? Thanks for the help!
I make this once a week!! It’s so goood.
I don’t normally like hot food but this was excellent! Printed this recipe!
I made it, and it was easy and delicious! I will make it again
Love this recipe. Best salmon I ever made at home. And it’s not as hot as it sounds.
So glad you liked it, John!
I have made this at least a dozen times and excellent very single time!
I have done it with skin on, just laying skin side up while marinating!! Even cooked on the grill skin side down and always excellent!
Now going to try on chicken breasts! I’ll let you know!!
Thanks for an awesome way for my family to eat salmon!!
Try it with shrimp on the Barbie. Outstanding!! I believe that is how this whole firecracker thingy got started. This sauce is sooo good I’m sure you could marinate cod, catfish or ocean perch then dredge in some favorite New Orleans style fish bread crumbs and deep fry.
Love, love, love this easy and delicious recipe!
I’ve made this a few times now and each time it’s come out moist and oh so full of flavor! One of the best recipes I’ve come across. Thank you!
Excellent recipe! Next time I will scale back the oil a little. Maybe even double the marinade because I had a lot of salmon to cover, and the marinade is delicious. Thank you!
I made this tonight and my sister said it tasted like she ordered it from a restaurant . It was very good!
We had this tonight and it was great! Are the nutritional values per serving or for the entire dish?
Per serving