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Firecracker Salmon

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Last updated on March 27th, 2019 at 09:46 pm

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. 

firecracker baked salmon on a a white platter with a fork topped with chopped green onion

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.

overhead of firecracker baked salmon before and after baking in the oven

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.

firecracker baked salmon on a platter topped with chopped green onion

Looking for More Salmon Recipes? Try These:

Firecracker Salmon

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. 
5 from 42 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: ginger, salmon, sriracha
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 394kcal
Author: Joanna Cismaru

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
US Customary - Metric
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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

Serving: 1g | Calories: 394kcal | Carbohydrates: 8.2g | Protein: 34.3g | Fat: 25.8g | Saturated Fat: 3.7g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 638mg | Fiber: 0.7g | Sugar: 5.1g
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Comments

  2. Cecile Bares says

    April 25, 2019 at 3:32 pm

    Excellent! I followed the recipe ingredients exactly, but used a ginger grater for the ginger and garlic. Served it with steamed white rice and sliced green onion, as recommended. It reminded me of a dish you’d get at an upscale Chinese restaurant and it was very easy to make.

    Reply

  3. Khadija says

    April 17, 2019 at 6:04 pm

    This is the best salmon recipe I’ve tried! I marinated overnight and didn’t change anything! Can’t wait to make it again.

    Reply

  4. Amy says

    April 9, 2019 at 3:51 pm

    Holy wow! I am one of those people that depends on google for recipes but never comment or rate. I couldn’t stay silent on this one! It was soooooo good and I had extra rice to soak up the sauce.

    Thank you for sprucing up my salmon game!

    Reply

  5. Mike says

    March 30, 2019 at 9:56 pm

    Tried this tonight OH MY WORD! This was so good! When I sampled the marinade I didn’t think it was spicy enough and added 2 tablespoons of Chili Garlic Sauce by Huy Fong Foods. It made it! The wife and I had to force ourselves to stop eating! Thank you Jo!

    Reply

  6. Mark says

    March 23, 2019 at 7:10 pm

    Really a great recipe! Easy to prepare!
    I threw some lemon slices on top while baking. I will add this to my list to do again, was not difficult to prepare and make

    Reply

  7. Jessica K says

    March 5, 2019 at 8:15 pm

    Amazingly delicious! Addicted to the fabulous taste. I believe I made my boyfriend fall in love with me all over again. Huge fan. Will be saving this recipe and per my boyfriends request making it for his family when we visit them:)

    Reply

  8. Carol Goss says

    March 5, 2019 at 8:07 pm

    What a splendid idea. I love salmon! Living in the Pacific NW, it’s the ‘go to’ fish. I have never eaten it prepared with a bit of Zing. I look forward to giving this a try.

    Reply

  10. Tom Beitel says

    February 17, 2019 at 6:12 pm

    Outstanding. My middle son Nate, who is typically not a big salmon eater, was reaching for seconds. Will make this recipe again for sure. Always pleased with Jo’s recipes. Paired it with an easy cilantro lime rice and Parmesan roasted carrots. Thank you Jo.

    Reply

  11. Connie Downing says

    February 11, 2019 at 12:08 pm

    Finally got my act together and made this yesterday. SUPER! Disappeared so fast I never had time to take a picture. Hubby was well impressed, and probably could have snarfed another serving or two.

    Years ago we were gifted several fresh salmon (huge ones) from a fishmonger who bought tyres from hubby’s shop. I took them home, cut steaks, filets, and froze enough to last for months. After that, we could hardly face salmon again. I don’t cook it often, but with this recipe, it’s definitely back on the rotation. I can honestly say, this was one of the easiest and best fish dishes I’ve made in months. Thank you Jo!

    Reply

  12. Sherrika Callis says

    February 9, 2019 at 7:04 pm

    Made this with the Greek Potatoes and everything was absolutely delicious! Will be searching for more things on your site to fix. Thank you!!

    Reply

  13. John says

    February 4, 2019 at 12:57 pm

    Absolutely delicious and possibly my favorite salmon recipe EVER!!!
    Definitely a keeper….easy to make and definitely company worthy!!!
    Making it again for company this weekend!!!

    Reply

      • John says

        February 4, 2019 at 1:48 pm

        Served over Israeli Cous Cous (sautéed with garlic and shallots) and broccoli (steamed and sautéed with garlic, shallot and a bit of soy). So unbelievably fantastic I cannot believe how flavorful. Need to (at least) double the marinade recipe so we have some extra extra to drizzle over the Cous Cous and veggies!!!! YUM!!!!!!
        You are my new FAVORITE go-to site for recipes and inspiration!!!!

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