This got my husband to love salmon! Our Salmon Marinade made with soy, ginger, honey, and garlic makes the BEST soy ginger salmon recipe!
Salmon marinade is a funny thing in our house. My husband “hated” salmon for fifteen years before trying this recipe and loving it! (Scroll to the bottom to read the whole ridiculous story!).
But now that we’re back on the salmon wagon, I love making this easy soy ginger salmon recipe! Try it alongside some oven roasted cauliflower, stir fry noodles, and peanut butter chocolate balls for dessert.
Salmon Marinade
Salmon Marinade Ingredients
- Honey – Use whatever brand you love.
- Fresh grated ginger – If fresh ginger scares you, grab a squeeze tube of grated ginger from the produce section of the market.
- Garlic salt – I am partial to Lawry’s garlic salt, but you can use whatever is on hand. Make sure you’re using garlic salt and not garlic powder.
- Soy sauce – If you are preparing this as a gluten-free dish, check the ingredient label closely as not all soy sauce is gluten free.
- Olive oil – I prefer the flavor of olive oil in this, but vegetable oil will work as well.
How do you make a salmon marinade?
★ First, blend everything together in your upright blender or with a stick blender.
★ Then, marinate your salmon in half of the sauce, and reserve the second half for basting or dipping.
How do you make soy ginger salmon?
★ First, place marinated salmon skin down on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
★ Then, bake at 350 degrees for 12 – 15 minutes, until salmon is finished to your liking.
★ Finally, garnish with fresh parsley and enjoy!
⇨ Here’s our full article on how to bake salmon for more tips, tricks, and everything you need to know!
Soy sauce, honey, garlic salt, and ginger.
What is a good salmon marinade?
Um, how about this one! This is the best salmon marinade! It comes together so quickly and is super simple.
One of my favorite things about this salmon marinade is that it’s made with ingredients I always keep in my pantry.
What do you marinate salmon in?
I like to use a shallow container or a ziploc baggy. You’ll want to refrigerate the salmon while it’s marinating, so make sure you choose a vessel that will fit.
Can you let salmon marinade overnight?
Whether to marinate salmon overnight depends on what type of marinade you’re using. If it’s an acid like lemon, or vinegar, you won’t want to marinate the salmon for more than about 30 minutes.
That said, our Soy Ginger Salmon Marinade is not acid based, so you can marinate overnight if you like. On the contrary, you can do a short marinade and then baste while the fish is cooking.
How long can you marinate salmon in the refrigerator?
If your salmon marinade is acid based, try not to marinate it longer than thirty minutes. If your marinade for the salmon is not acid based (like this one!) then you can marinate the fish for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
If you marinate salmon in an acid based marinade for longer than 24 hours, it will begin to break done the fish and make it mushy.
What vegetable to serve with salmon?
Mmmmm – definitely roasted asparagus with an easy hollandaise sauce! I also like to serve a starch on the side like this yummy slow cooker risotto.
If you’re not into asparagus and rice, how about some oven roasted broccoli and baked sweet potato!
More Seafood Recipes
Tilapia with Bruschetta Topping
See all our easy seafood recipes!
Suggested tools
- Stick Blender – I adore my upright blender, but for small jobs lie these I find the stick blender is more than adequate, and a whole lot easier to use! I probably use my immersion blender 10 times a week, if not more!
- Mason Jars – We use mason jars to store just about everything. They’re so convenient, and I love that they’re glass so they don’t absorb odors or smells and there’s no toxicity to worry about.
- 15″ Cast Iron Skillet – My absolute favorite way to cook salmon is in a cast iron skillet. And this is my favorite sized cast iron skillet. It’s yuuuuuge! If you watch our weekly live cooking show, you’ve seen it lots!
- Cedar Grilling Planks – If you’re not into using cast iron, then try these cedar grilling planks, they’re a great way to kick up the flavor a notch. And the great thing is that they can be used over and over again!
- Fish Grilling Basket – Another option is the fish grilling basket! This is the perfect no-muss, no-fuss option. It’s super nice not to have to worry about your fish falling apart when you flip it on the grill!
How to Make Soy Ginger Salmon Marinade
Salmon Marinade - Soy Ginger Salmon Marinade
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger Or ginger from the squeeze tube! I'm obsessed with it!
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Blend everything together in your upright blender or with a stick blender.
- Marinate your salmon in half, and reserve the second half for basting or dipping.
- Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Recipe FAQS
Is it OK to marinate salmon?
Yes, marinated salmon is delicious!
Can you marinate salmon too long?
Yes, if using an acidic sauce, you should not marinate salmon longer than 30 minutes.
Should I thaw frozen salmon before cooking?
For best results, salmon should be thawed completely before cooking.
Does My Husband Like Salmon or Not?
Have I ever told you about my salmon marinade story from college? Ohhhh, boy. Way back in college when I was twenty, my husband and I started dating (we met in Spanish class!).
The first dinner I cooked for him was salmon with a super super sweet marinade on it. He ate it and (said he) loved it. So, I made it about a billion more times.
Fast forward three years and we’re newly married. I excitedly tell Wesley that I’m going to make his favorite salmon dish for dinner.
He looks me straight in the eyes and says, “I hate salmon.”
You guys. I was floored. I had been making this salmon recipe for three years. On every special occasion I made the salmon. And he hated it!
I still laugh thinking about it. I mean. Really? It was just salmon. Haha! But fifteen years later (oh em gee!), it’s still one of my favorite stories to tell.
So, in response to the “I hate salmon” moment, I stopped making salmon. Not because I was mad, but it wasn’t a huge priority on my food list, and if I really wanted it, I’d just order salmon when we went to a restaurant.
Recently though, my kids have been asking for salmon. So, when I received a couple gorgeous filets in a delivery, I figured we’d dive back in and work on a new marinade for salmon.
And as it turns out. Wes does like salmon! This Soy Ginger Salmon Marinade was a huge hit. For REAL this time! Turns out he just didn’t like the sickly sweet salmon marinade I was using before!
So just like that, we’re salmon eaters again!
Nellie says
I’ll definitely be trying this next time I make salmon – sounds delicious!
Helene says
My husband didn’t dare to tell me for a while that he didn’t like salmon. ^.^ One day it came out, he because I started to prepare salmon in all kinds of ways and he couldn’t take it anymore. lol I know I would go crazy for your salmon marinade, it’s my all time favorite fish! 🙂
April says
hilarious!
Kyle says
Thank you for providing awesome free content! I love the jump to recipe button at the top for those of us who just want the recipe quickly. Keep on keeping on!
Mary says
Have you considered calculating and posting carb counts for your recipes. I have diabetes and that would help me a lot. I don’t know how to figure out marinades because some is on the food, but probably most is left in the ziploc. But for other things, too, it would be very helpful. Thanks.
April Woods says
i wish i had the resources to calculate everything for you. i’ll have to look into it and see if i can find a good program. 🙂
Mary says
Thank you very much 🙂
Brenda Bolka says
This recipe is THE BOMB! The marinade and the crispy skin have made me a salmon convert! I made the salmon, sweet potato slices and brussel sprout salad salad for dinner tonight. Delish! My new favorite meal!
April Woods says
I’m so glad you loved it, yay!!!
Pam Brown says
I’m making this tonight but all I have on hand is garlic powder . Not garlic salt. Do you recommend I just cut the measurement in half, ie use 1/2 tsp instead of a full tsp? With the covid19 concern I’m trying not to go to the grocery store right now. Thanks!
April Woods says
i think that would be fine, and then add a pinch or two of salt.
Dixie says
The squeeze bottled ginger has vinegar in it to preserve it so idk if you want to use that
April Woods says
i’ve made it with fresh ginger and squeeze bottle, both worked great 🙂
Ally Pham says
This was hands down one of the best salmon marinades I have ever made! Delicious, rich, and sharp, all rounded flavors! Amazing on wild-caught salmon. Definitely worth a try if you are wondering. I left the marinade and a big piece of salmon in the fridge overnight for a 24hr soak. Still came out perfect – not too salty or anything. I used fresh garlic, and a WHOLE LOT of fresh garlic, which made it deliciously spicy!
April Woods says
Yay! So glad you loved it! ❤
glugglugglug says
“grab a squeeze tube of grated ginger from the produce section of the market”
That’s a thing? How about just buy ginger?
Sorry!
April Woods says
It is a thing! And you’re not sorry or you wouldn’t have made this comment. As state in the article, the suggestion is for folks who aren’t as comfortable working with raw ginger or don’t want to spend the time. I’d rather someone use pre-grated than not be able to enjoy the recipe at all. 🙂
Carole Rooke says
Sounds wonderful I’m trying it tomorrow.
Cindy Cassel says
this marinade was so very good, but there was too much for a 4oz piece of salmon. so I used the rest to marinade a pork chop and OMG WAS THAT EVER DELICIOUS! now I can’t to use it on some chicken. Thank you, April
Cindy Cassel says
So here are my results: Really tasty marinade for pork, but needs to be marinaded longer. I let it sit for 1 hour and the marinade didn’t: penetrate the chop very deeply. Am using this on a chicken quarter today and marinading for 8 hrs. will post my results.