These Sweet Chili Salmon Bites pan-fried and glazed in caramelised, sweet and salty sticky sauce will quickly become your favourite salmon recipe. I make this dish on a weekly basis and the family loves it!
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Salmon Bites Glazed With Soy & Sweet Chili
In this recipe, salmon bites or fillets are pan-fried until pink and flaky, then coated in a sticky, sweet chilli, soy and garlic glaze sauce.
Everyone in my family loves this salmon recipe so much that I cook it weekly.
Plus, it’s quick and easy and only needs a handful of accessible ingredients. You can have the whole meal on the table in under 20 minutes. A winning dinner in my book!
What To Serve With Glazed Salmon Bites
I have a couple of go-to dishes to serve with salmon bites.
We almost always have it with Basmati rice (or sometimes cauliflower rice) and then either a side of stir-fried green vegetables like Chinese broccoli, bok choy and broccoli OR with an Asian-style slaw salad.
You can serve sweet chilli salmon with white or brown rice, cauliflower rice, quinoa, rice noodles, any other noodles or even with a side of sweet potato.
For a stir-fry, I usually cook a bunch of cut-up veggies over medium-high heat for a few minutes and then a few splashes of soy sauce or Tamari and maybe a little lemon juice. I keep these simple because the glazed salmon packs a lot of bold flavours.
For the slaw salad, I shred red or Wombok/Napa cabbage, carrots, red bell peppers, red onion and coriander and toss through with a dressing made of lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar or honey, sesame oil and some olive oil. You can also use store-bought Asian dressing to save time.
What You Will Need
Find full measurements in the recipe card below.
- Salmon – I use about 1.1-1.2 lb or 500 grams of salmon fillets for about 4 servings. I like to buy fish fillets without skin as it works better for this particular salmon bites recipe. It’s easier to cut and flip, plus some of my family members don’t eat the skin so I don’t bother.
- Having said that, I have also made this glazed sweet chilli salmon dish with long fillets rather than bite-size pieces and with the skin on. In this case, I pan-fry it on the skin side first until it’s nice and crispy.
- Money-saving tip: I often buy frozen salmon fillets and defrost them for a few hours before cooking or in the fridge overnight. Salmon tails or steaks are often cheaper and will work just as well with this sticky sweet chilli sauce.
- Sauces – I like to use a Thai-style sweet chili sauce like the Ayam brand and premium light soy sauce. I have made the dish with regular soy sauce but it’s a little more full-on and saltier, I prefer a more subtle taste of the light soy sauce in this recipe. Garlic is optional, sometimes I add it in and if I can’t be bothered I only use those two sauces.
- Dietary Swaps – You can use sugar-free sweet chilli sauce and coconut aminos or Tamari instead of regular soy sauce.
Watch The Video
How To Make Salmon Bites With Sweet Chili
- Pro-Tip: I like making this dish as salmon bites rather than long fillets because it cooks the fish faster and more evenly. You know how the salmon fillets will often have thinner ends and thicker middle, which always seems to be undercooked, so you have to throw the fillets back in the pan and then the thinner bits end up overcooked and dry. Yep, that’s annoying!
- Another reason I like to cook salmon as bite-size pieces is because you get every bite coated in that delicious caramelised glaze.
- Step 1. The first thing to do is to cut our salmon into square or rectangular pieces, about 1-1.5 inches long/thick. Sprinkle very lightly with salt and set aside.
- Step 2. Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the salmon bites and cook for 1 minute over medium-high heat. Then turn the heat down to medium-low and cover the frying pan with a lid. Cook for 3 more minutes. Using a lid speeds up the cooking time significantly!
- Step 3. Remove the lid and after about 20-30 seconds, turn the salmon pieces over and cook for 1.5-2 more minutes on the other side without a lid. Thinner pieces can be taken out earlier as won’t need as much cooking.
- Step 4. Remove pre-cooked salmon bites to a bowl and scrape off any stuck, browned flesh bits from the bottom of the pan. Save those bits as they are delicious and crispy.
- Step 5. Now it’s time to make our caramelised salmon glaze sauce! You can use the same frying pan but I like to switch to a slightly smaller pan for this step.
- Add another tablespoon of oil and place over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring a few times, until it starts to get golden brown.
- Step 6. Now add 1/3 cup of sweet chili sauce and 2 tablespoons of light soy sauce.
- Stir through and increase the heat to high. Cook for 1 minute and about 20-30 seconds, stirring frequently until the sauce starts to bubble and thicken.
- Step 7. Once it looks caramelised and semi-sticky, return the salmon pieces and stir through the sauce. Leave in the pan over heat for about 30 seconds to bubble away gently. Remove from heat and sprinkle with green onions to finish the dish.
Tips For Making Side Dishes
I like to cook the rice a little bit ahead of time and have my vegetables pre-cut so I can stir-fry them while the salmon is cooking.
If I make a salad, I also do it either a little ahead of salmon or while it’s cooking. In general, I like to cook in parallell but it can be stressful for some so you can prepare the sides earlier.
Nutrition Notes
For me, salmon is the perfect superfood! It’s high in protein and healthy fats, especially Omega-3s, plenty of minerals and fat-soluble vitamins, and it’s delicious.
Per serving: 307 calories, 28.4 grams of protein, 20.6 g of carbohydrates, and 13.1 g of fat.
Per serving with 2/3 cup of cooked white rice: 489 calories, 31.7 g protein, 60.5 grams carbohydrates and 13.4 grams fat.
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 450-500 g skinless salmon fillets about 1-1.1 lbs., cut into 1" pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For sweet chili soy glaze sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 garlic clove finely diced
- 1/3 cup sweet chili sauce
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce (30 ml)
- 1 green onion/scallion chopped (for garnish)
Recommended Sides
- Cooked white rice or cauliflower rice
- Stir-fried greens or Asian slaw salad
Instructions
- I like making this dish as salmon bites rather than fillets because it cooks the fish faster and more evenly.
- You know how the salmon fillets will often have thinner ends and thicker middle, which always seems to be undercooked, so you have to throw the fillets back in the pan and then the ends end up overcooked and dry. Yep, that’s annoying!
- Another reason I like to cook salmon as bite-size pieces is because you get more of the fish surface coated in that delicious caramelised sweet chili and soy glaze.
- So, the first thing to do is to cut our salmon into square or rectangular pieces, about 1-1.5 inches long/thick. Sprinkle very lightly with salt and set aside.
- Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the salmon bites and cook for 1 minute over medium-high heat. Then, turn the heat down to medium-low and cover the frying pan with a lid. Cook for 3 more minutes. Using a lid speeds up the cooking time significantly!
- Remove the lid and after about 20-30 seconds, turn the salmon pieces over and cook for 2 more minutes on the other side without a lid.
- Remove pre-cooked salmon bites to a bowl and scrape off any stuck, browned flesh bits from the bottom of the pan. Save those bits as they are delicious and crispy.
- The next time is to make our caramelised sweet chili sauce. You can use the same frying pan but I like to switch to a slightly smaller pan for this step.
- Add another tablespoon of oil and place over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring a few times, until it starts to get golden brown.
- Now add 1/3 cup of sweet chili sauce and 2 tablespoons of light soy sauce. Stir through and increase the heat to high. Cook for 1 minute and about 20 seconds, stirring frequently until the sauce starts to bubble and thicken.
- Once it looks caramelised and semi-sticky, return the salmon pieces and stir through the sauce. Leave in the pan over heat for about 30 seconds to bubble away gently. Remove from heat and sprinkle with green onions to finish the dish.
Video
Notes
- I like to cook the rice a little bit ahead of time and have my vegetables pre-cut so I can stir-fry them while the salmon is cooking. If I make a salad, I also do it either a little ahead of salmon or while it’s cooking. In general, I like to cook in parallel but it can be stressful for some so you can prepare the sides earlier.
- Nutritional information provided is just for salmon bites.
Chili sauce is always in my refrigerator. This is the best combo–salmon and chili sauce. Love it!
Came out so good and flavorful with perfection. You expained it so well and we totally enjoyed this recipe.
Thanks so much 🙂
Oooh, this salmon looks incredible paired with that sweet chili soy glaze. I love how easily it comes together too.
Better than store-bought and so much more wholesome! Loving these!
I served it with white rice and it was a hit!!! Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Looks delicious, but how do you get the skin off the salmon? When I buy it it always has the skin on.
Hey, you can make this recipe with the skin on if you like (I mention in the notes to cook the bites skin side down in this case). Alternatively, simply run a sharp knife along the fillet under the skin, it’s pretty easy to slice away.
I tried this recipe and it’s really good. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to try the recipe.
Loved this recipe, My husband said it was the best he ever tasted.
Thank you. Our favourite now
Thanks, Helga. I assume the one star was an error 🙂
love this recipe – have made it a few times now. Have had it with rice and also noodles 🙂