Hoisin-Glazed Salmon
Updated Jan 06, 2026
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This Honey Hoisin Salmon is one of those recipes that feels special but is genuinely easy enough for a weeknight dinner. Tender salmon fillets get a sweet-savory hoisin glaze with honey, garlic, and just a touch of soy, then bake to flaky perfection. The sauce clings beautifully, so every bite is sticky, flavorful, and bright — no fancy techniques required.
This easy Asian salmon recipe requires just a few minutes of hands-on time: Other than the marinating time, it takes about 10 minutes to put together the marinade, and 10 minutes to cook the fish, so this is a really great weeknight dinner.
Serve it with simple white rice or quinoa and a green salad, and you are done. And here are a whole lot more easy salmon recipes to shake up the weeknight routine!
When in doubt about how to get a fish skeptic to change their stance, head over to the Asian part of your pantry. It takes just a handful of ingredients to whip up delicious dish after delicious dish. Start with a few items like soy sauce, hoisin sauce, chili garlic paste, Sriracha sauce, and sesame oil: These ingredients last quite a while in the fridge once opened, and they can be combined in endless ways.
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What's In This Post?
Hoisin Glazed Salmon: With just a handful of Asian pantry ingredients this salmon takes on a beautiful color and rich flavor.
Ingredients
- Salmon fillets – Just like with the Honey Ginger Salmon recipe, you can use skin-on or skin-off salmon fillets.
- Hoisin – This Cantonese sauce is the star of this dish. It’s sweet, spicy, and rich, and I love to use it on all types of meat and seafood, from Hoisin Shrimp to Honey Garlic Chicken. Plus, it’s made all the more versatile because it’s naturally vegetarian!
- Honey – Hoisin is already sweet on its own, but just to up the ante a bit, I add honey to this recipe to help form a nice glaze.
- Oil – You can have your pick of neutral oils; I like to use either vegetable or canola.
- Lemon juice – Lemon juice is the acidic element of the marinade, which cuts through all that sweetness.
- Garlic – Finely-minced garlic anchors the flavors in this marinade.
- Scallions – You’re going to use both the white and green parts of the scallions here — half of the scallions will go into the marinade, while the other half can be sprinkled on top to serve.
How to Make Hoisin Glazed Salmon
- Create the marinade: Combine the hoisin sauce, honey, oil, lemon juice, garlic, and half the scallions.
- Marinate the salmon: Place the salmon in the marinade, turning to coat. Refrigerate for 1 to 3 hours, or let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Broil the salmon: Broil the fish on a baking sheet for 10 minutes, or until cooked to your liking.
- Serve: Serve with hot rice or quinoa, if desired, with leftover scallions sprinkled on top.
Tips for Marinating Salmon
- One of the many good things about seasoning fish and seafood is how quickly they absorb flavors. Therefore, you never want to marinate any fish or seafood for too long because you don’t want to overpower the delicate deliciousness of the fish itself. The acidic ingredients in the marinade can also start to cure or “cook” the fish after enough time goes by. That can affect the firm and flaky texture of the salmon.
- If you don’t have the hour-plus to marinate the salmon in the fridge, just leave it out for 15 minutes at room temperature. A short room-temperature marinating is safe; just don’t let it sit out for much longer than that.
FAQs
Hoisin is a Cantonese sauce that’s popularly used in marinades and glazes. It’s usually made from some combo of fermented soybeans, sugar, chilis, and spices — each spice mix is different, but most include five-spice powder and garlic. The end result is thick and syrupy BBQ sauce with a sweet, umami flavor.
Hoisin is pronounced “hoy-zin.”
No, hoisin is not made from fish — in fact, this sauce is actually entirely vegetarian. Although the word “hoisin” literally translates to “seafood” in Cantonese, the practice of only serving hoisin with seafood (which is how it got its name) has long since fallen by the wayside.
Serve it over steamed rice, cauliflower rice, or quinoa with quick sautéed greens like bok choy or broccoli.
Yes — mix the glaze up to a day ahead and refrigerate. Brush it on right before baking.
Line your baking pan with foil or parchment and brush a light coat of oil under the salmon.
What to Serve With Hoisin Salmon
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Hoisin-Glazed Salmon
Ingredients
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon finely minced garlic
- 4 scallions (white and light green parts; finely chopped; divided)
- 4 (6-ounce) skinless salmon filets
- Hot cooked rice (or quinoa or couscous; to serve)
Instructions
- In a sturdy zipper-top plastic bag or a plastic container, combine the hoisin sauce, honey, oil, lemon juice, garlic, and half the scallions and shake or squish to blend well.
- Place the salmon in the plastic bag or container, gently flipping them around so that they are completely coated with the marinade. Refrigerate for 1 to 3 hours, turning the salmon in the marinade halfway through to make sure it marinates evenly. If you don’t have the time, let it sit at room temperature for 15 or so minutes.
- Preheat the broiler, or preheat the grill to medium-high. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick spray, or brush with vegetable oil. Remove the salmon from the marinade and place on the baking sheet. Broil the salmon for 10 minutes, until cooked to your liking, and burnished brown on top.
- Serve with hot rice or quinoa, if desired, with leftover scallions sprinkled on top.
Notes
- One of the many good things about seasoning fish and seafood is how quickly they absorb flavors. Therefore, you never want to marinate any fish or seafood for too long, because you don’t want to overpower the delicate deliciousness of the fish itself. The acidic ingredients in the marinade can also start to cure or “cook” the fish after enough time goes by, which can affect the firm and flaky texture of the salmon.
- If you don’t have the hour-plus to marinate the salmon in the fridge, just leave it out for 15 minutes at room temperature. A short room-temperature marinating is safe; just don’t let it sit out for much longer than that.
This was delicious, thank you for the recipe. I overcooked it a little but it was still a hit. What should I have done with the other half of the scallions? The pics don’t show it scattered over the cooked salmon. In the end, I only used 3 (’cause that’s what I had in the fridge) and I threw them all in the marinade which worked fine.
We are also big fans of the Asian Salmon recipe from Mom100. The problem now is, how to decide which salmon to make???!