Asian Salmon (keto + low carb)
This Asian Salmon recipe is an easy and healthy weeknight dinner ready in under 20 minutes! This simple salmon dish is low carb and keto-friendly!
Asian Salmon Recipe
You just need a few simple ingredients, that are very likely pantry staples, to make this easy salmon dish. Ingredients like soy sauce, chili garlic sauce and toasted sesame oil are combined to make a rich Asian sauce that pairs great with any protein, but especially well with salmon!
I always serve this recipe with broccoli and my favorite Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts (the sauce is to die for!). It is great with most vegetables, and lo mein, if you aren’t counting carbs!
Ingredients for Asian Salmon
As always, this is a quick overview of the ingredients you need for this recipe. To get the complete, printable recipe just keep scrolling.
- Salmon fillets: skin on or off, it doesn’t matter.
- Asian sauce ingredients: Soy sauce,Chili Garlic Sauce, Sesame oil, Minced Garlic
How to Make Asian Salmon
You just need to follow these two simple steps for perfectly cooked salmon filets.
- Prepare the Sauce: Combine the sauce ingredients and set aside. You will be using most of the sauce during the cooking process, reserving a small bit to brush over your salmon, or drizzle over any vegetables when serving. Place the salmon filets on a cutting board and pat dry with a paper towel. Brush the top of the salmon liberally with the asian sauce.
- Cook the Salmon: Heat a greased skillet to medium high heat. When the skillet is hot add the salmon skin side up to the skillet. Allow the fillet to cook about 3-4 minutes until a nice crust has formed on the fillet. Using tongs, carefully flip the salmon. Brush the salmon generously with the sauce as it cooks. Cover the skillet and cook the salmon about 6 minutes after flipping, or until it flakes easily in the center.
Can I add vegetables?
Yes, an easy way to add vegetables to this dish is to use a large skillet and follow these directions: After you’ve cooked the salmon skin side up and flip, add fresh broccoli florets to the skillet around the fish. Cover, and cook the salmon and broccoli about 6 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Some other vegetables that will work within this cooking time are:
- Sliced zucchini: just be sure to stick with thin, uniform slices.
- Snow peas or Sugar snap peas: remove any tough ends before cooking.
- Cauliflower: this takes a little longer than broccoli, so be sure the florets are small.
What to serve with Asian Salmon?
This healthy dish is great with any vegetables, but these are some of my favorite ways to serve Asian Salmon:
- Air Fryer Broccoli: I skip the parmesan and drizzle the broccoli with a little but of this Asian Sauce.
- Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts: as shown in these images, this recipe has a three ingredient Asian dipping sauce that is somewhat similar to Yum Yum sauce, it is so good with vegetables and salmon!
- Foil Pack Green Beans: so delicious and very little clean up!
More Easy Salmon Dinners:
- Salmon with Jalapeño Lime Butter
- Keto Garlic Butter Salmon and Broccoli
- Grilled Salmon Kabobs
- Crispy Keto Salmon Patties
- Blackened Salmon and Zucchini Skewers
Get the Recipe: Asian Salmon Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 salmon fillets
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup soy sauce, La choy is gluten free
- 1 1/2 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons toasted sesame seed oil
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
Instructions
- Combine the sauce ingredients and set aside. You will be using most of the sauce during the cooking process, reserving a small bit to brush over your salmon, or drizzle over any vegetables when serving.
- Place the salmon filets on a cutting board and pat dry with a paper towel. Brush the top of the salmon liberally with the asian sauce.
- Heat a skillet to medium high heat, add the olive oil. When the skillet is hot add the salmon, skin side up to the skillet. Allow the fillet to cook about 3-4 minutes until a nice crust has formed on the fillet. Using tongs, carefully flip the salmon.
- Brush the salmon generously with the sauce as it cooks. Cover the skillet and cook the salmon about 6 minutes after flipping, or until it flakes easily in the center.
This salmon sounds delicious! I’m always looking for new marinades for this fish because my husband and I love it. Sounds like a perfect weeknight meal!
I only had two successful salmon recipes for a really long time. One was pan seared and one was grilled. We love salmon though! So eventually I had to branch out! ha!
I do wish all recipes were this easy! We love salmon and broccoli around here, and this dish looks so healthy and flavorful!
Oh we do too! It is one of our favorites for sure! I usually grill fish, but it is nice to have an option that doesn’t require firing up the grill!
Gah! I love salmon, and I haven’t had it in a while. This is a definite reminder that I need to get on it – because this looks delicious. Pinned!
Thank you Kristi!!
Thanks for the great tip on removing the skin! I’m new to liking salmon and skin on grosses me out, well any fish with the skin on does. The flavors of this salmon sound delish. Makes me want to have it for dinner tonight!
I refused to buy it with the skin on for a long time! It is just weird! But when I figured out it peels right off if you cool it with it on I was okay with it. I hope it works for you!
I eat salmon weekly, and am always trying to find new ways to prepare it. This looks delicious and healthy, Annie! 🙂
Oh good Marcie! You will love how easy this is!
This is definitely my kinda dinner! I freaking LOVE rice bowls, especially when they’re topped with salmon and broccoli as gorgeous as this!
And these photos are totally gorgeous, Annie. LOVE those green bowls! 🙂
Thank you so much Sarah!! Salmon is so darn delicate I felt like it was falling apart on me while I was trying to plate it!
I can’t get enough of salmon, it is the perfect light dinner! And these bowls are just perfect! Love the combination of flavors!
Thanks Ashley! You can just never have enough easy dinner ideas!
Salmon is my favorite and I am always looking for new ways to make it. This looks fantastic and I love the flavors here 🙂
Thanks Kelly! I am the same way, always on the look out for new fish recipes!
I love salmon and I love how easy and healthy this preparation is! So fast and easy which is perfect for weeknights 🙂
Absolutely! This is such a good weeknight meal. The cooking is minimal and the prep requires hardly any effort!
This looks fabulous! I love salmon, it pairs so well with Asian flavors!
Thanks Crystal! This is certainly two of my favorites Asian+salmon!
The topping for this salmon sounds amazing. We eat salmon at least once a week and I am always looking for new flavours for it, like this 🙂
Yay!! I am so glad you think it looks good! There were absolutely no left overs!
This salmon looks so delicious! I love the flavors in that sauce with the chili sauce 😀
Thanks Cindy! We loved it!
Gorgeous photos, Annie! I love your trick with the lemons…and I agree, salmon skin: EW. Loving the asian flavors…we have some frozen salmon that we need to use up soon, so I will have to give this a try!
I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Now this sounds divine! I love 15-minute meals that definitely would have cost a fortune in a restaurant.
That is so funny about the salmon skin! I’m the exact same way, it grosses me out! The last time I bought salmon it had little bones in it and the skin on and I just couldn’t cope with all of that! This sauce looks amazing and I love that it only took 15 minutes! This is my kind of meal 🙂
Omg skin and bones?! I could not handle that either! I am super easily grossed out when it comes to meat though. Trimming the fat off chicken? CANNOT do it! I will gag the whole time. Our sweet little butcher at the market knows he has to take care of all of that for me!
Thank you! So many great tips in this recipe. I tried it out and it was lip-smackingly delicious. I loved the skin removal idea, made life so simple! No more wasting half the salmon trying to cut off the skin. I was also happy to have new flavors with my broccoli. I love the vegetable but am quite tired of broccoli with egg/pasta/ham combos. This was fresh and new. Great job!
Yayyy! Noella you totally made my day! I am so glad you enjoyed this! And this is the only way I can handle salmon with the skin on, I used to try to pull it off before I cooked it and it was SUCH A MESS!! 🙂
Hey, I am confused about what chili garlic sauce you used. Did you use the sweet chili sauce or I found a Thai garlic chili sauce? But, I see the seeds in your mix and the Thai sauce doesn’t have those. Thanks, Sarita
Hi Sarita! I am including a link to the Chili Garlic Sauce I used. It is found in the ethnic food section at my grocery right next to the sriracha, if that helps! 🙂
http://www.iherb.com/Huy-Fong-Foods-Inc-Chili-Garlic-Sauce-18-oz-510-g/59214
I saw this on Pinterest and I have to say, this is my most FAVORITE thing I’ve made thus far! Seriously! This was my first time cooking salmon so I was nervous, but it turned out way better than I expected. I loved cooking the salmon on the lemon–really brought out some interesting flavors. And the sauce was so tasty and the perfect amount. I’m seriously still so shocked that it turned out this well. I love salmon and now that I feel confident in cooking it, this will likely be my new go-to meal during the week. Thank you!
Yayyy! This makes my day! I am so glad you enjoyed it! I know you don’t see salmon and Asian flavors paired together a lot, but I think it is such a fantastic combo! And I certainly know how you feel about being nervous to cook salmon, I was the same way because I thought the skin was so tricky! But using the lemons really does wonders! You can also try this same recipe but use limes in place of the lemons for a nice spin! 🙂 Thank you so much for your kind words, it means the world to me! 🙂
I love the way you post pictures as you go with the directions
Thank you Barb!! 🙂 I am glad you find them helpful!
Maebell, thank you for this DELISH recipe! I shared your recipe on my blog and linked back to you!!!! 🙂 Twas good. 🙂
Thanks so much Emily!! 🙂
Thanks for the tip about the salmon skin !! It grosses me out too but my dog appreciates it, haha.
Haha! That is true! My dogs enjoy it too! 🙂 I hope you enjoy this! We actually had it again last week and it is so good!