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Honey Sesame Salmon with Rice Noodles and Asparagus - you'll love this Asian-style dinner. The salmon is first marinated in a sauce made with sesame oil, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, and ginger. Then, the salmon is baked in the oven.
If you don't like salmon because it's fishy or dry, you will change your mind after you try this Asian salmon recipe! The salmon in this recipe is very moist, flaky, juicy, and flavorful. The Asian sauce is smooth and silky, with just the right amount of garlic. The whole dish is very easy to make - I make this for dinner right after a long day at work! Rice noodles and asparagus in addition to honey sesame salmon make this a complete meal - you don't need to worry about side dishes!
The key to the moist and juicy salmon is is to bake it at 350 F for only 15 minutes, and then broil it for 5 minutes ((or longer if you like it more charred). This way you get the very best out of salmon: it will be moist and juicy (not dry), and it will also have a nice charred look, which is much more appetizing and pretty than if you just baked it.
I like to serve this honey sesame salmon over a small bed of very thin rice noodles, which will absorb some of the sauce from the fish, and also the sauce that you will pour on top of Asian-flavored salmon after condensing it a bit. You can serve any type of your favorite greens: cooked spinach, green beans, or Asian greens (baby bok choy, Chinese spinach, etc.). I only had asparagus, so that's what I served it with. Enjoy!
If you enjoyed this honey sesame salmon, you might like these Asian seafood recipes as well:
Honey Sesame Salmon with Rice Noodles and Asparagus
Ingredients
Honey Sesame Salmon:
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce (for gluten free, use gluten-free soy sauce)
- 4 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- a pinch of ginger , powdered
- 1.2 lb salmon
Rice Noodles and Asparagus:
- 8 ounces rice noodles , very thin
- 1 lb asparagus
- salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
How to cook honey sesame salmon:
- To prepare the marinade, in a medium bowl, combine the sesame oil, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, a pinch of ginger and whisk to blend.
- Place salmon in a baking dish, skin-side down. Pour the marinade over the salmon, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Bake the salmon uncovered for 15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit in the same baking dish in which you marinated it. Remove the salmon from the oven, pour the marinade from the baking dish into a small saucepan.
- Preheat the broiler.
- Slide the spatula under the salmon the remove the skin. Broil salmon (without the marinade or the skin) for about 5 minutes (or more, depending on your broiler), until it caramelizes nicely. Remove from pan.
- While the salmon is broiling, reduce the sauce (the marinade) in the sauce pan on the stove top by boiling it down a little bit. Be careful – don’t over do it – reduce it just a bit to have enough to pour over each of 4 serving of fish.
How to cook rice noodles and asparagus:
- While your salmon is baked and broiled in the oven, prepare rice noodles and asparagus.
- Cook very thin rice noodles according to package instructions, drain.
- Place asparagus in a glass baking dish, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (at the same time with salmon, but in a separate dish), until soft but still crispy.
How to serve Asian salmon with rice noodles and asparagus:
- Place a scoop of rice noodles in the center of each serving plate.
- Add several sprigs of asparagus on the side.
- Place a serving of salmon on top of noodles. Pour the condensed sauce on top.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
You make Asian dish so beautiful.... <3 This is my first time seeing salmon (fish) over the noodles. It's a brilliant idea!!!! Not to mention, the flavor sounds delish. I want this for lunch today!
Nami, thank you! 🙂
This was great, I got compliments. Make sure you light a lot of candles if the house is closed up because the odor will linger for hours. Unless you want to smell it for hours. I put a few tablespoons of water in the marinade mix to stretch it to cover the salmon and all the noodles, it's a little too scanty otherwise. I also put a tbsp. of cornstarch mixed with a bit of water, into the marinade to make it thicker. I also cooked the salmon at 385 degrees, along with roasted brussel sprouts and butternut squash , for about 20 minutes. Excellent!
Yes, I keep my windows open when I cook. 🙂 Good idea on adding the water - I've done it too, since the sauce can evaporate too much during the cooking process and when reducing it. Perhaps, I should add a note to the recipe about adding the water.
I always drool over your seafood recipes Julia and this one is no exception! Gorgeous! I never thought to put salmon over rice noodles. Love it!
I can't wait to make this. Looks so inviting and delicious. I pinned it the moment I saw and the pictures are great.
This is definitely making me drool - looks like a gorgeous recipe and great pictures :). But it was tagged on tastespotting at gluten free! Before any glutinos suffer, soy sauce contains (lots of) gluten. If you're making this for some poor soul like my sister, you want to make sure to get gluten free tamari!
That's a very good point! The soy sauce should be gluten free and not contain wheat. You just educated me - thank you!
This is beautiful! I am just discovering your blog and am about to go pin crazy! 🙂
Julia, this is the BEST way to eat salmon! I tend to make a variation of your recipe over and over and over! And you've just made me very hungry!!! Beautifully done!
Who doesn't like salmon?! Anyway, whoever doesn't definitely will after this recipe… I love how well salmon takes syrupy marinades and sweetness. I've never served salmon over a bed of rice noodles, but it's a great idea. Happy Halloween, Julia!
I love salmon and this seems like a great way to serve it! The rice noodles and asparagus are the perfect accompaniment.
A delicious dish and great combination! I love salmon and noodles.
Cheers,
Rosa
Julia, this looks just wonderful. I made an Asian salmon today too. To me, it's the most wonderful flavorings with salmon. Love your photos, you make it look so enticing!
My husband doesn't really like salmon but I'm hoping this recipe will change his mind, because goodness, just look at these pictures, it's so beautiful!
Oh my - this is some GORGEOUS salmon! If only my screen was scratch and taste! 🙂
Gosh, this is such a gorgeous looking dish! And the flavors all sound so enticing, too. Really first rate recipe - thanks so much.