Salmon With Rice Recipe

Make the marinade

In a shallow dish or bowl, whisk together soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, grated ginger, minced garlic, sesame oil and black pepper until honey dissolves.

Place salmon fillets in the dish skin-side down and spoon or brush about half of the marinade over the top. Reserve the remaining marinade for the pan sauce. Cover and chill for 15–30 minutes (no more than 1 hour) while you prepare rice and preheat the pan.

Remove salmon from refrigerator about 10 minutes before cooking to come closer to room temperature for more even cooking.

Rinse and cook rice

Rinse rice under cold water in a fine-mesh sieve until the water runs mostly clear to remove excess starch. Drain well.

In a medium saucepan, combine rinsed rice, 2.25 cups water, 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp butter or oil. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low, cover tightly and simmer for 15 minutes (for jasmine or long‑grain white) until liquid is absorbed.

Turn off heat and let rice rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork just before serving.

Sear the salmon

Heat a large nonstick or stainless-steel skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tbsp vegetable oil and heat until shimmering. Remove salmon from marinade, let excess drip off (discard any marinade that touched raw fish). Place fillets skin-side down in the hot pan. Press gently with a spatula for 10–15 seconds to ensure even contact.

Cook skin-side down 4–6 minutes, depending on thickness, until skin is crisp and the sides are cooked about two-thirds of the way up. Flip carefully and cook 1–2 minutes more for medium (internal temperature ~125–130°F / 52–55°C) or longer to desired doneness. Transfer salmon to a warm plate and tent loosely with foil to rest.

Make the pan sauce

Pour off any excess fat from the pan, leaving brown bits. Over medium heat, add reserved marinade and 1/2 cup stock to the skillet, scraping up browned bits with a wooden spoon. Bring to a simmer.

In a small bowl, whisk 1 tsp cornstarch with 1 tbsp cold water until smooth to make a slurry. Slowly whisk the slurry into the simmering sauce. Cook 1–2 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly. Stir in 1 tbsp lemon juice and taste; adjust with a pinch of salt or a dash more soy if needed. Remove from heat.

Spoon the sauce over the rested salmon fillets and sprinkle with sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds before serving.