Easy Sweet Chilli Salmon recipe made with perfectly pan-fried salmon fillets and sweet, sticky garlicky chilli glazed sauce. You can pan-fry, bake, or air fry the salmon. It is absolutely delicious and ready in under 20 minutes!
Salmon with sweet chilli sauce is one of our family's favourite go-to quick meals. We love to serve it with plain jasmine rice, steamed vegetables, or salad. It’s delicious, packed with flavour, and a perfect healthy meal option for busy days dinner.
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This sweet and tangy sauce goes well with salmon, chicken, beef, prawns, and tofu. My readers' favourite recipes, Sweet Chilli Chicken, Bang Bang Salmon Bites and Crispy Chilli Beef with Sweet Chilli Sauce are also good options.
Ingredients
- Salmon: You can use skin-on fillets if you love crispy salmon skin. Skin-off fillets are great for baking and for those who don’t like the skin. Use larger whole fillets when preparing a big batch or meal prep.
- Salt & pepper
For the Sweet Chilli Sauce
- Sweet chilli sauce: I love using Thai sweet chilli sauce, which is sweet, tangy, and mildly spicy. If you love to make it from scratch, check out my homemade sweet chilli sauce recipe.
- Soy sauce: regular all-purpose soy sauce sauce or light soy sauce
- Crushed chilli flakes: omit crushed chillies if you prefer mild sauce.
- Garlic
- Fresh lime juice
- Lime zest
- Cooking oil: Suggest using neutral flavour oil like sunflower, peanut, canola, etc.
For Garnish
- Coriander or spring onion
Please scroll and see the recipe card for measurements and a printable recipe.
Substitutes and Variations
- Try this recipe with other fish fillets, such as seabass, trout, cod, or haddock, instead of salmon fillets.
- You can try out my Crispy Sweet Chilli Fish recipe which I used fried sea bass, vegetables and sweet chilli sauce.
- For a spicier kick, add extra fresh hot chillies like Thai bird-eye or finger chillies.
- Fresh lime juice can be substituted with rice vinegar.
- You can also add extra honey or brown sugar for a bit more sweeter sauce.
Top Tip
- Choose good-quality fresh salmon for the best flavour and texture. The colour should be vibrant and rich, from bright pink to deep red. The salmon flesh should be firm and not mushy.
- The skin of the skin-on salmon should be shiny and moist. Do not choose dry and dull skin.
- It's important to pat dry the salmon with a paper towel or clean cloth before frying for a nice sear and crispy skin texture.
- Maintain the heat: Do not overcrowd the pan and fry in batches if needed to sear the fish fillets perfectly. You don’t want the steaming effect.
Instructions
- Step 1: Pat dry the salmon fillets with paper to remove excess moisture. Season it with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Step 2: Heat the pan over medium-high heat and add oil.
Place the skin side down and cook for 4-5 minutes until crispy. Flip gently and cook another side for 3-4 minutes until cooked. (If you are using skin-off salmon, pan fry for 3-4 minutes on both sides until golden and cooked through.)
Remove from the pan and set them aside.
- Step 3: In the same pan, drizzle more oil and saute the minced garlic until it is fragrant, then add crushed chillies and stir for a few seconds.
Turn off the heat and add sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce, lime juice, and lime zest. Stir everything well.
- Step 4: Pour the sauce over the fried salmon and garnish with coriander.
Alternatively, you can place the cooked salmon fillets in the sweet chilli sauce pan and coat each fillet well with the sauce before transferring it to the serving plate.
Baking and Air-Frying option
To Bake - preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Place the salmon fillets on a lined baking tray. Spray cooking oil and bake for 12-15 minutes until cooked through.
To Air Fry - Preheat the air-fryer to 200°C (400°F). Spray cooking oil over the air fryer rack and place the salmon fillets. Spray cooking oil over them. Cook for 8-10 minutes until they are cooked through. Brush or pour the sweet chilli sauce before serving.
Cooking time can be varied according to the size and thickness of salmon fillets.
Storage and Reheating
Leftovers: leftover salmon and sweet chilli sauce can be used in wraps, salads, and pasta dishes.
Allow the pan-fried salmon to cool completely before storing. To retain its freshness, place it in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheating: Heat it in a microwave or over the stovetop until warmed through. Alternatively, you can reheat it in an oven or an air fryer. Be careful not to overcook while reheating.
FAQs
Yes, you can use frozen salmon fillets. Make sure to defrost them thoroughly before frying them.
Instead of sweet chilli sauce, you can use your favourite mild or hot chilli sauce. Or you can make a quick honey chilli sauce with honey, chilli flakes, and vinegar or lemon juice.
Use a food thermometer to check. If the internal temperature reaches 63°C (145°F) it is fully cooked. Or you can use a fork to test, if the salmon flakes easily it is cooked. The inside flesh should be opaque and light pink when it is cooked.
Pairing Suggestions
Pair it with steamed jasmine rice, egg-fried rice, or stir-fried noodles for a complete, satisfying meal. Add side dishes, like stir-fried veggies, steamed broccoli, cauliflower, or simple cucumber slices, to salad, soups or coleslaw.
Related Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Sweet Chilli Salmon
Ingredients
- 500 grams Salmon fillets About 120 grams each fillet
- 10 tbsp Sweet chilli sauce
- 2 tbsp Soy sauce Regular soy sauce or light soy sauce
- 1 tsp Crushed chillies Dried chilli flakes
- 3 tbsp Lime juice
- 1 tsp Lime zest
- 2 cloves Garlic Minced
- 1 tbsp Cooking oil Sunflower, canola, or peanut, etc.
- Salt and pepper To taste
- Coriander for garnish Chopped
Instructions
- Pat dry the salmon fillets with paper to remove excess moisture. Season it with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Heat the pan over medium-high heat and add oil. Place the skin side down and cook for 4-5 minutes until crispy.
- Flip gently and cook another side for 3-4 minutes until cooked. (If you are using skin-off salmon, pan fry for 3-4 minutes on both sides until golden and cooked through.) Remove from the pan and set them aside.
- In the same pan, drizzle more oil and saute the minced garlic until fragrant, then add crushed chillies and stir for a few seconds. Turn off the heat and add sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce, lime juice, and lime zest. Combine everything well.
- Pour the sauce over the fried salmon and garnish with coriander.
Notes
- Once you've cooked the sweet chilli sauce, make a taste test and adjust the flavour to your liking.
- You can double the sauce ingredients if you love more sauce.
- Extra sauce can be kept for later use. Transfer the sauce to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- Leftover sweet chilli salmon can be used in wraps, salads, and pasta dishes.
- To Bake, preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Place the salmon fillets on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spray with cooking oil and bake for 12-15 minutes until cooked through.
- To Air Fry, Preheat the air fryer to 200°C (400°F). Spray cooking oil over the air fryer rack and place the salmon fillets on it. Spray cooking oil over them. Cook for 8-10 minutes until they are cooked through. Brush or pour the sweet chilli sauce before serving.
Ella says
It was a great hit at my family dinner. I added some birdeye chillies and it loved it. Thanks for sharing it.