This Teriyaki Salmon Lettuce Wrap is a healthy recipe that is the perfect appetizer for a family meal or party. Delicious but simple, it's on the table in under 30 minutes! Also the perfect way to use up leftover Salmon Teriyaki. (No need to marinate overnight. Can use frozen salmon without thawing.)
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⭐ Why This Recipe is a Star
- Quick: this easy teriyaki salmon lettuce wrap recipe is on the table in under 30 minutes! For more Asian appetizer ideas, click here. Make a complete meal by serving with these lettuce wrap side dishes.
- Delicious: there's a reason teriyaki sauce is one of America's favorite flavors! It goes with everything from teriyaki pasta to seafood.
- Simple to make: you simply poach the salmon, mash it, then wrap! (Poaching may sound intimidating but it's super simple if you follow the instructions below, and it's the best way of ensuring you have nice, moist salmon for the recipe.) You can also use leftover teriyaki salmon or teriyaki chicken for this recipe!
🥘 Ingredients
You will need a few simple ingredients:
- lettuce: I used baby Romaine lettuce here (the regular ones are too big for bite-sized snacks) as they're crispy and have a natural cup-like shape. Another good option is butterhead or Boston lettuce. Iceberg lettuce is crunchy but too large and not very pliable. (You'll have to soak it in ice water first to make it more malleable.)
- 3 salmon fillets: salmon can dry out easily, so we'll poach them in either water or stock. (If poached in water, the leftover poaching liquid can be used as a base for soup or stock making.) Use fresh, high-quality salmon. Wild-caught salmon often has a richer flavor, but farmed salmon can be a more budget-friendly option. (Also note that wild salmon is much dryer as it has less fat.) You can use frozen salmon for this recipe- either thaw it overnight in the fridge OR increase the poaching time to 10-12 minutes, depending on the size. (You can directly poach frozen salmon.)
- Water or Stock: For the poaching liquid, you can use water or chicken stock or fish stock. The leftover poaching liquid can be turned into seafood soup or sauce.
- Fresh Ginger: We will need 4 inches. Slice 2 inches and grate the other 2 inches, keep the grated ginger and the juice. Do not substitute with dried ginger powder- we need the fresh ginger to reduce the "fishy" smell of the salmon.
- Light soy sauce: Not to be substituted with dark soy sauce or sweet soy sauce- they're different condiments! (If you're on a gluten-free diet, you'll have to substitute with coconut aminos or tamari but I've not tested the quantities yet.)
- Fresh Garlic: OK to omit if you don't have it. Don't substitute with garlic powder.
- Sake: This will be used to both reduce the fishy flavor of the salmon as well as for the homemade teriyaki sauce. You can also substitute with Shaoxing. To find out more about sake vs shaoxing wine, click here.
- Mirin: This adds sweetness to the sauce and creates a beautiful glaze. Click here to find out more about mirin.
- Sugar: both white sugar and light brown sugar work. (Not dark brown sugar- we don't want the salmon to taste like molasses!) You can substitute half the sugar with a neutral honey, if you like.
For garnish:
- Scallions: Sliced and sprinkled over the cooked salmon
- Lightly toasted sesame seeds
- Julienned carrots for crunch
📖 Variations & Substitutes
- Pork Lettuce Wraps: these are the authentic Chinese lettuce wraps, where water chestnuts are added for crunch, and shiitake mushrooms for flavor.
🔪 Step-by-Step Instructions
15 minutes before you want to cook, take out the 3 pieces of salmon from the fridge and marinate in 2 Tablespoons of sake and the juice of 2 inches of grated ginger. (We are leaving the salmon out for 15 minutes so that it doesn't enter the pot cold- that way, the flesh will stay nice and juicy.)
Skip this if poaching frozen salmon and just add the extra sake and ginger to the poaching liquid.
1a. In a pot or large saucepan, bring 4 Cups of liquid up to a boil, then lower to a simmer. (You will need more liquid if using a bigger pot- the liquid should be able to just cover the fish.)
1b. Add the fish carefully into the pan, along with the marinade, ensuring that the liquid just covers the salmon fillets. Cover.
1c. Simmer till the fish is opaque, about 5-8 minutes (or 10-12 minutes if the fish is still frozen), depending on the thickness of the fillets. (See Step 2 for what to do whilst the fish is cooking.)
1d. The fish should be opaque and flake easily when cooked through. Alternatively, you can measure the internal temperature with a food thermometer. (It should have reached 145°F (63°C.))
Note: Skinless fillets will take around 5 minutes and skin-on fillets will take a bit longer.
2a. Whilst the fish is cooking, pour the ¼ Cup of light soy sauce, ¼ Cup/ 4 Tablespoons of sake, ¼ Cup of mirin, minced 2 garlic cloves, and 4 Tablespoons of sugar into a saucepan.
2b. Over medium-low heat, stir the sauce till all the sugar has melted.
2c. Simmer till reduced to about half- the sauce should become thick and syrupy. It will take about the same amount of time as the salmon to cook down.
Note: keep an eye on the garlic so that it doesn't burn. If not, reduce the fire to low.
3a. Remove the salmon from the pot and place in a large bowl. (Save the liquid for making soup or stock.)
3b. If using skin-on fillets, you can easily remove the skin now. Then use a fork to flake the salmon. It should flake at the touch.
3c. Pour the reduced sauce over the salmon and mix well till evenly coated.
4a. Scoop the salmon into the washed and drained lettuce leaves.
4b. Garnish with the sliced green onions and sesame seeds if using.
Note: Make sure not to overfill, or everything will fall out: about 1 tablespoon per baby Romaine leave works.
Assemble right before serving to ensure they stay crisp, then serve with these lettuce wrap sides.
🥡 How to Store
Store the lettuce leaves and salmon filling separately in airtight containers in the fridge.
It's best to eat up the lettuce leaves no later than 1 day after washing, as the added moisture makes them spoil more easily.
Th salmon needs to be reheating till piping hot before serving. (The lettuce doesn't need reheating, obviously.)
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
Tip #1: For a complete meal, add ½ a tablespoon of rice to the lettuce followed by ¾ tablespoon of salmon, making sure to add more sauce.
💭 Recipe FAQs
You can meal prep the recipe by preparing the teriyaki sauce up to 7 days ahead of time, provided you omit the ginger and garlic.
🥗 Other Japanese Recipes
Enjoyed this easy Seafood Lettuce Wrap Recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below! If you REALLY liked this easy Asian appetizer, please consider supporting it by buying me a bottle of soy sauce! 🙂 (No obligation though!) Thank you and have a great day!
Salmon Lettuce Wrap (Teriyaki)
Equipment
- 1 Pot with cover Substitute: large saucepan with cover
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Fork
Ingredients
- 2 Baby Romaine Lettuce Cut off the base then wash and dry the leaves
- 3 Salmon Fillets Skin-on or skin-off both work. Fresh, thawed from frozen, or frozen work.
- 4 Cups Water or Stock You may need more if your pot is very big- the liquid should cover the fish.
- 4 inches Fresh ginger Slice 2 inches for poaching the salmon. Grate 2 inches for the salmon marinade.
- 6 Tablespoons Sake 4 Tablespoons for the sauce, 2 Tablespoons for matinating the finish.
- ¼ Cup light soy sauce
- ¼ Cup mirin
- 4 Tablespoons sugar white sugar and light brown sugar work.
- 2 cloves garlic Minced
Suggested toppings
- ½ Tablespoon Sesame Seeds Lightly toasted
- 1 sprig scallion Sliced
- ¼ Carrot Julienned
Instructions
- 15 minutes before you want to cook, take out the 3 pieces of salmon from the fridge and marinate in 2 Tablespoons of sake and the juice of 2 inches of grated ginger. (We are leaving the salmon out for 15 minutes so that it doesn't enter the pot cold- that way, the flesh will stay nice and juicy.) Skip this if poaching frozen salmon and just add the extra sake and ginger to the poaching liquid.
- In a pot or large saucepan, bring 4 Cups of liquid up to a boil, then lower to a simmer. (You will need more liquid if using a bigger pot- the liquid should be able to just cover the fish.)
- Add the fish carefully into the pan, along with the marinade, ensuring that the liquid just covers the salmon fillets. Cover.
- Simmer till the fish is opaque, about 5-8 minutes (or 10-12 minutes if the fish is still frozen), depending on the thickness of the fillets. (See Step 2 for what to do whilst the fish is cooking.)
- The fish should be opaque and flake easily when cooked through. Alternatively, you can measure the internal temperature with a food thermometer. (It should have reached 145°F (63°C.))Note: Skinless fillets will take around 5 minutes and skin-on fillets will take a bit longer.
- Over medium-low heat, stir the sauce till all the sugar has melted. Simmer till reduced to about half- the sauce should become thick and syrupy. It will take about the same amount of time as the salmon to cook down.Note: keep an eye on the garlic so that it doesn't burn. If not, reduce the fire to low.
- Remove the salmon from the pot and place in a large bowl. (Save the liquid for making soup or stock.) If using skin-on fillets, you can easily remove the skin now. Then use a fork to flake the salmon. It should flake at the touch.
- Pour the reduced sauce over the salmon and mix well till evenly coated.
- Scoop the salmon into the washed and drained lettuce leaves. Garnish with the sliced green onions and sesame seeds if using.Note: Make sure not to overfill, or everything will fall out: about 1 tablespoon per baby Romaine leave works.
Notes
Note: the nutritional information is an estimate automatically calculated using the WPRM recipe maker and I am not responsible for its veracity.
Nutrition
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