Miso Honey Salmon Bites are a delicious bite-sized weeknight dinner or appetizer. Each tender salmon morsel is rich with umami flavor and topped with toasted sesame seeds and scallions. This dish requires minimal effort, a handful of ingredients, and cooks in 6 minutes!
This easy flare-friendly salmon recipe features a simple from scratch miso marinade to add rich Japanese flavors. The salmon is broiled to create perfectly crispy edges with a juicy center. We top it with scallions and sesame seeds for a tasty accent.
If you are looking for a similar salmon recipe with a whole salmon fillet, check out this Miso Salmon recipe.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love These Salmon Bites
- Taste - The bites are rich and buttery with a unique umami flavor from the miso.
- Texture - The salmon cubes have a slightly crispy outside with a juicy inside.
- Effort - This salmon recipe is easy. Just make the sauce, marinate the salmon in the sauce, cut the salmon, then broil it.
- Time - It takes a half hour to marinate and prepare the salmon then 10 minutes to broil it.
Key Ingredients
- Salmon filets - Salmon has a naturally buttery texture and mild taste that pairs seamlessly with the miso sauce.
- White miso - Miso adds a uniquely warm and lightly sweet flavor to the sauce. We like Hikari miso paste because it is high-quality yet affordable.
- Soy sauce or tamari - Soy sauce adds umami flavor to the sauce. We prefer low-sodium shoyu because it is healthier without sacrificing the rich flavor. You can also use tamari or gluten-free soy sauce.
- Rice vinegar, or sake, or water - Use rice vinegar or sake for an extra savory sauce. Use water if you want a milder sauce.
- Honey - Honey adds sweetness.
- Scallions - Scallions add a lightly sweet spiciness.
- Toasted sesame seeds - Sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds to add a mild nutty flavor.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions
- Teriyaki or unagi sauce - Try these salmon bites with teriyaki sauce for a sweeter and thicker sauce. Unagi sauce has a thick syrupy texture like teriyaki sauce, but is a little more savory.
- Gluten-free - Use gluten free miso paste and tamari, or wheat-free soy sauce, to make the dish gluten-free.
- Arctic char - This recipe will also be delicious with arctic char instead of salmon.
- Sweetener - Use date syrup, date sugar, or maple syrup instead of honey as sweetener.
- Garlic powder - Instead of a miso sauce, toss the bites in a mixture of garlic powder, olive oil, and kosher salt.
Variations
- Lemon - Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice for a bright finish.
- Furikake - Furikake is a Japanese seaweed seasoning that adds a light crunch and ocean-like flavor.
- Sansho pepper - Add a dash of sansho pepper for an aromatic, citrusy, peppery taste.
- Donburi - Serve the crispy salmon cubes in a bowl over rice to make a delicious donburi.
Instructions
- Make sauce - Add salmon to a mixing bowl. In a separate small bowl, add white miso, soy sauce or tamari, rice vinegar, honey, and hot water. Then whisk together until it forms a smooth sauce. (Photo 1 and 2)
- Marinate salmon - Pour the sauce over the salmon until completely coated, then cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or overnight. (Photo 3)
- Dry salmon - Remove the salmon from the bowl and reserve the marinade to make a sauce, if desired. Then dry the salmon with a paper towel thoroughly. (Photo 4)
- Cut salmon - Then, cut salmon into cubes. (Photo 5)
- Arrange salmon - Turn the broiler on high with the rack positioned 6 inches from the heat and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. If using foil, be sure to grease it with oil so the salmon doesn’t stick. Place the salmon skin-side down on the prepared baking sheet with at least 1 inch between each piece. (Photo 6)
- Broil salmon - Place the tray of salmon in the oven and broil for 3 minutes, then flip over and cook for an additional 3 minutes so the salmon skin gets crispy. The salmon will have lightly charred edges and will be medium-rare with an internal temperature between 115°F to 120°F. Then remove the salmon from the oven. (Photo 7)
- Make optional miso glaze - While the salmon cooks, you can use the remaining miso marinade to make a glaze. Pour the leftover marinade into a saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently so the sugar doesn’t burn. Then cook and stir until the marinade thickens into a glaze, about 3-5 minutes. Finally, remove from the heat.
- Serve - Transfer the salmon bites to a serving platter or to plates, drizzle with miso glaze, and garnish with chopped scallions and toasted sesame seeds. Enjoy immediately. (Photo 8)
Pro tip - Wrinkle the aluminum foil before lining the baking sheet. The wrinkles will help prevent the fish from sticking to the foil and will make it easy to pick up once the fish is cooked.
What to Serve with Crispy Salmon Bites
Serve these salmon cubes for dinner with a tasty side like our tasty Sweet Potato Slices, Healthy Fried Rice, or Dairy-Free Garlic Mashed Potatoes. You can also enjoy these bites for a light lunch in a bowl over rice to make a tasty donburi. For a light dessert, try our Chocolate Covered Dates.
Storage
Refrigerate leftover miso salmon in an air-tight container for up to 2 days. To reheat the salmon, heat the oven to 350°F, remove the cubes from the refrigerator, and allow them to reach room temperature (about 15 minutes). Then place pieces on a baking sheet, cover in aluminum foil, and heat for about 5 minutes, until warm.
Cooking Tips
- Make sure that you wipe off the marinade thoroughly before you cut the salmon into cubes. If there is too much marinade leftover on the cubes, it could burn the cubes in the oven.
- Use a thermometer for the most accurate cooking results. Medium-rare salmon should have an internal temperature between 115 and 120°F.
Recipe FAQs
We prefer fresh Atlantic salmon because it is tender but you can also ue any other type of salmon.
Our recipe is an easy way to make baked salmon bites. You can also fry salmon bites in a pan or air fryer, but we haven't tested those methods.
We prefer to marinate the salmon in miso sauce. But you can also marinate it in a teriyaki or unagi sauce or dip the salmon bites in tartar sauce, Sriracha aioli, wasabi aioli, or spicy mayo.
This sauce can easily be made gluten free by using tamari or wheat-free soy sauce instead of traditional soy sauce.
Related Recipes
Did You Like This Recipe?
Love this easy salmon bites recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card below & leave a comment below. Thanks!
Sign up for HGL's newsletter and keep in touch on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. If you make this crispy salmon recipe, tag #happygutlucky so we can see your creation!
Miso Honey Salmon Bites
Ingredients
- 1 lb salmon skin-on or skinless
- 1 tablespoon white miso
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari low-sodium or gluten-free
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, or sake or water
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon hot water
- 1 scallions chopped
- toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Make sauce and marinate salmon - Add salmon to a mixing bowl. In a separate small bowl, add white miso, soy sauce or tamari, rice vinegar, honey, and hot water. Whisk together until it forms a smooth sauce. Pour the sauce over the salmon until completely coated, then cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or overnight.1 tablespoon white miso, 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, or sake or water, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon hot water
- Cut salmon - Remove the salmon from the bowl and reserve the marinade to make a sauce, if desired. Dry the salmon with a paper towel and cut into cubes.1 lb salmon
- Arrange salmon - Turn the broiler on high with the rack positioned 6 inches from the heat and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. If using foil, be sure to grease it with oil so the salmon doesn’t stick. Place the salmon skin-side down on the prepared baking sheet with at least an inch between each piece.
- Broil salmon - Place the tray of salmon in the oven and broil for 3 minutes, then flip over and cook for an additional 3 minutes so the salmon skin gets crispy. The salmon will have lightly charred edges and will be medium-rare with an internal temperature between 115 and 120°F. Remove the salmon from the oven.
- Make optional miso glaze - While the salmon cooks, you can use the remaining miso marinade to make a glaze. Pour the leftover marinade into a saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently so the sugar doesn’t burn. Then cook and stir until the marinade thickens into a glaze, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Serve - Transfer the salmon bites to a serving platter or to plates, drizzle with miso glaze, and garnish with chopped scallions and toasted sesame seeds. Enjoy immediately.1 scallions, toasted sesame seeds
Notes
- Wrinkle the aluminum foil before lining the baking sheet to prevent the fish from sticking to the foil and make clean up easy.
- Make sure that you wipe off the marinade thoroughly before you cut the salmon into cubes. If there is too much marinade, it could cause the salmon to burn while in the oven.
-
Leave a Reply