Baked Firecracker Salmon
Firecracker salmon is marinated in a sweet and spicy sauce then baked to perfection. You’re going to want to add this insanely flavorful spicy salmon recipe into your rotation of weeknight dinners.
Looking for more salmon recipes? Try my sheet pan salmon buddha bowls, pasta al salmone (salmon pasta), or smoked salmon poke bowls.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy salmon recipe:
- Fresh salmon fillet – skin removed. Either buy it skinless or have the butcher remove it for you if you aren’t comfortable doing it yourself.
- Garlic powder
- Red pepper flakes
- Onion powder
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Firecracker sauce – sriracha sauce, brown sugar, reduced-sodium soy sauce or tamari, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, and mayonnaise.
- Garnish – sesame seeds.
How to Make Firecracker Salmon: Step By Step
Here are some quick visual instructions. The full instructions and ingredient list will be in the printable recipe card below!
- Make firecracker sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together sriracha, brown sugar, soy sauce/tamari, rice vinegar, and mayo until smooth.
- Marinate salmon. Place salmon in a baking dish. Sprinkle the garlic powder, red pepper flakes, onion powder, kosher salt, and black pepper on the salmon fillet then pour the marinade over the top. Cover and let it marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours (the longer the better).
- Bake. Preheat the oven to 375ºF/190ºC, cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the foil, spoon the sauce over the top of the salmon, and cook uncovered for another 6-8 minutes, or until cooked to desired doneness.
- Serve. Serve on a bed of rice with vegetable of choice. Pour extra firecracker sauce on top.
Helpful Tips
- The cooking time may vary. This will depend on the type of salmon used. Farm raised salmon is thicker whereas wild-caught salmon is generally thinner. If using wild-caught, cook it for less time so it doesn’t get overcooked.
- Covering the salmon for the first chunk of the cooking time helps lock in the moisture by steaming the fish and preventing the sugar in the sauce from burning. Removing the foil helps the top caramelize after the initial cooking time.
Quick Tip: For baked salmon, I prefer using farm raised Atlantic salmon. It’s a thicker fillet which means it absorbs the marinade without falling apart and also cooks more evenly.
Storage
Store leftover firecracker salmon in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations
Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.
How can you make this firecracker salmon recipe using what you already have? Here are some ideas…
- No brown sugar? – you can also use coconut sugar or maple syrup.
- No rice vinegar? – use white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar.
- Adjust spice level – use less hot sauce or omit chili flakes.
- Add-ins – sliced green onions, fresh ginger, etc.
Variations
- Firecracker shrimp – marinate shrimp for 15-20 minutes in a half batch of firecracker sauce then saute them in a skillet for 1-2 minutes on each side until cooked through. Spoon extra sauce over the top.
Frequently Asked Questions
It definitely has a kick. but you can always adjust the level of spice by reducing the amount of hot sauce or omitting the red pepper flakes.
I love serving firecracker salmon on a bed of white rice or coconut lime rice with a side of sauteed or blanched veggies such as sugar snap peas, bok choy, broccoli, or green beans.
I blanched the sugar snap peas in the photos. Blanching helps retain the vegetable’s vibrant green color and gives it an al dente texture.
More Easy Dinner Recipes
- Dairy Free Crunchwrap Supreme
- Gluten Free Pad Thai (Quicker Than Takeout)
- Spicy Chicken Burgers
- 15 Minute Creamy Harissa Butter Beans
I hope you love this Firecracker Salmon! If you make this recipe, please leave a comment & a star rating below. Thank you!
Baked Firecracker Salmon
Ingredients
Salmon
- 1 pound salmon fillet skin removed
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon diamond crystal kosher salt reduce to ½ teaspoon if using anything else
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Firecracker Sauce
- 4 tablespoons sriracha hot sauce
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar also called rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
For Serving
- cooked white rice
- vegetable of choice
Instructions
- Make firecracker sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together sriracha, brown sugar, soy sauce/tamari, rice vinegar, and mayo until smooth.
- Marinate salmon. Place salmon in a baking dish. Sprinkle the garlic powder, red pepper flakes, onion powder, kosher salt, and black pepper on the salmon fillet then pour the marinade over the top. Cover and let it marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours (the longer the better).
- Bake. Preheat the oven to 375ºF/190ºC, cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes* (see notes below). After 15 minutes, remove the foil, spoon the sauce over the top of the salmon, and cook uncovered for another 6-8 minutes, or until cooked to desired doneness.
- Serve. Serve on a bed of rice with vegetable of choice. Pour extra firecracker sauce on top.