When you want an easy Japanese dinner and don’t want to eat out, make this Salmon Teriyaki Bento Box. Add salmon teriyaki, a simple salad, rice, and more. Organizing a dinner in individualized boxes for each family member or guest is fun.
A salmon teriyaki dinner is comfort food to us. The sweet teriyaki sauce paired with sticky white rice and some sushi rolls
goes nicely with these authentic Japanese bento boxes.
Over the years, I’ve shared some of our family’s favorite dinner recipes. And lately, I’ve been trying to add more over here to give you a full range of recipes for your family.
My mom baked our salmon teriyaki in a sauce for most of my childhood. And so, I’ve always prepared it this way until I had it served at our favorite Japanese restaurant. They grilled the salmon and then drizzled a thick and yummy teriyaki sauce over the top.
Uh, this opened a new way of preparing salmon.
For this recipe, you can either pan-fry the salmon or grill it if you prefer. I didn’t examine it for this post because I feared it might fall apart. That is an issue with grilling fish.
But, I love the taste that the grill imparts on the fish.
Salmon Teriyaki Bento Box
Recently, I bought the bento boxes used in Japanese restaurants, and I’m in love with them. There is something immensely satisfying about the little compartments filled with yummy food.
The bento boxes create an impressive dinner that appears like you’re dining at a fancy restaurant.
I may splurge and buy two more so we can use them when we have another couple over for dinner. I love the idea of feasting on homemade salmon teriyaki in our cozy backyard!
What you’ll need for this bento box!
- Japnese Bento Box
- Salmon Teriyaki
- Short-Grain White Rice
- A Simple Green Salad
- Takuan
- Pickled Ginger
- Sushi Rolls
Let’s Make the Salmon Teriyaki
Step 1 – Scale the Fish
In your kitchen sink, run a knife along the salmon skin. Make sure to run the blade against the grain of the fish scales.
Step 2 – Season Fish
Salt and pepper fish to taste. I add Costco’s garlic granules to our salmon.
Step 3 – Fry Fish in Pan
Heat the pan on medium heat and sprinkle cooking oil on the pan. Place fish in the pan, skin side down.
Step 4 – Make Teriyaki Sauce
Place sugar, soy sauce, and mirin in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook on the stovetop. Add water to cornstarch and add slowly to the sauce. Whisk after adding the thickener.
Step 5 – Fill Bento Box
Add the salmon, salad, takuan, pickled ginger, sushi, and rice to each compartment.
How to Pan Fry Salmon
- Heat Frying Pan – Place your pan on medium heat. Once it’s hot, add cooking oil.
- Place Salmon in Pan – Place salmon skin side down on the hot pan.
- Cook Salmon – You can tell how the salmon is cooking by watching the sides of the steak. The cooked meat turns a pale pink. When the fish cooks, about 3/4 up the side of the salmon, then flip the fish. The skin side will be facing up at you.
- Salmon Doneness – Cook, the salmon for another 3-4 minutes. The salmon is done when it’s cooked through, you can poke the meat with a knife to check if it’s cooked.
Salmon Teriyaki Recipe
Ingredients
Salmon
- 2 lbs Salmon Cut in two
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Teriyaki Sauce
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Mirin or a sweet white wine
- 1 tbs Hoisin Sauce
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp water
Instructions
Fish
- In your kitchen sink, scale the fish by running a knife along the salmon skin. Make sure to run the blade against the grain of the fish scales to remove the scales.
- Salt and pepper fish to taste. I add the Costco garlic granules to the fish. You can use that or garlic powder if you like.
- Heat a pan on medium heat. Once the skillet is hot, sprinkle cooking oil on the pan. Place fish in the pan, skin side down.
- You can tell how the salmon is cooking by watching the sides of the steak. The cooked meat turns a pale pink. When the fish cooks, about 3/4 up the side of the salmon, flip the fish. The skin side will be facing up at you.
- Cook the salmon for another 3-4 minutes. You can poke the meat with a knife to check if it's cooked.
Teriyaki Sauce
- Place sugar, soy sauce, Mirin, and Hoisin sauce in a small saucepan.
- Bring to a boil on medium to low heat.
- In a small bowl mix cornstarch and water and add to the soy sauce mixture. Mix thoroughly.
- Turn down the heat to low. Stir the sauce constantly for 9 minutes. Remove from heat when the sauce begins to thicken.
- Set sauce aside and allow it to cool.
- Place salmon in the bento box and then drizzle the sauce over the salmon.
Nutrition
The fun part of making a salmon teriyaki bento box is placing all the ingredients in the box. Oh yeah, it’s also fun eating this special dinner!
I hope you have a chance to create this amazing dinner!
Cheers,
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