Chili Crisp Salmon with Cucumber Sweet Pepper Salad

Name: Chili Crisp Salmon with Cucumber Sweet Pepper Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 6 min
Total time: 16 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 4 (5-ounce) salmon filets; ¼ teaspoon kosher salt; 2 cloves garlic, grated; 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce; 1 heaping tablespoon honey; 1-2 teaspoon chili crunch (such as Momofuku); 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil; Prepared rice + salad, for serving (see notes)

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My Chili Crisp Salmon recipe is a quick and easy weeknight dinner idea! Pan-fried tender salmon topped with sauce made with garlic, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, and chili crisp. It’s seven ingredients that pack a flavorful punch. Serve it up with white rice and my cucumber sweet pepper salad!

chili crunch salmon with cucumber salad and rice in bowl

Chili Crisp Salmon is going to become a weeknight staple for you.

If you are obsessed with this Chinese condiment as much as I am, you are going to love making a sauce out of it and topping it on pan-fried salmon fillets. What I love most about this weeknight-friendly recipe is that it uses mostly pantry staples. Of course, I took the liberty of assuming that you’re obsessed with chili crisp as much as most of the world is at the moment. It’s a staple in any modern kitchen these days!

@littlespicejar Chili Crisp Salmon Recipe Full recipe linked in my profile, ingredients below 👇🏼 4 (5-ounce) salmon filets ¼ teaspoon kosher salt 2 cloves garlic, grated 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce 1 heaping tablespoon honey 1-2 teaspoon chili crunch 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil Prepared rice + salad/steamed brocc, for serving #chilicrunch #chilicrunchoil #chilicrisp #salmonrecipe #salmon #salmonbowl #panfriedsalmon #foodtok #easyrecipes #quickrecipes ♬ time travel – chief. & nobuddy

The prep time on this recipe is minimum, and the cooking times are the bare minimum too. I serve this salad with my take on the viral TikTok cucumber sweet pepper salad. I load it up with ginger, toasted sesame oil, brown sugar, more chili crisp, and furikake. Furikake is a seasoning made with seaweed powder, toasted sesame seeds, bonito flakes, sea salt, and sugar.

Ingredients for Chili Crisp Salmon:

Salmon Fillet: I like to use 4 (5-ounce) salmon filets for this recipe. I typically suggest using wild-caught salmon if it’s possible, however, Atlantic salmon or farm-raised salmon will also work.
Kosher salt: is used to season the salmon filets before we sear them in the pan.
Garlic: Minced garlic goes into the chili crisp sauce that we drizzle on the salmon right before serving.
Low sodium soy sauce: gives the chile crisp sauce a salty umami-rich flavor.
Honey: we’ll toss the salmon filets in the sauce so that the pan caramelizes the sugar in the honey and gives the salmon a deep flavor. You could also use dark brown sugar in place of the honey if that’s what you have.
Chili Crisp: If you haven’t tried chili crisp or chili onion crunch before, it’s a condiment made from dried chili pepper infused in oil with other ingredients, such as spices, onions, shallots, or sichuan pepper. Lao Gan Ma is a popular Chinese brand sold in Asian grocery stores as well as many mainstream grocery stores. Fly By Jing Sichuan Chili Crisp and Momofuku are two others that are quickly becoming leaders of the chili crisp movement that we’re currently having!
Toasted sesame oil: Adds a toasty smell and flavor to the chili crisp.

cucumber sweet pepper salad before dressing and after

How to make chili crisp salmon:

Season the fillets. Start by removing the salmon from the refrigerator at least 40 minutes before preparing. This allows the salmon to hold its shape better in the pan and not shrink as much. Season the flesh side with kosher salt.
Make the sauce. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the grated garlic, soy sauce, honey, chili crisp, and sesame oil. Whisk it together with a fork and set aside for now.
Sear the salmon. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add a small drizzle or any high-heat oil, and when the oil is hot, add the salmon fillets with the skin side up in the pan. Cook the salmon for roughly 2-3 minutes or longer if your salmon is particularly thick. Then flip the salmon with the skin side down and continue to cook for a few more minutes until the skin crisps up. Drizzle the chili crisp sauce over the salmon and pour the rest around the sides. Give the sauce 15-30 seconds so that the sugars caramelize, the sauce thickens, and the flavor deepens. Remove from heat.
Serve it up. Garnish the salmon with green onions or fresh parsley if you’d like. I usually just sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds before serving with rice and a salad.

Servings suggestions:

Cucumber Sweet Pepper Salad: Toss 4 sliced Persian cucumbers with 8-10 sweet peppers in a medium bowl. Add 1 tsp of chili crisp, 1 heaping tablespoon of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of ginger paste, 1½ teaspoons of sesame oil, and lots of toasted sesame seeds, and at least 1 tsp of furikake. Taste and adjust with a big pinch of salt or as needed. Such a fresh salad that pairs well with this recipe!
Everyday Kale Crunch Salad: The quickest everyday kale crunch salad! It takes 5 minutes to throw this quick kale salad together! It’s the perfect salad to serve with seared salmon, grilled chicken, and pretty much anything else. The dijon apple cider vinaigrette makes it taste just like Chick-fil-A’s version of the kale crunch salad!
Garlic Sauteed Broccolini: Sauteed broccolini is my favorite side dish to serve with pizza, steak, chicken, or seafood! It starts with garlic-infused olive oil then we’ll saute the baby broccoli until it’s bright green, tender on the outside, with just a bit of crunch!
Serve Chili Crisp Salmon with Garlic Noodles instead. Loaded with tons of scallions, finely minced garlic, and sauteed in a knob of butter. There are a few unusual ingredients here, but trust me, these are the best garlic noodles you’ll ever have! Ready in around 15 minutes!

Other salmon recipes to try:

chili crunch salmon over rice with fork breaking filet

Yield: Serves 4