Oven Baked Firecracker Salmon recipe with an incredible sauce is an easy to make dinner in minutes!
Succulent Firecracker Salmon recipe, flakey and tender on the inside with crispy edges. A hint of garlic, ginger, soy sauce and optional brown sugar make up one of the best sauces to cook your salmon fillets in. But it’s the red chili flakes and sriracha sauce that gives this salmon recipe its reputation!
Firecracker smothered salmon is one of the tastiest seafood dinners you will make. Sweet and salty with a hint of spice — our addictive firecracker sauce pairs beautifully with fresh salmon fillets.
With just a handful of ingredients and a few minutes of prep time, this salmon recipe is so simple to make.
SALMON
Marinated in a firecracker sauce for as long as time allows, then pan seared to get those incredible crispy edges before finishing it off in the oven. If you loved our browned butter salmon, then you will fall in love with this new salmon recipe!
Or, just bake it from the get-go and have yourself a delicious seafood dinner. Flakey and tender, you will LOVE the results.
HOW TO MAKE SAUCE FOR SALMON
- Mix together marinade ingredients.
- Coat salmon in the sauce.
- Refrigerate for as long or as little as you want.
If you don’t have time to marinade, don’t worry. There is so much flavour in this salmon recipe, they burst through in each mouthful, regardless of marinating.
HOW TO BAKE SALMON
This salmon recipe comes together fairly quickly.
- Preheat your oven.
- Sear salmon fillets in a hot pan over medium heat. You may need to sear in batches of two, depending on the size of your pan.
- Sear for 2-3 minutes each side, just enough to char the edges a little and create that super crispy exterior.
- Transfer to the oven and finish off cooking until tender and flakes easily with a fork.
What if you don’t have all of the ingredients? This recipe is versatile, you can adapt it to suit the ingredients you already have on hand.
Don’t have chili sauce? Replace it with Frank’s hot sauce or use Buffalo sauce. Just add your ingredients in small increments, taste testing as you go to get the heat levels right for your tastes.
HOW CAN I MAKE IT LOW CARB?
EASY! The only ingredient in the recipe that needs to be substituted is brown sugar. You can use a brown sugar sweetener to make it Keto friendly.
Be completely comfortable knowing you can make a crazy good salmon recipe in the comfort of your very own kitchen in no time at all!
HOW TO STORE COOKED SALMON
Salmon will last up to 3 days in the refrigerator if stored properly.
- Store cooled salmon in an airtight container. Seal and refrigerate.
- To freeze, store cooled salmon in sealed airtight containers for up to 3 months.
MORE SALMON RECIPES
- Honey Garlic Butter Salmon In Foil
- Creamy Garlic Butter Tuscan Salmon
- One Pan Lemon Garlic Baked Salmon + Asparagus
- Spinach Stuffed Salmon in Garlic Butter
- Creamy Salmon Piccata
Firecracker Salmon on VIDEO
Firecracker Salmon
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoons low sodium low soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Heinz chili sauce (substitute with Buffalo sauce or hot sauce to suit your heat preference)
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar (or brown sugar substitute) -- OPTIONAL
- pinch of crushed red chili flakes
- 1-2 teaspoons sriracha (adjust to suit your heat preference)
- 4 skin off salmon fillets
- Salt and pepper to season
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika (mild, smoky or spicy)
- 1/4 cup chives chopped
Instructions
- In a shallow bowl, whisk together the minced garlic, minced ginger, olive oil, soy sauce, chili sauce, brown sugar, red chili flakes and sriracha to combine.
- Season salmon with salt, pepper and paprika. Add salmon fillets to the marinade, turning each to evenly coat in the sauce.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight (if time allows).
- Preheat oven to 370°F (190°C). Heat an oven proof skillet over medium heat with a small drizzle of oil.
- Sear salmon for 2-3 minutes on both sides, undisturbed, to get nice crust. (You may need to sear in batches depending on the size of your skillet.)Transfer to plate and repeat with remaining salmon.
- Return all salmon fillets to the skillet. Alternatively, transfer to baking dish.Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until cooked to your liking.
Serve warm with chopped chives.
Betsy says
So excellent! Thought it might be too too spicy but the sweetness of chili sauce balances it perfectly. I pan fried mine the whole way instead of oven finishing. Excellent dark crust on it.
Nadia says
Simply amazing! Takes 10 minutes, to prepare, less than 20 to cook and it’s absolutely delicious! Served with thai sticky rice, spring onions and few sesame seeds and it looks like a gourmet dish!
Eric Hubbard says
I made this it was very good I may have used to much salmon because it wasnt spicy at all. Still delicious tho I used 1lb of sockeye. Is this too much or should I use more of the chili sauce and sriracha sauce?
Hina says
Tried this recipe today and loved it! Is there a homemade or store bought sauce that you recommend as sort of a dipping sauce?
Erin Brophy says
This was so delicious!! Simple to prepare, simple to cook. My son and I ate more than we should have AND licked the plates after. THANK YOU FOR THIS!!
Trey says
Made the firecracker salmon tonight for dinner and it was amazing! It was my first time cooking salmon; looking forward to using this recipe again soon.
Neeta says
I have made this several times and everyone in my family loves it! Thank you for the delicious recipe
Nathalie says
This is the BEST Salmon recipe ever! I serve it with jasmin rice and wok vegetables (onion, carrot, sugar snaps and bean sprouts).
I already made it a dozen times and everybody loves it! Today I will try thé marinade on Chicken.
Gréetings from Belgium and keep in cooking! X
Amanda says
Absolutely delicious! Added the chives & toasted sesame seeds for garnish with grilled asparagus.. perfect meal!
Ia says
I am trying the recipe now with oven braised asparagus, brown rice pilaf & garden salad with feta cheese, olive oil, garlic & blackpepper dressing.
Geraldine Scheller says
The salmon is very good. What size salmon filets did you use to calculate the nutritional info. I’m counting carbs, etc.
m00ky says
Based on the protein content of 34 grams, that would be equivalent to a 6 oz filled, raw.
Baltisraul says
I grilled it 17 minutes on indirect heat on my Weber. Wonderful. Last minute I put over the direct coal for 30 seconds per side.
Michele Scott-Akanbi says
I want to make this for my husband who loves salmon but not sure what to serve it with. Any ideas please???????????????
stephanie O. says
we often eat it with cheesey rice and brussle sprouts. not sure how we got that going but its great!
Trey says
Garlic mashed potatoes!
Marnie says
My brother in law made this with bok choy and rice – he served each salmon fillet on top of the nice with extra firecracker sauce drizzled on top
He caught the wild salmon himself in BC Canada using his Lighthouselures- it was absolutely the best salmon we have ever had – it was epic!!!
Denise says
I haven’t made
it yet, but just the video was sexy as hell!!!
Karina says
Hahaha!
Margo DaCosta says
Beautiful looking food and excellent video.
What was drizzled onto salmon when serving?
Avril says
Would this work on a cedar plank on the bbq ?
Jenna says
This looks so good, I’m going to make it tonight! Have you ever tried grilling it? I’m going to try it. I love a charred, crispy exterior!
Kat says
Followed the recipe to the T but only used 2 salmon fillets, marinated it overnight. It was amazing!! Served it with some mediterranean couscous and roasted brussel sprouts! Definitely keeping this one.
Kerry says
I am personally not a fan of salmon, so I made this for my husband and daughters (who LOVE it) and I took some of the marinade and used it on chicken breasts for me, which I grilled separately. This was a huge hit all around! I’m going to try it on shrimp next. Thanks so much!!
karen caldwell says
FINALLY a salmon recipe my husband loves! He travels and eats out a lot and begrudgingly tries salmon at restaurants and at home because he knows it’s good for him but is always disappointed. He LOVED this as did I! Thank you!!
Karina says
Happy to hear that!
Tracy says
So delicious! My husbands new favorite!
Colleen Volcjak says
I only ate Salmon once. This turned out great! Thanks for sharing! just the right amount of spice. I used only 2 salmon and kept the same amount of marinade. Cooked 1 minute on the stove then put it in a 400 oven for 6 minutes. Perfect!
Shealene says
This firecracker salmon recipe was delicious and easy to make. I made the marinade with brown sugar and omitted the ginger because I didn’t have any on hand. I marinated the salmon for about 1.5 hours. I had a little trouble with the salmon sticking to my cast iron pan. Next time I think I’ll use my oven safe non stick pan. This is my new favorite salmon recipe. My family loved it . I will be making this again!
Trey says
I used a cast iron skillet, but sprayed Pam cooking oil on it so that it would not stick. Didn’t have any issues. Went w/ a cast iron skillet because my non-stick skillet is only capable of being in the over for up to 350 degrees. Wouldn’t want anyone to ruin their good cookware!
Barb says
Made this and this recipe is awesome for fresh salmon
Ami says
I made this salmon recipe last night for me and my boyfriend. It was SO SO SO good. Only thing different I did was use Valentina sauce instead of Siracha bc I already had it on hand, but honestly I don’t know if it even needed it. We had sweet potatoes and asparagus as sides. He loved it, I loved it, it’s going in the “Go To Meals” board on my Pinterest.
Karina says
Ami that’s so wonderful to hear! Thank you for sharing your feedback with us.
Linda says
What is Valentine sauce?
Kathy says
Valentina Sauce (salsa picante) is a hot sauce made in Mexico but available at many grocery stores.
greg says
Karina,
The Firecracker salmon is incredible. I marinated overnight, used my favorite Crystal hot sauce. Very easy recipe to follow and a new favorite for salmon. The flavors were crisp and delicious. Did a side of salt and vinegar gold potatoes and a quick caesar salad.
A new dinner we’ll share with our friends.
Thanks!
Jill A Watson says
This was so delicious! I didn’t get to marinate as I wanted to make sure it right away. The kids loved it! Used hot sauce as soon for chili sauce, fresh ginger and garlic, made in cast iron on the stove.
Kati says
Looks delish! What would you suggest as a side?
Peggy says
I stumbled upon your website yesterday, and made your easy honey garlic salmon last night. It was amazing — best salmon I’ve ever made. My whole family loved it. I came back to look at other recipes and saw this one — can’t wait to try it too! Quick question — when you pull the salmon out of the marinade, do you just discard the remaining marinade or do you put it in the skillet with the salmon?
Thanks for the awesome salmon recipes!
Megan says
Can anyone tell me or give me a reference as to how spicy this is? My bf isn’t big on really hot/spicy food but I love it.
Sara Bargas says
Karina,
Wow, each recipe is so delightful and absolutely taste‼️
Thank you for another year of great taste‼️???