This recipe Low-Carb Teriyaki Salmon boasts that savory ginger-garlic goodness we all love, but with fewer carbs than most recipes. This easy recipe can be part of a low-carb, keto, Atkins, gluten-free, or grain-free diet. 

 

Teriyaki Salmon served on a bed of cauliflower rice

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The recipe for Low-Carb Teriyaki Salmon

This easy recipe starts with a marinade made with soy sauce (or coconut aminos), ginger, garlic, rice wine vinegar and avocado oil. 

These ingredients are simply whisked together, then we marinate the salmon in it for 20 minutes to an hour. 

The thing that makes this recipe stand out is that after the salmon has browned on one side, we cook it in the sauce. This adds loads of flavor to the meat and thickens the sauce. The result is a gorgeous glazed piece of salmon. 

 

Keto-friendly salmon flaked.

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The inspiration for Low-Carb Teriyaki Salmon

I used to love to make teriyaki  salmon, but I would always use a bottled sauce. Unfortunately, bottled teriyaki sauce has a lot of sugar in it as well as additives, so I don’t use it any more since I eat keto.

This specific recipe was inspired by this version of teriyaki salmon from Gordon Ramsay. While I had to make several changes in the sauce to make it low-carb, I really loved his preparation for this recipe. There is something about simmering the salmon in the teriyaki sauce that makes the flavor sing!

What to serve with Low-Carb Teriyaki Salmon

Teriyaki salmon is frequently served with rice, but since rice isn’t keto-friendly, we need to find alternatives. 

One of my favorite alternatives to rice is riced cauliflower. This is simply cauliflower that has been chopped up into rice-like pieces. I usually buy this in the frozen section, already chopped up.

To prepare the riced cauliflower, I often just heat some butter or oil in a large skillet, then I sauté the riced cauliflower until tender. I don’t defrost it first. I like to add a bit of salt and pepper and a sprinkle of herbs, such as chives, cilantro, or green onions, to add flavor.

My recipe for Easy Low-Carb Cauliflower Fried Rice or this recipe for cilantro lime cauliflower rice from Skinny Taste would also work well with this salmon. 

This salmon would also pair well with a simple green salad, steamed broccoli, my Low-Carb Asian Noodles, or Harper’s recipe for Low-carb Seaweed Salad.

 

Photo of Low-Carb Teriyaki Salmon (Keto-Friendly) on a fork

 

What is teriyaki sauce made of?

Teriyaki sauce has a wonderful combination of flavors! Typically, it has ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and some type of oil. It also usually contains rice wine vinegar. Many recipes also use mirin, a sweet wine made from rice. 

Teriyaki sauce almost always contains some type of sweetener. I’ve seen recipes with honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, and corn syrup.

In this recipe, I use allulose as the sweetener. I particularly like allulose in savory sauces as it has a clean sweet flavor with no aftertaste. It’s a little pricey, but I think it’s worth it in this type of recipe.

I also chose to leave out the mirin to avoid adding extra carbs and relied on the rice wine vinegar to give it plenty of flavor.

Is soy sauce keto-friendly?

There is a good deal of controversy out there about soy sauce. One tablespoon of soy sauce contains less than one gram of total carbohydrate. This makes it highly unlikely to kick someone out of ketosis. Therefore, it is keto-friendly despite what you might read on the internet.

However, I would like to point out that many soy sauces do contain gluten. If you need to avoid gluten, there are several brands that are gluten-free. Gluten-free tamari makes a great substitute as well.

Soy sauce is made from a legume and some people find that they are sensitive to it or that it increases their inflammation. However, the fermentation process used to create soy sauce helps break down the components that cause this problem. 

Soy also contains phytoestrogens and can aggravate hormone imbalances for some people. 

While I consider soy sauce keto-friendly, if you have hormonal imbalances, any type of autoimmune disease, or are sensitive to soy, you can use coconut aminos instead. 

Can you marinate salmon too long?

While some meats can be marinated for long periods of time, or even overnight, I like to keep marinating time for salmon short. 

Salmon is a flaky fish and the acids in the marinade will start to break down the meat and make it mushy if it marinates for too long.

Salmon and other flaky fish, do better when marinated for short periods of time. I like to keep the marinating time between 20 minutes and an hour.

Final words

This recipe for Low-Carb Teriyaki Salmon makes a wonderful main course with an Asian flair. It’s an easy recipe, but impressive to the taste buds. Enjoy!

-Annissa

Teriyaki Salmon recipe

This Low-Carb Teriyaki Salmon recipe has savory ginger-garlic goodness with an Asian flair. 🥢 This recipe is perfect for an elegant main course and easy enough for an everyday meal. 🐟 🍱

Keto-friendly salmon on a plate with cauliflower rice on the bottom.
5 from 8 votes
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Low-Carb Teriyaki Salmon

This recipe Low-Carb Teriyaki Salmon boasts that savory ginger-garlic goodness we all love, but with fewer carbs than most recipes. This easy recipe can be part of a low-carb, keto, Atkins, gluten-free, or grain-free diet.

Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian
Keyword keto fish recipe, keto salmon, keto seafood recipe, low carb fish recipe, low carb salmon, low carb seafood recipe, Low carb teriyaki salmon
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Marinating Time 20 minutes
Total Time 38 minutes
Servings 2
Calories 403 kcal
Author Annissa Slusher

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger peeled and minced
  • 1 clove garlic peeled and minced
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon low-sodium gluten-free soy sauce (coconut aminos may be substituted)
  • 1 teaspoon allulose
  • 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
  • 4 teaspoons avocado oil (quantity divided)
  • 12 ounces salmon fillets (about 2 fillets) wild caught
  • 1 green onion thinly sliced
  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds (Optional-for garnish)

Instructions

  1. In an 8" X 8" baking dish, whisk together the ginger, garlic, soy sauce, allulose, rice wine vinegar, and two teaspoons of the avocado oil (reserving the other two teaspoons for later).

    Marinade for teriyaki salmon.
  2. Place salmon fillets on top of the marinade, then turn so that both sides are coated with the liquid. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to 1 hour.

    Overhead shot of raw salmon with marinade.
  3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of avocado oil. You may need to use more oil if you have a pan that food tends to stick to. Add salmon to the pan, skin side down (if your fillets have skin). Cook salmon 2 minutes, then pour the marinade over the fish.

    Overhead photo of salmon cooking in a pan.
  4. Cook salmon until it is opaque about half way up the fillet, then turn and cook for 3-4 minutes.

    Overhead photo of salmon cooking in a pan.
  5. Serve salmon with the sauce spooned over the top, then sprinkle with green onion and sesame seeds, if desired.

    Keto-friendly salmon on a plate with cauliflower rice on the bottom.
Nutrition Facts
Low-Carb Teriyaki Salmon
Amount Per Serving (6 oz.)
Calories 403 Calories from Fat 207
% Daily Value*
Fat 23g35%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 7g
Cholesterol 98mg33%
Sodium 601mg26%
Potassium 42mg1%
Carbohydrates 2g1%
Fiber 0g0%
Sugar 0g0%
Protein 44g88%
Vitamin A 3%0%
Vitamin C 3%4%
Calcium 7%1%
Iron 12%67%
Net Carbs 2g
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.