Tender flaky salmon cooked in a 3-ingredient sweet, spicy sriracha mayo sauce! This quick and easy sriracha mayo salmon is ready in 15 minutes with minimal ingredients. A great main dish that is perfect for all the fish-lovers!
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This sriracha mayo salmon features fresh seasoned salmon with a simple sauce made of Kewpie mayonnaise, sriracha and honey. The fish can be air fried or baked and it's garnished with green onions.
This is easily my favorite way to cook salmon because the ingredients are few and so simple! It tastes sweet, spicy and savory thanks to the hot honey mayo sauce.
It's one of my go-to recipes and a healthy dish to add seafood or omega-3's to my diet, making it perfect for picky-eaters!
The best part about this Thai-Japanese fusion dish that it's made in little time and little efforts and it tastes absolutely delicious with steamed rice and vegetables.
If you have leftover salmon, you can even turn it into an Asian salmon rice bowl by mixing some more mayo into the rice and salmon and enjoy it with dry roasted seaweed.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Salmon Fillets: you can use any breed of raw salmon but I love using sashimi-grade fish with salmon skin for that vibrant orange color! However, this is pricier, so use what works for your budget. Or substitute with frozen salmon. White fish or Ahi Tuna could also work as last resort substitutes.
- Salt
- Garlic Powder
- Black Pepper
Spicy Mayo Sauce
- Japanese Mayo (aka Kewpie mayo): a creamy Japanese-style mayonnaise made of egg yolks instead of using whole eggs like in regular mayo. Or substitute with regular mayo that is thick and creamy like Hellman's.
- Sriracha Sauce: a red spicy sauce made of red chili, salt, sugar, garlic and vinegar from Thailand. Or substitute with gochujang, peri-peri sauce or sweet chili sauce. Avoid substituting with Tabasco hot sauce.
- Honey: or substitute with maple syrup, corn syrup or a liquid sweetener of your choice, if you can't have honey.
Note: Most Asian grocers will carry these ingredients. You may find some at your select grocery store or online, like on Amazon.
Expert Tips
- Use fresh salmon that is vibrant in color for best results.
- Fully dissolve the honey in the sauce for best ingredient distribution.
- Pat dry the salmon with paper towel to remove as much moisture as possible so the sauce can stick to it.
- Line the base of the air fryer basket or baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean up.
- Don't overcook the salmon. Only cook it to an internal temperature of 140 F with a digital instant read thermometer and let the residual heat bring it up to 145 F.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make sriracha mayo salmon:
- In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients as listed above. Set aside.
- Pat the salmon flesh very dry with a clean paper towel to remove excess moisture.
- To air fry: Line the air fryer basket with air fryer parchment paper or aluminum foil. Place the salmon filets skin side down in a single layer without overlap. Evenly season the salmon with salt, black pepper and garlic powder.
- Brush the spicy mayo sauce all over the salmon, including the sides.
- Air fry at 400 F for 5-7 minutes until cooked through or an internal temperature of 140 degrees F with an instant read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the fish.
- Remove from the air fryer and let the residual heat carry over the cooking process. Garnish salmon with green onions and enjoy!
To Bake Salmon
- Transfer fillets skin side down to a greased or lined baking sheet. Evenly season the salmon with salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Brush the spicy mayo sauce all over the salmon, including the sides.
- Bake at 400 F for 11-14 minutes until cooked through or an internal temperature of 140 degrees F with an instant read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the fish. Remove baked salmon from the oven and let the residual heat carry over the cooking process.
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or in the air fryer at 350 F for 5-7 minutes or until hot.
- Freezer friendly? This sriracha mayo salmon can be frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze: let the cooked fish cool down, then wrap each filet in plastic wrap and store the wrapped fish in a freezer-safe bag. To reheat from frozen: let it thaw overnight in the fridge and then microwave for a few minutes or in the air fryer at 350 F for 5-7 minutes or until hot.
Pairing Suggestions
This sriracha mayo salmon serves well with:
- steamed white rice, brown rice, cauliflower rice or fried rice
- cooked vegetables like bok choy, spicy garlic bok choy, choy sum, gai lan, garlic green beans or stir fried snow pea leaves.
- noodles
- fresh cucumbers or over a salad.
- stuffed in cooked short-grain rice and wrapped in nori or dry roasted seaweed.
FAQ
Sriracha mayo salmon can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, microwave for a few minutes or in the air fryer or oven at 350 F for 5-7 minutes until hot.
Yes, feel free to simmer it in a small pan on medium-heat until it bubbles or microwave for 90 seconds until bubbling hot to kill the bacteria before enjoying as a dipping sauce for your fish.
This sauce is very versatile and can be used as a dipping sauce for other cooked proteins like chicken, pork, fish, shrimp or tofu.
📖 Recipe
Easy 15-min. Sriracha Mayo Salmon
Ingredients
- 7 oz salmon filet sliced horizontally into two equal pieces
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ green onion finely chopped for garnishing
Spicy Mayo Sauce
- 2 tablespoon Japanese mayo or regular mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce
- 1.5 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients as listed above. Set aside.
- Pat the salmon flesh very dry with a clean paper towel to remove excess moisture.
- Choose ONE cooking method below: To Air Fry Salmon: Line the air fryer basket with air fryer parchment paper or aluminum foil. Place the salmon filets skin side down in a single layer without overlap. Evenly season the salmon with salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Brush the spicy mayo sauce all over the salmon, including the sides.Air fry at 400 F for 5-7 minutes until cooked through or an internal temperature of 140 degrees F with an instant read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the fish. Remove from the air fryer and let the residual heat carry over the cooking process. To Bake Salmon: Transfer fillets skin side down to a greased or lined baking sheet. Evenly season the salmon with salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Brush the spicy mayo sauce all over the salmon, including the sides.Bake at 400 F for 11-14 minutes until cooked through or an internal temperature of 140 degrees F with an instant read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the fish. Remove baked salmon from the oven and let the residual heat carry over the cooking process.
- Garnish salmon with green onions and enjoy!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
I love your Salmon... it's so rich and sassy. This is such a great dish and with only 5 ingredients, it's so so easy to pull together!
Rosemary
ONLY 3 ingredients?! I love that. Salmon is so good for you!
Leanne
We eat a lot of salmon in our house and I'm always looking for new recipes to try. This one looks delicious Christie! And I appreciate your passion regarding sustainably caught seafood!
Tasia ~ two sugar bugs
We eat a lot of salmon and I'm always looking for new ways to prepare it. This looks so simple and delicious! Can't wait to try it!
Alex
I love how easy this is! So delicious too - what a great way to enhance the flavour of salmon.
Ben
I made this the other day and wow it was delicious! I loved how easy and simple it was.