Honey-roasted salmon finished with a sizzling ginger-scallion sauce, served over rice with a bright squeeze of lime—fresh, flavorful, and ready in 30 minutes.
This is a new weeknight favorite: quick to prepare, bold in flavor, and adaptable to what you have on hand.
The star here is a simple Cantonese-inspired ginger-scallion sauce—just five ingredients—that I’ve been making repeatedly to spoon over everything from vegetables to steak and noodles. In this version, honey-glazed salmon and roasted green beans are cooked together on one sheet pan, served over rice, and finished with that hot ginger-scallion oil and a generous squeeze of lime. The combination of sweet, salty, umami, and bright citrus is exactly what you want for a fast, satisfying dinner.
While salmon and green beans are what I usually pair, you can easily swap the protein or vegetables for what you prefer. This recipe also works beautifully on the grill if you’d rather avoid turning on the oven. Serve it over rice, noodles, or another grain, or enjoy the salmon and veggies on their own for a low-carb option.
Enjoy!
Honey Salmon Recipe | 1-minute video
Honey Salmon Ingredients
Notes on the main ingredients for this honey salmon:
- Salmon fillets: Choose fresh, firm fillets with even thickness so they cook evenly. Look for bright color without browning.
- Soy sauce: Low-sodium soy balances the honey’s sweetness with salty umami.
- Honey: Creates a sticky, caramelized glaze when roasted.
- Lime: Fresh lime juice brightens and cuts through the salmon’s richness—serve extra wedges for squeezing.
- Green beans: French green beans (haricots verts) roast quickly and pair well with salmon.
- Rice: Serve over your favorite rice or noodles; a pre-cooked frozen brown rice is a helpful time-saver.
- Ginger-scallion sauce: Made with scallions (white and green parts), fresh ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and a mild high-heat oil (avocado, sunflower, grapeseed, or vegetable oil).
Recipe Tips
The full method is in the recipe card below, but here are a few important tips:
- Use a heatproof bowl: When making the ginger-scallion sauce, pour the hot oil into a heatproof bowl, measuring cup, or small saucepan. Non–heatproof glass or ceramic can crack or shatter.
- Alternative method: To avoid pouring hot oil, you can remove the saucepan from the heat and stir the scallion, ginger, garlic, and soy sauce directly into the hot oil in the pan.
- Check salmon temperature: An instant-read thermometer is useful. Many prefer to remove salmon when the thickest part reaches 135°F, allowing carryover cooking as it rests. The USDA recommends 145°F if you prefer a fully cooked standard.
- Lime is essential: Fresh lime juice adds a necessary bright finish—serve extra wedges for each bowl.
Recipe Variations
This recipe is flexible—try these easy variations:
- Make it spicy: Stir in sriracha, chili crisp, or red pepper flakes to the sauce.
- Add sesame flavor: Finish with toasted sesame oil or sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over the dish.
- Fresh herbs: Top with chopped chives, cilantro, mint, or Thai basil.
- Swap the protein: Use chicken, steak, pork, shrimp, or scallops—adjust cooking times accordingly.
- Change the vegetables: Roast asparagus, bell peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, mushrooms, onions, or zucchini instead of green beans. Cooking times will vary.
- Grill option: Cook the salmon and beans on the grill for a slight char; use a grill basket for the green beans.
More Easy Salmon Recipes
If you want other simple salmon ideas, consider blackened salmon, green curry salmon, salmon with burst tomato sauce, Greek salmon salad bowls, or honey mustard salmon.
Honey Salmon with Ginger Scallion Sauce
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Ingredients
Salmon Ingredients:
- 4 salmon filets
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- fine sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 12 ounces French green beans
- 2 limes
- 4 cups cooked brown or white rice
Ginger Scallion Sauce Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup avocado oil (or another mild high-heat oil, such as sunflower, grapeseed, or vegetable oil)
- 6 scallions (~75 grams), thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons finely minced or grated fresh ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
Instructions
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Prep the oven and baking sheet. Heat oven to 425°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Prep the salmon. Place the salmon filets skin-side-down at one end of the prepared baking sheet. Whisk together the soy sauce and honey in a small bowl, then brush the mixture evenly over the tops of the fillets.
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Prep the green beans. Pile the green beans on the other end of the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and toss to coat. Spread them into an even layer. Season both the green beans and the salmon generously with salt and pepper.
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Roast. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the salmon reaches your desired doneness (thickness affects time). I typically remove the fillets at 135°F and allow them to rest a bit. Remove the baking sheet to a wire rack and drizzle the salmon and green beans with the juice of one lime.
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Make the ginger-scallion sauce. Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high until small bubbles form at the pan edges (a dropped scallion should sizzle). Meanwhile combine the white parts of the scallions, ginger, and garlic in a heatproof bowl or measuring cup. When the oil is hot, carefully pour it over the scallion mixture—it will sizzle—and stir to combine. Add the soy sauce and the green parts of the scallions, stir, and taste; season with salt and pepper if needed.
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Serve. Spoon rice into bowls, top with roasted salmon and green beans, drizzle generously with the ginger-scallion sauce, offer extra lime wedges, and enjoy.
Notes
Additional Info
Did you make this?Share how it turned out in the comments below!