A fresh salmon fillet glazed in oyster sauce and topped with perfect caramelized onions. This is a perfect weeknight dinner that is packed with a lot of flavors and it takes 20 minutes — or less— to make.
This recipe is a must for me. Cooking salmon never gets old in my house. So I have my own recipes to shake the things a little bit in the kitchen. From salmon tartare to a healthy salmon with kale and mushrooms.
But this one is special for one particular reason: The sauce (notice the capital letter). This sauce is thick, sweet, and rich. It tastes similar to eel sauce — very popular in the sushi world. The sauce forms while cooking the salmon and caramelizing the onions in the process. If I could can this sauce and sell it I’d have a pretty good business.
For this recipe, I highly suggest using a cast iron pan. It gives a perfect brown color to the salmon and a smoky flavor to the sauce.
You can accompany this salmon with whatever you want. But lately I’ve been drag into all this “Buddha bowl” trend. You know, those lovely bowls that have all that your body can need and crave. Tons of veggies, some protein, and grains — rice, quinoa, couscous, bulgur, etc — and a dressing that completes the bowl. So, this time I used this salmon for a buddha bowl and it works perfectly — I added rice, sautéed zucchini, broccoli, and peppers.
The benefits of serving your dinner this way are pretty obvious: It makes your dinner more diverse. It makes you eat a wide variety of ingredients — most of them healthy — in one meal. The downside is that it can require a little bit more of work. For me, it’s worthy to eat my salmon with oyster sauce in a buddha bowl and I use the caramelized onions as the dressing of the bowl. Killing two birds with one stone.
I hope you make this recipe and go back to tell me how it went in the comments section.
See you soon!

Salmon with Oyster Sauce and Caramelized Onions
Ingredients
- 200 gr salmon 2-3 fillets
- 2 onions cut into julienne
- 2 garlic thinly chopped
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 4 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp ginger minced
- sesame seeds
- kosher salt
Instructions
- Heat your cast iron over medium heat. Add the vegetable oil and the onions and cook until soft, then toss the garlic and the ginger.
- Add the sugar and let it melt. This way the onions will be perfectly caramelized.
- Pour the oyster sauce, the soy sauce, and the sesame oil. Cook until it starts to bubble.
- Season the salmon with salt and cook it into the sauce, skin down. Flip it and let it cool completely.
- Sprinkle with some sesame seeds and serve with a good amount of caramelized onions.
I’m Maria and I love cooking—and mostly EATING—food from all around the world. I’ve been sharing my abuela’s secret Latin-American recipes for the last 7 years with the world on this blog. I’ve been a full-time food blogger for many years and I’m always trying new delicious meals that don’t require a culinary degree or a Michelin-star chef. I also love traveling, cats, and knitting.