A simple, healthy and delicious recipe for Teriyaki Salmon with Baby Bok Choy. A 30 minute, one pan dinner!
You know those weeknights where you have NO idea what to make for dinner and you need something healthy and delicious but also like, fast? I got you. This sheet pan Teriyaki Salmon with Baby Bok Choy takes about 10 minutes of hands on time and less than 30 minutes in the oven.
Serve it with some brown rice, quinoa or on it’s own for a light, low-carb dinner. The simple homemade Teriyaki sauce comes together super fast and is low in sugar. Just a little bit of honey to sweeten it up. Once you try this recipe, you will be making it all the time. This dish is also perfect for meal prep so when I make it, I usually make sure there are leftovers for another lunch or dinner in the next day or two. It’s so delicious and healthy, I’m always thrilled to enjoy it for more than one meal.
How to make Sheet Pan Teriyaki Salmon with Baby Bok Choy
If you have a bit of extra time, I like to let the salmon marinate for 20-30 minutes before I cook it for extra flavor. Need it fast? Just skip that step. I promise that it will be just as delicious.
Preheat the oven. Start by whisking together some minced garlic, grated fresh ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil. Pour about ¼ of that mixture over the salmon and let that hang out in the fridge for a bit. While that is marinating, prep the baby bok choy. All you have to do to the bok choy is slice it in half right down the middle. That’s it!
Toss the bok choy in a bit of olive oil right on the sheet pan and then nestle the salmon right in the middle. Pop it in 375 degree oven for about 18-22 minutes until the bok choy is tender and the leaves are a little crispy. It should be tender, not mushy. Using tongs, remove the bok choy from the pan and set aside. Turn on the broiler and run the salmon under it for about 2 minutes until it’s cooked through and a little brown on top.
While the salmon and bok choy are in the oven, bring the rest of the sauce to a simmer, adding a bit of honey. I don’t add the honey when I pour some over the salmon before baking because it will burn and stick to your sheet pan. Not fun to clean up. Meanwhile, stir together cold water and cornstarch until it dissolves, then whisk the cornstarch slurry into the simmering teriyaki sauce on the stove. When it coats the back of a spoon, it’s ready to rock. Throw the bok choy back on the sheet pan and drizzle the entire thing with sauce. I serve it right off the pan!
What ingredients do I need to make this recipe?
Salmon – I always have wild caught salmon on hand in my freezer for quick and healthy meals. It defrosts and cooks quickly for the perfect healthy protein for any night of the week. I order meat and seafood boxes all the time for the freezer from my favorite online grocery store, Thrive Market. It’s super high quality and delicious. A Thrive Market membership is so worth it for discounted organic staples delivered fast right to your door!
Baby Bok Choy – pak choi or Chinese white cabbage. Bok choy belongs to the cruciferous family of vegetables. It’s tender, delicious and cooks perfectly alongside the salmon on a sheet pan. The bulbs get just tender and the leaves get a little bit crispy and it’s so delicious. Bok choy is packed with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It’s easy to prepare and makes a tasty addition to soups, stir-fries, and other Asian-influenced dishes. I only use baby bok choy in this recipe because it’s much smaller than full size and cooks in the same amount of time. You can swap in whatever veggies you like, just monitor the cooking time. Green beans, broccoli and peppers would also be great substitutes.
Soy Sauce – Low sodium soy sauce is what I keep in my pantry at all times. This will be the base for the flavorful Teriyaki sauce. You can also use Tamari if you’re gluten free.
Rice Vinegar – made from fermented rice, it has a mild, slightly sweet flavor. It’s a staple ingredient in many Asian dishes, including pickled vegetables, sushi rice, salad dressings and slaws. Rice vinegar is a pantry staple must!
Sesame Oil – sesame oil is potent and you need just a little bit to add a delicious, nutty flavor to the sauce. Sesame oil is always in my pantry for Asian inspired dishes.
Cornstarch – a little bit of cornstarch mixed with water make a slurry, thickening up the sauce for that sticky, salty, slightly sweet perfection.
Fresh Garlic and Ginger – a healthy amount of garlic and ginger makes this so flavorful. Mincing and grating the ginger and garlic is the bulk of the work in the entire recipe and it’s so worth it.
Rice or Quinoa – This meal is great on its own but I really like to serve it with some brown rice or quinoa to make sure I’m able to consume ALL of the sauce.
Sesame seeds and scallions – the perfect garnishes.
Tips for meal prep
- Invest in some high quality glass food storage containers. Glass food storage containers are much healthier than plastic ones and they look better sitting in your refrigerator. I don’t know if it’s just me, but when meal prep looks prettier, I’m more likely to enjoy eating it instead of pretending it’s not there and ordering takeout. I love these containers with a built in silicone trivet.
- Salmon, veggies and rice is a complete meal that will keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days. When you’re ready to enjoy, just reheat in the microwave for 2-4 minutes until warmed through.
Sheet Pan Teriyaki Salmon with Baby Bok Choy
Ingredients
- 24 oz wild caught salmon whole or cut into 6 oz filets
- 4-6 baby bok choy sliced lengthwise
- ½ cup low sodium soy sauce (or tamari for gluten free
- 1 tbsp minced garlic 3 cloves
- 1 tbsp fresh peeled and grated ginger about 1 ½ inch nub
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp honey
- ¼ cup cold water
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1-2 teaspoons olive oil
- Rice or quinoa for serving
- Sesame seeds and scallions for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- In a small bowl whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic and ginger. Pour or brush about ¼ of the sauce over the salmon. Let it sit in the fridge to marinate for 20 minutes or so if you have the time.
- While the salmon is marinating, slice the whole baby bok choy lengthwise and toss with olive oil directly on the sheet pan.
- Nestle the salmon in the middle of the bok choy, making sure that everything is in one even layer for even cooking.
- Bake the salmon and veggies in the oven for 18-22 minutes or until the bulbs of the bok choy are tender and the leaves are a bit crispy.
- While the salmon and veggies are baking, heat the remaining sauce in a small saucepan until boiling. Turn the heat down and add in honey and whisk until totally combined.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water until dissolved. Pour cornstarch slurry into simmering sauce and whisk. Gently simmer sauce until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Once the bok choy is tender crisp, use tongs to remove it from the sheet pan and set aside on a plate. Turn the broiler on high and run the salmon under the broiler for 1-2 minutes until cooked through and slightly crisp on top. Watch it carefully!
- Remove sheet pan from the oven. Place bok choy back on the pan with the salmon. Drizzle the entire thing with sauce and garnish with thinly sliced scallions and sesame seeds.
- Serve with rice or quinoa and extra sauce on the side.
JENNIFER CHAPLIN
Do you think you could make it with regular bok choy? I can’t seem to get baby in my area…
Jessica
Hi Jennifer! I think it would work fine with regular bok choy, just cut smaller. Let me know how it works out!
Lisa
Very good! I would use a little less cornstarch though-/it was a tad too thick. Otherwise vet good and easy!
Laura
This was so easy to make and absolutely delicious! My whole family loved it. Next time I will use coconut aminos, as soy sauce is so salty. The salty flavor overwhelmed it a bit. This recipe is a keeper!
Jessica
Hi Laura! So glad you loved it. I always use low sodium soy sauce in this recipe as indicated. That helps cut it a bit. Thanks so much for letting me know. xoxo – Jessica
Jacqueline
This was on the table in under 40 minutes! I love the homemade low sugar teriyaki sauce as I’m trying to watch my sugar intake. I used the leftover sauce for chicken the next day!
Christine D.
This does not take 35 minutes. It was good, but definitely not worth the time. This is way too labor intensive and if you add in tall the dishes you have to wash throughout the process, you’re looking at an hour tops.
Sylvie
Seriously? I disagree…well worth the time and effort!!
Kyra B
Delicious Dish!!
Love this website!!