Asian-Inspired Baked Salmon (Ginger Snaps, Salmon Slaps)

Asian-inspired baked salmon with an orange and ginger glaze, quick greens and edamame. Dinner for two in about 30 minutes, with only 15 of them actual effort, and rice that cooks in a jug of boiling water. Yes, really.

Jarred garlic skips the crushing. The air fryer does the salmon in 8 minutes if you’d rather leave the oven off. Mostly one pan, one tray and one jug to wash.

Can I manage this today?

• Spoon rating: 🥄🥄 Low Spoons
• Hands-on time: about 15 minutes (plus about 15 minutes hands-off while the salmon bakes and the rice soaks)
• Main effort: stir-frying the greens
• Chopping: a little. One bunch of choy sum or pak choy to slice. Use jarred garlic and you skip the crushing
• Standing and attention: about 5 minutes at the stove, plus a little longer for the leaves to wilt. The rest runs on a timer
• Washing up: 1 frying pan, 1 baking tray (lined with baking paper), 1 heatproof jug, 2 small bowls and 1 chopping board

Quick spoon check

• No-spoons version: not for this one. There’s raw fish and a hot pan involved
• Low-spoon version: jarred garlic and ginger, air-fried salmon (8 minutes, no oven)
• As written: oven-baked salmon, fresh garlic, everything cooked from scratch

Kerry’s notes

Frozen salmon is welcome here. It’s usually frozen soon after it’s caught, the price doesn’t jump around with the season, and it waits in the freezer for the night you finally feel like fish. Thaw it in the fridge and you’re sorted. Fresh is lovely too. Cook it within a day or two of buying.

The rice is the bit I’d show a mate first. The Qetoe soaks in a jug of boiling water for 5 minutes, you drain it, and that’s it. No pot.

Why salmon? That’s Leigh’s department. She’ll tell you exactly what’s in it, probably with a graph. Her macros guide is a good start, and I’ll put the kettle on.

What’s that ingredient?

• Choy sum and pak choy: leafy Asian greens with mild, slightly sweet stems. The stems go tender in about 5 minutes and the leaves wilt almost straight away. Find them in the fruit and veg section, or at an Asian grocer, where they’re usually cheaper. Keep them in the crisper drawer and use them within a few days. Easiest swap: bok choy, or any quick-cooking leafy green.
• Edamame: young soybeans, sold shelled in the freezer aisle. They add a bit of bite and colour. Keep the bag in the freezer. Easiest swap: leave them out. Half a bag left over? The edamame halloumi okonomiyaki uses it too.
• Shichimi togarashi: a Japanese chilli blend with citrus peel and sesame. It adds a little heat on top. Look in the spice or Asian aisle, or make your own. It keeps in a jar in the pantry. Easiest swap: a pinch of chilli flakes and a few sesame seeds.
• Tamari: a soy sauce usually made with little or no wheat. Organic tamari from Low Carb Emporium is the one we use. It keeps in the pantry. Easiest swap: regular soy sauce, same amount.
• Keto honey substitute: a sugar-free syrup that stands in for honey and balances the orange and tamari. Natures Hollow from Low Carb Emporium is the one we use. It keeps in the pantry. Easiest swap: honey, same amount.
• Qetoe low carb rice: a rice-style product made with konjac. You soak it in boiling water rather than cook it. Qetoe from Low Carb Emporium comes in a packet that keeps in the pantry. Easiest swap: a microwave rice pouch, cooked to the packet.

Why this recipe works

• One bowl of glaze does two jobs. Half goes on before the salmon bakes and half after you turn it, so you get a sticky finish without a second sauce.
• The salmon bakes while the rice soaks, so nothing sits around waiting for something else.
• Orange, ginger and tamari give you sweet, sharp and salty, and the togarashi adds a little heat.
• The fresh shopping is salmon and one bunch of greens. The rest lives in the freezer, fridge door and pantry.

Ingredients at a glance

• Salmon: the main event. 250 g makes two serves.
• Orange juice and zest: the sweet, slightly sharp part of the glaze.
• Garlic and ginger: the savoury backbone of the glaze.
• Tamari: salt and depth, in the glaze and on the greens.
• Keto honey substitute: sweetness that balances the tamari and orange.
• Choy sum or pak choy: the greens. Stems go in first, leaves last.
• Edamame: bite and colour.
• Qetoe low carb rice: the rice stand-in. It soaks in a jug.
• Shichimi togarashi: a little heat to finish.

No Spoon Swaps

• Jarred minced garlic (1 teaspoon) for the fresh clove: fresh garlic gives you a slightly stronger flavour, but jarred saves the crushing and works perfectly well here.
• Pre-sliced pak choy or bagged Asian stir-fry greens: no slicing. Stems and leaves cook at different speeds, so add the leafy bits last.
• Frozen salmon: thaw it in the fridge, cook it within 24 hours of thawing and don’t refreeze it. Fresh might have a slightly better texture and flavour. Frozen is usually cheaper and waits for you.
• Skip the zest: it’s the only fiddly bit. The glaze still works with just the juice, with less orange punch.
• Air fryer instead of the oven: 8 minutes in total, 4 minutes a side, and no oven to heat. See Equipment and easier alternatives.
• Ready-minced ginger from a jar or tube: it’s already in the ingredient list that way. No grating.

More shortcuts we use all the time are in our guide to convenience ingredients.

Substitutions and allergens

• Tamari or soy sauce: same amount either way.
• Keto honey substitute or honey: same amount (2 teaspoons). Honey adds sugar.
• Qetoe rice or microwave rice: use a microwave rice pouch if carbs aren’t a concern. Cook it to the packet.
• Choy sum, pak choy or bok choy: all work.
• Shichimi togarashi: bought or homemade.

Allergen notes

• Fish: the salmon.
• Soy: the edamame and the tamari or soy sauce.
• Sesame: shichimi togarashi usually contains sesame. Check the label.
• Wheat and gluten: soy sauce usually contains wheat. Tamari often doesn’t, but check the label.
• Everything else: check the Qetoe and honey substitute packs, because brands change their recipes.

Equipment and easier alternatives

• Air fryer: follow the same steps as the oven. Air fry the salmon for 4 minutes a side (8 minutes in total). The temperature is on the recipe card.
• Jug: any heatproof jug or container works for the rice. We use a Pyrex microwave-safe measuring jug.

Storage, freezing and reheating

• Fridge: let it cool, then get it into the fridge within 2 hours. Store it in a sealed container at 5°C or below and eat it within 3 days.
• Freezer: we haven’t tested the finished dish in the freezer, so it isn’t tagged Freezer Friendly. Raw salmon freezes fine (see the No Spoon Swaps).
• Reheating: reheat it once only. Microwave it in short bursts, stirring between, until it’s steaming hot all the way through. Don’t reheat it a second time.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use frozen salmon?

Yes. Thaw it in the fridge, cook it within 24 hours and don’t refreeze it. Another salmon night? Try the Quick Thai Red Salmon Curry.

Can I make Asian-inspired baked salmon in the air fryer?

Yes. Air fry it for 4 minutes a side, 8 minutes in total, with the same glaze steps as the oven. The temperature is on the recipe card.

How do I know the salmon is cooked?

It’s opaque all the way through and flakes easily with a fork. If the thickest part still looks see-through, give it another minute.

Can I use normal rice?

Yes. Use a microwave rice pouch and cook it to the packet. It has more carbs than the Qetoe, so it’s a different dish for anyone counting.

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Asian-Inspired Baked Salmon (Ginger Snaps, Salmon Slaps)

Orange and ginger glazed salmon with stir-fried greens and edamame. Low-Spoon, about 30 minutes, with an air fryer option.

Servings 2

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Hands-on 15 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Equipment

• Frying Pan (or BBQ)
• Air Fryer (or Oven)
• Medium Measuring Jug (Pyrex 4 Cup/1L Microwave Safe Jug)
• Kettle
• Baking Tray
• Small bowl
• Chopping Board

Ingredients

Salmon and glaze

• 250 g salmon fillet, skin on
• 1 garlic clove, crushed (or 1 teaspoon jarred minced garlic)
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• ½ teaspoon orange zest
• 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons Natures Hollow keto honey substitute

Greens

• 1 bunch choy sum or pak choy
• 50 g frozen shelled edamame
• 1 teaspoon tamari or soy sauce

Rice and topping

• 1 packet Qetoe low carb rice
• ½ teaspoon shichimi togarashi

Instructions

Prepare

• Heat the oven to 180°C (fan-forced). Skip this step for the air fryer.
• Crush the garlic. (Or measure 1 teaspoon of jarred garlic.)
• Cut the choy sum into roughly 3 cm pieces. Keep the stems and leaves in separate piles.
• Tip the edamame into a bowl. Leave it on the bench to thaw.

Make the glaze

• Add the garlic, ginger, orange zest, orange juice, 1 tablespoon tamari and the honey substitute to a small bowl.
• Stir until well combined.

Cook the greens

• Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
• Add the choy sum stems and the edamame.
• Stir-fry for 5 minutes, until the stems are tender.
• Add the leaves. Stir until they wilt.
• Add 1 teaspoon tamari. Toss to coat.
• Take the pan off the heat. Leave it on the stove to keep warm while the salmon cooks.

Cook the salmon (oven)

• Line a baking tray with baking paper.
• Place the salmon on the tray, skin side down.
• Drizzle half the glaze over the salmon.
• Bake for 5 minutes.
• Take the tray out. Turn the salmon over.
• Brush the rest of the glaze over the salmon.
• Bake for another 5 minutes, until the salmon is opaque all the way through and flakes easily with a fork.

Cook the rice

• While the salmon bakes, boil the kettle.
• Put the Qetoe rice in a heatproof jug or container.
• Cover it with boiling water.
• Leave it for 5 minutes.
• Drain well.
• Stir the rice into the greens.

Plate up

• Divide the rice and greens between two plates.
• Top each with half the salmon.
• Sprinkle with the shichimi togarashi.

Air fryer instead of the oven

• Follow the Prepare steps (skipping the oven), Make the glaze and Cook the greens, then steps 1 to 3 of Cook the salmon (oven). Air fry the salmon at 180°C for 4 minutes.
• Turn the salmon over. Brush on the rest of the glaze.
• Air fry for another 4 minutes, until opaque all the way through and flaking easily with a fork. Then carry on from Cook the rice.

Notes

Leftovers: cool within 2 hours, fridge for up to 3 days at 5°C or below, reheat once only until steaming hot all the way through. Not tested in the freezer. Key swap: soy sauce for tamari, same amount.

Calories: 1385kcal

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Asian-inspired

Keyword: Asian-inspired baked salmon, baked salmon with edamame, low spoon salmon dinner, orange ginger salmon

Spoon Rating: Low Spoons

Protein: Fish & Seafood

Diet: Keto, Low Carb

Nutrition

Calories: 1385kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 17g

A final spoon-saving note

Pick the version that fits your day. Air fryer, jarred garlic, frozen salmon: all fair game. Boil the kettle, let the glaze do the work and give it a go this week. Tell us which shortcut saved you the most.