Meow Recipes: Hot Honey Salmon

Hot honey salmon on a sheet pan lined with foil.

What looks fancy but actually comes together super quickly and makes you feel like A BOSS with all that big, feisty flavor?

It’s this. It’s Hot Honey Salmon.

And it’s here for us because this is the SOS series, and fancy-but-not-actually-fancy is the vibe we aspire to.

This is a spicy-sweet little number (hello, “hot honey”) and it gets its name from the sauce that gets brushed over the whole thing, which is grainy from the mustard and flecks of fresh garlic, sweet and sticky from the honey, and a little, medium, or LOT hot from however many red pepper flakes you wanna throw in there. I cannot stress enough how beautiful it is to look at! And it’s one of those salmon recipes that works for even people who aren’t salmon people, because garlic, honey, stone ground mustard, and some peppery heat are magical little wonder foods.

It is about the most foolproof way you could ever think to make salmon. Chaotic dinnertime, stress, and lack of time and energy is no problem for this beauty.

Ingredients for hot honey salmon. Each ingredient is labeled with the name in a purple bubble.

The Ingredient Details

Our basic / fabulous ingredient list:

Stoneground mustard
Honey
Garlic
Paprika
Red Pepper Flakes
Lemon
Salmon

… Salt? Olive oil? I’m trying to think if there’s anything else worth mentioning, but I think that’s pretty much the whole shebang right there.

You shake up the sauce, you brush the salmon, and you bake it.

That’s the whole recipe.

And this is why the SOS series is my favorite.

Hot honey salmon in a bowl on top of a green salad. There's a fork on the side of the bowl.

What To Serve with This Salmon

A pro tip: your sauce can actually work really nicely as a dressing, so save a little bit in your jar, drizzle with olive oil, and toss it on some greens and you’ll almost immediately round out your meal.

This salmon is extremely versatile – pair it with those dressed up greens, or steamed green beans from the garden, some roasted potatoes or rice or cauliflower rice or, preferably, HOT CRUSTY BREAD WITH BUTTER, and just enjoy your life, really.

Hot Honey Salmon: FAQs

What kind of salmon should I use?

Fresh Atlantic salmon or wild sockeye salmon work great here! The Atlantic salmon has a bit more fat in it, so the fish doesn’t dry out as easily. It’s so good!

That salad – YUM! How did you make it?

Super SOS-friendly salad here. Just some mixed greens of your choice and toss some of that extra hot honey sauce on your salad for a quick dressing. Another idea is this Toasted Bread and Parmesan Kale Salad – muah! Delish!

Not a big salmon fan here. Anything I can sub?

But have you tried THIS salmon yet? This one might convert you to start proclaiming “Salmon 4 Prez!” If you’re still like 🙅‍♀️

🙅‍♀️ 🙅‍♀️, try the hot honey sauce on some chicken or tofu. Yum!

Hot Honey Salmon

Author: Lindsay
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 3-4 servings

Print Recipe

Description

This Hot Honey Salmon is giving off major fancy-to-eat-but-not-fancy-to-make vibes. Spicy-sweet salmon coated in fresh garlic, stone ground mustard, sweet honey, and flecks of red peppers flakes. It’s a magical little number!

Ingredients

Units

2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup stone ground mustard
3–4 cloves of garlic, minced
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 teaspoon paprika (optional, for color)
1–2 pounds salmon (I usually buy it in one filet and then cut into 3-4 individual pieces)

Instructions

Video

Make the sauce: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix the sauce ingredients in a small dish.
Bake the salmon: Line a baking sheet with foil (optional, but makes cleanup much easier). Place salmon skin side down. Brush or spoon the sauce over the salmon, getting it really well coated on top. Bake for 8-10 minutes depending on desired doneness and the thickness of your salmon filets, and broil for just a few minutes at the end to get it extra browned and pretty on top.
Finish and serve: Top each piece with more red pepper flakes. Serve with little lemon wedges, plus a green salad and maybe (for surely) a hunk of hot, crusty, buttered bread. Dreamy.

Notes

Salad hack: If you take care not to dip your raw salmon utensils back into the sauce, you can repurpose any remaining sauce as a dressing for some spring greens! Just add a little olive oil and red wine vinegar, and there’s your dressing. Easy green salad, done.

Category: Dinner
Method: Bake
Cuisine: American