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I was looking for a spicy-ish salmon recipe and happened to look on Instagram and saw this SOS recipe. I immediately knew it was dinner tonight! The flavors go together so well and it was super simple to throw together. I would definitely make this again.
Daryl
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. If you’re one of those people and want to further your adventure into delicious salmon, we have a how-to guide for cooking salmon right here.
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.
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.
Looking for another SOS salmon favorite? This Bang Bang Salmon is SO GOOD.
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
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!
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!
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!
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Hot Honey Salmon
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 3–4 servings 1x
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
For the salmon:
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 cup stoneground 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)
Extras:
- 4 cups salad greens
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- 1 baguette
Instructions
- Make the sauce: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix the sauce ingredients in a small dish. Set a little sauce aside for to make a salad dressing later. See notes for this.
- 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.
Nutrition: The nutrition info listed is only for the hot honey salmon and doesn’t include any of the extras.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: baked salmon recipe, hot honey salmon, easy salmon recipe
More Salmon Recipes To Make ASAP
- Coconut Curry Salmon (this sauce though!!)
- Spicy Salmon Burgers (another SOS fave)
- Baked Salmon with Amazing Lemon Sauce (comes together on one pan)
- BBQ Salmon Bowls with Mango Avocado Salsa (the sweet-smoky fish with the fresh, bright salsa, YES!)
Time To Show You Off!
One More Thing
This recipe is part of our collection of sweet honey recipes. Check it out!
Is there a different substitute for the mustard in this salmon recipe? My husband will gag at mustard and mayo 🙂
Thanks
This looks great! My husband is not a bug mustard fan – would you do this or the blackened salmon recipe? They all love spicy food
Delicious recipe. Will definitely make again. Thank you!
Delicious and easy! Loved the tip to make the extra sauce into a dressing. Perfect compliment. Definitely going into my weeknight rotation.
Made just the salmon. Very easy, very delicious. Low effort, high payoff!
Hello POY!
I plan to make this recipe tomorrow! What do you think about using bottled “Hot Honey” in place of the honey and red pepper flakes?
We love your recipes!
Thank you!
That would work great!
Five stars for taste and how stupid easy it was to put together. As long as I have salmon in my freezer I have NO excuse to order out. This is delicious and easy and the sauce for a dressing?! GENIUS!
Hi!
Just wondering if I can complete this recipe without the mustard?! Thank you!!!
I absolutely love this recipe. My salmon didn’t look nearly as beautiful as yours, but it tasted amazing! Thank you for sharing
We loooove this recipe when we are looking for something easy, healthy and delicious. With a baguette for the extra dressing – you can’t beat it! So much flavor.
Delicious! Easy fast and so good and flavorful.
Hi! Have you ever used Hot Honey instead of plain/regular Honey? I have some Mike’s Hot Honey and wondering how to adjust and if it would still be good.
I’d use it in place of the honey and then just omit the red pepper flakes!
I made this for a holiday dinner and it worked out great! Very easy main dish to prepare so I had plenty of time and focus to add sides and make the meal seem fancy. Everyone loved it!
I completely forgot to add the garlic but it was still delicious! I cooked some cubes of sweet potato for about 30 min, then threw the salmon on the same pan for an additional 10 min. It was all perfect! I will absolutely make this again.
Excellent and very easy! I did halve the sauce recipe because there’s only two of us at home now. Thank you!
I am going to make this on a kale salad tonight! For a dressing, I do not have red wine vinegar but I have balsamic vinaigrette or apple cider vinegar.. do you recommend one of these would work with olive oil to make a dressing with the sauce? Looking forward to this meal!
Either will work just fine!
Delicious, quick lunch! Used the salad hack listed and loved it!
Great recipient but Atlantic salmon is farmed. Yuk!
Looks like we’ve found a new weekly favorite at our house!! This recipe is perfect. I’ve been making this hot honey salmon into sandwiches, tacos, wraps, you name it. Ordered a ton more salmon (love this kind https://lummiislandwild.com/our-seafood/wild-king-salmon-portions/) so I can meal prep for this upcoming week. Thanks for the recipe!
Fantastic salmon recipe! Highly recommend!
OMG so simple and amazingly good! I will increase the red pepper next time! Made it with brown rice and steamed broccoli and it was a quick and yummy dinner! Thank you for the recipe!
I used to use foil too. Parchment has changed my life. Give it a try. 🙂
This was so good and easy! Loved the extra dressing on salad greens – even without the oil and vinegar because I forgot. I’ll have to try it when I make it again because that’s definitely happening!
YUM – I defrosted some salmon this morning and needed a quick recipe tonight. So good.
I usually eat my salmon with cauliflower rice but it can be dry and flavorless sometimes – not with this mustard sauce.
Love that this only uses pantry staples!
Easy and delish! Will definitely make this again soon!
Thank you for all of the work you put into providing and sharing wonderful recipes!
You’re so welcome, Char!