Korean Salmon with Dipping Sauce – Kalyn’s Kitchen

posted by Kalyn Denny on August 9, 2021

Korean Salmon with Dipping Sauce is a tasty way to cook salmon on the grill with a hint of Korean spicy flavor! And this delicious low-carb salmon recipe can be cooked on an outdoor grill, on a stovetop grill pan, in the AirFryer, or in the oven!

PIN Korean Salmon with Dipping Sauce to try it later!

This tasty Korean Salmon with Dipping Sauce is a variation on the recipe for Grilled Mahi Mahi with Korean Dipping Sauce that has been a hit on the blog. I made this with both types of fish years ago when my former neighbors Maria and Kym came to dinner. I decided this version needed a separate post, because I’m envisioning some blog reader looking through the Seafood Recipes and passing right over the recipe because it didn’t say salmon in the title. And today I am excited to finally be updating the photos for this favorite way to cook salmon!

I’m not claiming this is an authentic Korean recipe, but it does have lots of flavors found in Korean food. We loved loved the salmon grilled with the instructions in this recipe and served with the dipping sauce. But definitely grilled fish can take some expertise, and I’m going to give you several ways to cook the delicious salmon, so take your choice on that. 

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

• salmon filets
• soy sauce or gluten-free soy sauce
• unseasoned Rice vinegar
• sesame oil
• Golden Monkfruit Sweetener or other low-carb sweetener
• garlic powder
• Korean Red Pepper Powder or other red pepper flakes
• green onions

What gives this salmon Korean Flavors?

This recipe uses lots of ingredients often found in Korean food like soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, green onion, and most of all spicy Korean Red Pepper Powder. Read more about Korean food and what flavors it includes.

What other methods can you use to cook the salmon?

We loved how this Korean Salmon turned out on the grill. It would also be wonderful cooked using a Stovetop Grill Pan (affiliate link); cook for about the same length of time as on the outdoor grill. You can also marinate the salmon, drain it, and then cook the salmon in the Air Fryer and serve it with the Korean Dipping Sauce. Of course you won’t get grill marks, but the Air Fryer is great for salmon! Or if you don’t have an Air Fryer, just follow the instructions for Roasted Salmon to cook the marinated salmon in the oven.

How to Make Korean Salmon with Dipping Sauce:

(Scroll down for complete instructions with nutritional information.)

1. If using frozen fish, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then drain.
2. This is the Korean Red Pepper Powder that gives the salmon great spicy flavor.
3. Combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sweetener, garlic powder, Korean Red Pepper Powder, and sliced green onion.
4. Divide mixture in half to use half for the marinade and half for the dipping sauce.
5. Pat salmon dry and put into a ZipLoc bag or plastic container with a snap-tight lid. Pour the marinade into the bag with the pieces of fish and marinate in the fridge for about 1 hour (or a little longer won’t hurt).
6. When you’re ready to cook take fish out of the fridge, brush the top side generously with olive oil, and let fish come to room temperature.
7. Spray grill with non-stick spray or wipe with olive oil, then preheat grill to medium-high (you can only hold your hand there 2-3 seconds.)
8. Put salmon on grill with top side down and at an angle to grill grates and grill 2-3 minutes (until you can start to see grill marks.)
9. Carefully lift the fish to turn and rotate to the opposite angle and cook 2-3 minutes more to get criss-cross marks.
10. Brush the other side of the salmon with more olive oil, then turn salmon over and cook about 3-4 minutes more or until fish feels firm.
11. Salmon is easy to overcook, and if you have an Instant Read Meat Thermometer (affiliate link) I would use it and take salmon off the grill when it’s close to 130F/55C. Total cooking time will not be more than 8-10 minutes.
12. Serve hot, with dipping sauce on the side.

Make it a Low-Carb Meal:

The Korean Salmon with Dipping Sauce would taste great with Thai Cucumber Salad, which is what you see in the photo above. This would also be delicious with Lemony Green Beans, Roasted Green Beans and Red Bell Pepper, or Roasted Broccoli with Garlic.

More Tasty Recipes for Salmon:

Air-Fryer Salmon with Mustard-Dill Sauce
Baked Salmon with Pesto and Tomatoes
Salmon Patties with Tartar Sauce
Roasted Lemon Salmon and Asparagus Sheet Pan Meal
Roasted Asian Salmon and Green Beans Sheet Pan Meal
Grilled Salmon with Maple-Sriracha-Lime Glaze

Ingredients

Ingredients:

Sauce/Marinade Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup soy sauce or Gluten-Free Soy Sauce
• 3 T unseasoned Rice vinegar 
• 2 T sesame oil
• 1/4 cup Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (see notes)
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. Korean Red Pepper Powder (see notes)
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced

Instructions

1. If using frozen fish, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then drain.
2. Combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sweetener, garlic powder, Korean Red Pepper Powder, and sliced green onion.
3. Divide mixture in half to use half for the marinade and half for the dipping sauce.
4. Pat salmon dry and put into a ZipLoc bag or plastic container with a snap-tight lid.
5. Pour the marinade into the bag with the pieces of fish and marinate in the fridge for about 1 hour (or a little longer won’t hurt).
6. When you’re ready to cook take fish out of the fridge, brush the top side generously with olive oil, and let fish come to room temperature.
7. Spray grill with non-stick spray or wipe with oil, then preheat grill to medium-high (you can only hold your hand there 2-3 seconds.)
8. Put salmon on grill with top side down and at an angle to grill grates and grill 2-3 minutes (until you can start to see grill marks.)
9. Carefully lift the fish to turn and rotate to the opposite angle and cook 2-3 minutes more to get criss-cross marks.
10. Brush the other side of the salmon with more olive oil, then turn salmon over and cook about 3-4 minutes more or until fish feels firm.
11. Salmon is easy to overcook, and if you have an Instant Read Meat Thermometer (affiliate link) I would use it and take salmon off the grill when it’s close to 130F/55C. Total cooking time will not be more than 8-10 minutes.
12. Serve hot, with dipping sauce on the side.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 519Total Fat: 32gSaturated Fat: 5.9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 23gCholesterol: 143mgSodium: 1296mgCarbohydrates: 3.2gFiber: 0.4gSugar: 1.2gProtein: 52g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Made with an approved sweetener, this is a perfect main dish for low-carb and low-glycemic diets and for any phase of the original South Beach Diet.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Seafood Recipes for more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was first posted in 2007. Even though I’ve made it many times since then, I didn’t manage to update the photos until the summer of 2021, and at that time I also updated the post with more information and suggestions for some other ways to cook the salmon.