Orange Glazed Salmon
Orange glazed salmon is a citrusy sweet salmon recipe that I guarantee you’ll have on repeat. With just a handful of ingredients including salmon, orange juice, garlic, honey, tamari and thyme, it’s also incredibly easy to make (takes less than 30 minutes!).
What to serve with the salmon? I recommend my Steamed Broccoli, Bok Choy, Garlic Sautéed Swiss Chard and Parmesan Truffle Sautéed Zucchini.
I’m such a lover of salmon and I try to eat it a few times a week (to soak up all the health benefits listed below). But I also like variety. So to keep things interesting, I’m always experimenting with new marinades and sauces.
My Scallops with Citrus Ginger Sauce has been a reader favorite. Thus, I decided to make a sweet orange glaze to drizzle on top of this pan seared salmon. The outcome? Oh my word. Amazingly delicious! And you’ll want to drizzle the sauce on all your side dishes too.
How to Make Orange Glazed Salmon
From start to finish this recipe can be on your plate in less than 30 minutes (though it’ll look like you slaved over it). Here’s how you make it:
Sear the Salmon
Heat a couple tablespoons of avocado oil in a pan on medium-high heat and cook the salmon for 3-4 minutes each side.
Create the Thickener for the Sauce
To make the orange glaze, you need to create an arrowroot slurry. To do this, stir 1/2 tsp arrowroot powder with 1 tsp water and set it aside.
Make the Orange Glaze
Once the salmon is cooked, removed it to a plate. Turn down the heat, add the minced garlic to the pan and sauté for 30 seconds. Then add the orange juice, honey, tamari, thyme and arrowroot slurry and whisk together for 1-2 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Drizzle the Orange Glaze on the Salmon
Add the salmon back to the pan and drizzle the sauce all over the salmon before serving with the delicious side dishes mentioned above.
Health Benefits of Salmon
- Salmon is high in Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 are great for eye health, heart disease, and reducing inflammation in the body. Read more about Salmon’s anti-inflammatory properties in my 8 Anti-Inflammatory Foods I Eat Every Week.
- Salmon is a great source of potassium. This fish actually has more potassium than equally sized banana. Potassium is important for controlling blood pressure, which in turn can reduce the risk for having a stroke.
- Salmon gets its red pigmentation from astaxanthin, a powerful antioxidant. In combination with Omega-3 fatty acid, astaxanthin is believed to protect the nervous system and brain from inflammation.
More Salmon Recipes to Enjoy
- Best Baked Salmon
- Cedar Plank Salmon
- Smoked Salmon, Avocado and Arugula Salad
- Salmon Patties
- Smoked Salmon, Avocado and Cucumber Bites
- Smoked Salmon Frittata
Orange Glazed Salmon
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 4 (6-ounce) salmon filets, (Alaskan Sockeye or Coho)
- 1 orange, juiced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons tamari
- 1 teaspoon thyme, finely chopped
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon arrowroot flour
- 1 teaspoon water
Instructions
- Pat salmon dry with a paper towel, then season with salt and pepper.
- Heat the avocado oil in a pan on medium high heat. Add salmon and cook for 3-4 minutes each side.
- While the salmon is cooking, make an arrowroot slurry by stirring together the arrowroot powder and water. Set aside.
- Once the salmon is cooked, transfer to a plate.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low and sauté the minced garlic in the pan for 30 seconds. Add the orange juice, honey, tamari, thyme and arrowroot slurry. Whisk the ingredients together for 1-2 minutes or until slightly thickened.
- Add the salmon back to pan and spoon glaze over salmon before serving.
Lisa's Tips
- I recommend using a seasoned cast iron pan to ensure the salmon doesn't stick to the pan.
- The glaze will continue to thicken on its own during cooling process.
To make this dish more “keto friendly”, could we swap out the honey for powdered Swerve??
I would stick with a liquid sweetener if possible.
I’ve saved a bunch of recipes from your site, but this is the first one I’ve actually made and it was excellent! I didn’t have an orange so had to settle for store-bought orange juice and the orange flavor wasn’t super strong, so will definitely be making it again with fresh juice since I’m sure it will be even better!
Ah, happy to hear your first ever Downshiftology recipe was such a success Melissa :)
Love this recipe and now never make salmon without it!
this looks delicious. Would fresh squeezed OJ work instead of juicing an orange? If so, what amount?
Yes, you can use orange juice. There’s usually about 1/4 to 1/3 cup juice per orange.
Hi Lisa I am really emjoying your recipes…I noticed you havent cooked any meat loaf? and flanken ribs…I’m on a budget I really want to cook ground churck roast so expensive…I use to cook Blade roast with mustard onions and garlic mushrooms soup cooked overnight but I never see my family enjoyed it.
Thanks
Barbara
I do have one meatloaf recipe, but I plan to make a new version, plus more beefy recipes soon! Stay tuned :)
I don’t have tamari, will soya sauce be ok?
Yep! That’s totally fine if you’re not gluten-free.
Would steelhead trout work for this recipe?
Yes, absolutely!
Orange glazed salmon recipe looks absolutely delicious. Could I slow bake this in a tray in the oven. Also, can golden syrup be substitute for honey on low formap diet; and can I substitute cornflour for arrowroot? No arrowroot in pantry.
Yes, you can slow bake this if you’d like, just need to change the timing. Also, those substitutions work just fine.
Lovely , sauce was very tasty and complimented the salmon . I added some ginger with the garlic which suited the Asian type sauce
Happy to hear you enjoyed this glazed salmon Barbara!
Loved it! I find it tastes best with an extra .5 tbsp tamari :) Took me just about 15 mins!
Glad this salmon recipe turned out to be zippy and delicious!
I made this tonight for dinner and I loved it! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Glad you enjoyed this glazed salmon Kristine!
Hi Lisa, I made this recipy for lunch today, and it was delicious. Thanks a lot for your inspiration. Kind regards, Anne
Happy to hear this salmon recipe was a success!
Thus dish packs so much flavor! I use this recipe every time I make salmon. Absolutely delish! My spouse calls this “fancy salmon ” we love it so much!
Glad you love this salmon recipe!
This was amazingly good
Glad you loved this orange glazed salmon :)
I’ve tried this recipe for the first time and it was a great surprise. Not so much for the tamari sauce and the orange juice, which are the perfect match for salmon, but for the use of honey. I was a bit skeptical about it at first, but I decided to give it a try and, oh my goodness, it was delicious! I substituted thyme with chives, because I didn’t have the former and it wasn’t bad, then chose asparagus as a side dish, because I love them with salmon and that was that. In under 30 minutes I had the most perfect dinner: moist, flacky salmon with just the perfect savory-sweet taste. Thanks, Lisa!
Glad you took a chance on this one, and ended up loving it Carmen!
Why does 1 tsp become 1tbsp when converting from American to Metric. There seems little logic. Maybe this is something lost in translation from American to English. Help please
Hi Bill – I’m not sure why it was doing that, but I just fixed it. Thanks for the heads up! Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Three words: yum, yum and yum! The sauce is so tasty and done in a breeze. And so nice to have some variety since I usually make (I know, I am terrible) the same salmon recipe every week. I will add this one to the regular menu ;-).
Happy to hear this is in your weekly rotation now :)
Lisa, can you sub xanthan gum – what I have on hand – for arrowroot flour?
Hi Dana – I never use xanthan gum in my cooking, so not quite sure.
I have made this recipe 3 times now and it’s so delicious. Very addictive even my hubby who is so fussy about food loved it
. Thanks Lisa
Wonderful! Glad you loved this glazed salmon recipe :)
Thank you Lisa. Made it tonight for dinner. Doesn’t look as beautiful as yours, but taste amazing. Yum!!!
Happy to hear you loved this salmon recipe Adria!
This was absolutely delicious, and one I’ll make many times. Garlic doesn’t agree with me, so I subbed fresh ginger. Highly recommend!
Hi Jodi- So glad you loved this orange salmon! And ginger sounds like a great substitution.
This is absolutely delicious!!! Thank you for the recipe.
Very nice and easy to make
Excellent tasting, Easy, and fast. Thank you! Could not get past the texture of Sockeye salmon until this recipe. I am sugar sensitive though. I may substitute stevia for honey or something else if you have a suggestion.
Warmly, Mary
Hi Mary- Happy to hear you can now enjoy Sockeye salmon with this recipe. As for the sugar, honey is ideal for a thicker glaze. But, you can try using stevia as well, or just use less honey :)
Fantastic! This salmon has such great flavor and is quick and easy to make.
Hi Michelle – Definitely an easy weeknight meal to throw into your routine :)
Made this recipe today! Loved how simple it was and it turned out perfectly! The glaze was sweet and the ingredient list is easy to compile. Highly recommend for a easy dinner idea!
Hi Lindsey- Wonderful! Definitely an easy dinner idea and delicious way to dress up your salmon :)
This look yummy. But we don’t have arrowroot slurry and Tamara in my country. What can I replace them with? Thanks.
You could use cornstarch for the arrowroot and soy sauce for the tamari. :)
Can i use frozen boneless salmon fillets and cook them in the oven first and then finish in the pan?? What kind of salmon fillets did you use? Frozen or what?
So my husband and girls for some reason are not fans of Salmon I have tried so many recipes and I can’t get them to eat it! My girls asked for seconds I was like yes!!!! It was a win for the books!!!!!
Hi Mayuline – Wow, that’s amazing! I’m so glad to hear this recipe could change their mind about salmon. Must be the orange glaze on top :) But if they loved this, I would definitely have them try the Dijon Baked salmon recipe as well!
I made this salmon dish tonight and everyone loved it. Supper easy and flavourful👍
Hi Andrea – Amazing! So glad everyone enjoyed this salmon recipe :)
I love salmon too and your recipe sounds delicious. The ingredients sound very easy to combine as well which makes me want to cook this recipe for dinner tonight, thanks for sharing!
Hi Adrianne – Definitely is an easy, weeknight meal to whip up with fresh citrus flavors :)
Salmon is one of my favorites, and this orange sauce looks so delectable! Gonna try this one very soon!
Hi Sally – Great! You’re gonna love it :)
I love salmon and I’m always looking for new recipes. This sounds delicious and I’m sure my daughter would love it!
Hi Amy – I love how versatile salmon is as well! And this orange glaze will sure not disappoint :)
These pictures look absolutely mouthwatering! I’ve had salmon with lemon but never with orange, sounds delicious!
This was my kind of recipe! It’s healthy, easy to make and super delicious too!
Hi Anjali – Wonderful! Happy you enjoyed this salmon recipe :)
I Lisa Love all your recipes, will be trying this one today.
Just to let you know I made your strawberry and chia jam, loved it, but I had a surplus of oranges and thought I might try in the jam. Not only did it taste great that umanie feeling, but bulked it up and goes a lot further. Also used it for the first layer on the pav I made to take to dinner at a friends so nice. Thanks a lot for your site.
Hi Jessie – Wow, orange in the chia jam sounds amazing! I’ll definitely have to try it sometime :)
Hello Lisa, you videos are very well done and done make healthy eating look like a deprivation. They have inspired me to try Whole30. Can you provide any recipes for canned sardines? I think they’re delicious and since they are abundant in Omega 3s and are low on the food chain to avoid high levels of toxins. Mostly I just eat them on crackers, so it would be great to have some interesting recipes for them. Thank you!
Hi Nancy – I’m glad you are loving the recipes! I will definitely keep sardines in mind for a recipe :)
I’m in California and its a warm day, so I decided to cook salmon on a cast iron following this recipe. Wow! What a simple, fast and delicious recipe… definitely a keeper and adding to my rotation! Thank you so much Lisa!
Yay! Happy you loved the salmon Claudia! It really is simple and flavorful…and one of my favorites as well.
This looks so good! Do you think it would work on chicken as well?
Yes, absolutely!
My Non-paleo boyfriend said the best salmon ever. Thank you for this great, easy, healthy recipe!!!
Yay! So happy you and your boyfriend loved the recipe! :)
This one was a hit using Spanish Mackerel. The family loved it and they don’t usually get adventurous with fish when cooking it.
Wow, that’s awesome, Teresa! So glad everyone loved the recipe, I’ll have to try it with Spanish Mackerel myself sometime. :)
Do you use orange juice from a bottle or fresh squeezed from an orange? I’m trying to cut back on sugar where I can so I was thinking about using a squeezed orange.
Hi Amanda – I try to use fresh squeezed orange juice when possible. :)
I made this recipe for my family last night and it was delicious. We all gave this recipe a thumbs up. I have made a few other recipes of yours and they came out great. I enjoy your videos and admire your ‘zen-like” lifestyle. I always look forward to watching your videos each week. Keep up the great work:)
Thank you for the kind words Sheri and I’m so glad your family enjoyed the salmon recipe! I’m not sure how zen my life is, you should see a couple inches off camera! Haha :)
Delicious. I used coconut aminos instead of tamari, tasted great. Thank you Lisa, for another amazing recipe!
Great, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe Michelle!
I just made this, ate it and it was amazing! Now if my Mr thinks it’s yum, too, then this will be one of my go to recipes ?
Yay, so glad you enjoyed the salmon recipe Monika. Crossing my fingers that your husband likes it too! :)
Yes! He did! The salmon got husband approved ??☺️
Yay! :)
I made this for my parents last weekend and I think their minds were blown ?. They‘ll be talking about this meal for a long time.
That‘s the best – making memories over shared meals. ❤️
Wow, that’s awesome! I’m so happy this dish has been a huge hit with your entire family! :)
I am loving this recipe for salmon! I haven’t seen one with an orange glaze; sounds deliciously sweet!
Thanks Beth! It’s not too sweet which is perfect for salmon ;)
What a delicious glaze for salmon! I love the combo of flavors for spring dining!
Thanks Sara, this Salmon dish really is delicious!
We love salmon. This citrus sauce finish is great for spring
Thanks Chantal! Yep, the sauce is super fresh and easy to make, perfect for spring!
I can imagine that the delicious orange glaze would compliment the salmon so nicely. Citrus and fish is a match made in heaven. Can’t wait to try!
Its so delicious! Thanks Alexandra :)
Delicious meal! I love the thyme with the tamari and citrus and the entire meal with rice and brocolli was perfect.
Thanks Tristin! So glad you enjoyed the dish! :)