Remember this post where I told you about my amazingly awesome sister Becca? The one where she made her famous Orange Teriyaki Steelhead for our BBQ after our Seattle book signing? Just say yes. I know you remember. I followed her around the kitchen taking note of everything she did, and totally annoyed her by making her actually measure things so I could share this amazingness with you all. You may recall that I’m not the biggest fan of eating anything that comes out of the ocean, but I can tell you that people who like fish LOVE this fish! It uses a foil pouch method to steam in the oven with a sweet orange teriyaki marinade and sauce. It’s delicious served with hot steamed white rice and a side salad or steamed broccoli.
Ingredients and Supplies Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
Ingredients
- Salmon or steelhead – While these are two distinct varieties of fish, they behave almost identically in the kitchen and have very similar flavor profiles. I’ve written up the recipe for salmon simply because people are more often looking for salmon recipes, but my sister actually uses steelhead almost exclusively. Steelhead is usually cheaper than salmon, and has a more tender texture and milder flavor than salmon. Costco often has great deals on both salmon and steelhead.
The filets used here are skin-on but not descaled. After cooking, the fish separates easily from the skin and can be scooped right off. It will also work with skinless filets. - Orange marmalade and orange juice – Using both of these orange ingredients provides sweetness and orange flavor.
- Butter and olive oil – It may seem weird to have both fats in here. The reasoning is simply that this recipe was built off of a method of steaming fish where it was drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with spices, and then dotted with butter, onion, and lemon slices before being wrapped in a foil pouch. In this recipe the butter provides richness and flavor and the olive oil helps the marinade distribute well across the fish. That said, you could likely get away with one or the other!
- Teriyaki sauce and soy sauce – These both provide that complex umami flavor Asian food is known for.
- Worcestershire sauce – Adds another depth of flavor.
- White vinegar – The acidity of vinegar helps balance the sweetness in the marinade.
- Fresh garlic cloves – Fresh provides the best flavor, but you can sub powdered if needed.
- Brown sugar – Optional, if you like a little more sweetness.
- Liquid smoke – We’re just adding a little bit here. It adds a complexity to the marinade without being overly smoky.
- Ground red pepper or pepper flakes – This does not make the dish spicy, just adds a little kick of flavor.
- Black pepper
- Dried minced onion – You could also use fresh minced onion or shallots.
- Parsley – Dried or fresh. This adds a beautiful touch of green and fresh flavor to the sauce.
Supplies
- Heavy duty foil – You’re going to make a large foil pouch to steam the filets. The extra wide heavy duty rolls work best for this!
How to Make Orange Teriyaki Salmon
- First you’ll whisk up your orange teriyaki marinade/cooking sauce. See the Note from the Recipe Creator box below about simplifying or tweaking the recipe.
- Next, you’ll cross a couple of pieces of wide, heavy duty foil over a baking sheet.
- Rinse your fish and pat dry, then place it on the foil, cover in marinade, and roll it all up into a pouch. When you do this, the sauce will mostly cover the fish and the open space above will trap steam.
- Bake it in the oven until the fish is opaque and easily flakes with a fork. Serve with hot steamed rice and spoon the pan sauce over everything! It pairs really well with steamed broccoli or sautéed asparagus.
Note from the Recipe Creator
“I love that this recipe has been enjoyed by so many people over the years! You may notice that the ingredient list is quite long and, in some cases, some of the ingredients seem redundant. When this recipe was written down in 2011, I was young and just threw things together as they felt right, with inspiration from techniques and other recipes I had made in the past. I did not have experience writing and tweaking recipes, so this recipe is simply a result of Sara asking me to actually measure out this “measure with your heart” recipe of mine.
All of that to say, I know from experience that this recipe is extremely flexible and forgiving. Could you choose to use just orange marmalade or just orange juice? Yep. Just butter or just olive oil? Sure! Leave out the teriyaki sauce since you’re basically building a teriyaki sauce from the other ingredients? Most likely. If you’re a recipe follower, following it as written is guaranteed to be delicious. If you like to experiment in the kitchen or you don’t have all of the ingredients on hand, use the ingredients and amounts here as a guide and go from there. I have never had it turn out badly, even when I’ve been completely out of certain ingredients!”
-Becca, 2026
Storing and Other Tips
- Store leftover fish and sauce in an airtight container and enjoy within 2-3 days for best results.
- This recipe makes quite a bit of marinade/sauce. You could cut it in half if you just want to flavor the fish. Make the full amount if you like plenty of drippings to serve over rice.
Frequently Asked Questions
As far as fish goes, this actually reheats pretty well if done gently. If serving for guests I would cook it fresh, but if you’d like to use it to meal plan, make it one day and enjoy for several days!
The marinade could definitely be made up to 24 hours ahead of time. I’d wait to prep the fish until you’re ready to cook.
Definitely! See the recipe card below for more details.
It’s done when it’s opaque and flakes easily at the thickest point. When in doubt you can double check with a thermometer. Fish should reach and internal temperature of 145°F.
The sauce would be delicious with chicken! It has not been tested with chicken though. If I was going to try, I think I would reserve part of the marinade for later and marinate chicken thighs in the rest, then cook them on the grill. You could also try pouring the marinade over chicken thighs and then bake it in the oven or crock pot. If you try any of these, come back and leave a comment so we know how it goes!
Orange Teriyaki Salmon
Ingredients
- 2 pounds salmon; one large filet or 2 smaller ones steelhead also works
- ¾ cup orange marmalade
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup orange juice
- 3 tablespoons bottled teriyaki sauce
- 6 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced or pressed
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
- ⅛ teaspoon ground red pepper or ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- several cracks black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped dry onion or ¼ cup minced fresh onion
- 3 tablespoons dry parsley or about ½ cup fresh
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325℉. Layer a piece of heavy duty foil over a large baking sheet Lay on one more sheet in the opposite direction, making a t-shape, leaving about 8″ of overhang on all sides.
- Place marmalade and butter in a small microwave safe bowl and heat for about 30 seconds, or until butter is melted. Whisk until smooth. Combine this mixture with all ingredients (except fish) in a bowl and stir until smooth. Rinse salmon in cold water and pat dry. Place skin side down on baking sheet. Pour marinade over fish.
- Starting from one end, gather the foil overhang together and roll them together to seal a tent-like pouch. Bake in oven for about 25 minutes. Fish should be opaque and flake easily with a fork. Test fish and return pan to oven for an additional 5-10 minutes if necessary. A thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the fish should be at least 145℉. Serve salmon with sauce spooned over top.
Grill Instructions
- There is some flexibility here on grill instructions. It's always a sage bet to preheat your gas grill to 325℉. Place foil pouch on upper rack if you have one, or on indirect heat on the main rack. Follow the same baking instructions as if it were in the oven.
- If you are cooking other things at higher heat, your fish will just cook faster! Be careful not to put your pouch directly over a super hot flame or you may burn the skin. Just keep an eye on things!
Notes
- This makes quite a bit of marinade. You could definitely get away with a little more fish in there, or even half the recipe for smaller portions.
- Steelhead works just as well as salmon here and is often more tender and affordable.
- Nutrition information reflects 1/6th of the entire recipe, marinade included.
- You can use this same foil-pouch method to cook salmon or steelhead without the sauce. Drizzle with olive oil and seasonings, top with pats of butter, and bake or grill as directed.
Questions & Reviews
The recipe sounds delicious! And the photo of you and your Sister is so sweet! You are both blessed!!!!
I’m so glad you pulled off this post! It sure looks good. Interesting technique for cooking the salmon.
Wow, yum!! Like Teagon above, I live in Alaska and Salmon, Halibut and Ling Cod are pretty much the staple fish up here. I will definitely try this recipe and grill it. When we grill it, we also end up using a cedar plank to place the salmon over it (and covered in tin foil). gives it an AMAZING taste. Teagon, did you guys smoke the salmon before you canned it? It really depends if its “fresh” or not smoked, you can try this recipe, if it is smoked, I would probably use it for dips or eating it out of the can
It’s not smoked, just canned. I don’t particularly care for the flavor of smoked salmon. I love the canned salmon with a bit of Yoshida’s…SO easy and yummy, just not creative. I imagine it’ll get old though, so I am hoping to find some ways to dress it up.
This looks fantastic! I’m not so great cooking fish so I’m a sucker for a good recipe (no pun intended). Another little bit of trivia for you: Steelhead is not Salmon, but actually a vibrant-fleshed type of trout!
We had a lively family debate about this very fact the night we ate the fish! There was even internet research backing up each opposing view (both stated that the other was a common misconception). Somebody must be wrong, but I don’t think we ever figured out who!
Curiosity has gotten the better of me, I guess. After consulting both the department of fish and game and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, I have concluded that both points of view are right. Steelhead is in fact a type of trout (most closely related to rainbow), but all trout are related to Salmon. Commonly referred to as “Salmonids,” trout belong to the family Salmonidae (taxonomically speaking). Feel free to mock me for my ultra-dorky contribution to this conversation.
Ha, I missed this conversation! Becca told us we were having Steelhead Trout, and my husband was convinced it was Salmon (our local pro sports team are the “Steelheads” and they are salmon!) So yes, there was lots of internet research at this meal and in the end we determined that everyone was right, lol.
I am not exactly a salmon lover, but living in Alaska I have easy access to quite a bit of fresh salmon. My husband recently canned all of our salmon so it wouldn’t get freezer burned and amazingly, I am actually loving it! It makes for some incredibly easy and healthy dinners and no bones to pick out! I am just having a bit of trouble being creative with cooking it now-with the salmon being cooked already, how would you recommend making things like this recipe? Just bake it for a shorter amount of time-till it is heated through? Would it still taste as good?
Teagon, in this type of recipe, fresh fish is a must! Use canned salmon any way you would use canned tuna- sandwiches, dips, spreads, casseroles, probably even salmon burgers/cakes?
Yum! I love salmon and was actually thinking last night that I hadn’t made some in a while! I can’t wait to give this a try!
It’s a shame Sara probably didn’t eat that salmon. Or did she? It looks delicious.
She tasted it. Her reaction? “It still tastes like fish. But I can tell the sauce is really good!” LOL I tried…
When we went to Arizona a few weeks ago, she sent me a SUPER excited text halfway through dinner that she ate a whole crab cake without gagging. Turns out she also reaaaaaaally liked the remoulade sauce that came with it… 🙂
Hahaha, seriously, I did eat an entire crab cake (slathered with sauce) lol
I had not been a fish fan until my brother-in-law made salmon on the grill. It was so dang good!! He does this same thing with the foil but uses different seasonings and not a marinade. Anyway, my point is that you could do this same thing with this recipe – grill it instead of baking it in the oven. We haven’t had salmon in a while. I’ll have to go buy all the ingredients for this and try it out!!
this looks delicious as all of your recipes do! i’ll make it for sure! thanks!
@Stephanie- You can use this method to steam any kind of fish. For basic steamed fish, all you really need in there is salt, pepper, a little olive oil or butter. I usually add some chopped onions or onion powder and a little lemon or orange zest, too.
@Becky- I usually DO serve this with lime cilantro rice! Sara or Kate might have some more suggestions, but I think asparagus goes particularly well with salmon.
@Becca- (lovely name, by the way!) liquid smoke is basically smoke-flavored water that has been condensed and bottled. You can read on wikipedia how it’s made; it’s actually a pretty neat process! It gives things a “fresh-off-the-grill” smokey flavor. In this particular recipe, it adds a really nice undertone, but it’s not one of the “key” flavors. Your salmon will still be delicious without it.