Easy Weeknight Salmon Loaded with Umami Richness
The perfect weeknight recipes are fast, flavorful, and made with just a few ingredients – this baked furikake salmon is exactly that!
It’s an especially popular weeknight dinner option in Hawaii, where most of its Japanese ingredients are kitchen staples, including the star of this dish – furikake seasoning.
Furikake an umami-rich Japanese rice seasoning made with nori seaweed, sesame seeds, sugar, and salt. It’s SO good sprinkled on anything with rice (hello, Spam musubi! 😍), but its umami flavor also makes it a natural pairing with seafood.
To make furikake salmon, you simply slather salmon filets in a creamy Kewpie mayo sauce seasoned with shoyu and wasabi, then cover it with a generous sprinkling of furikake. As it bakes, the salmon becomes creamy and tender with a totally crispy furikake crust – it’s absolutely delicious.
This 5-ingredient, 25-minute dinner is an always-convenient option to pop in the oven or air fryer when you get home from the office or an evening surf at sunset. A taste of Hawai’i at home! 🤙🏼🌺
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Key Ingredients
You only need 5 simple ingredients to make this furikake salmon recipe! It’s pretty unbelievable because this dish is full of serious flavor, but it only takes a few superstar ingredients to make a big impact.
These ingredients are pantry staples in Hawaii and here at the PWWB House, but these days they’re easy to come by no matter where you live.
Furikake Seasoning
Furikake, prounounced fur-uh-kaa-kay, is a Japanese rice seasoning made of nori seaweed, sesame seeds, salt, and sugar. It was first was developed by a Japanese pharmacist during the Taisho era (1912-1926) to give the local diet a nutritional boost, combining dried, ground-up fish bones with nori and sesame seeds.
He then encouraged people to sprinkle it over rice, a staple of the Japanese diet, for some extra nutrients. Furikake and rice quickly became best friends. In fact, furikake translates to “to sprinkle over” in Japanese! 🤗
I love sprinkling it over ahi tuna poke bowls or plain rice and it’s a staple in Spam musubi. No matter how you use it, it always adds a beautiful salty, nutty, and oceanic flavor. It’s a total umami bomb, full of the irresistible savoriness that’s often considered the “fifth taste.” It’s so good, I can eat it with a spoon! Find furikake seasoning in the “international” aisle in conventional grocery stores, near other Asian ingredients, and you can also buy it online.
For a restaurant-worthy furikake salmon at home, I also recommend sourcing a Japanese-style mayonnaise and soy sauce. Each are well worth the flavor they bring in exchange for the little bit of extra effort they take to source!
Kewpie mayonnaise – This Japanese-style mayonnaise is a big step up from standard American mayo! It’s made exclusively with egg yolks for a creamy, almost custardy texture and rich mouthfeel. It’s also seasoned with MSG for an irresistibly savory flavor. The extra richness of Kewpie mayo plays a big role in this simple recipe – it’s definitely worth seeking out! These days, you can order Kewpie mayo online or find it in the “international” aisle of most conventional grocery stores, located near other Asian ingredients. If you can’t find Kewpie, feel free to use regular mayonnaise.
Shoyu – This mellow, Japanese-style soy sauce is ubiquitous in Hawaii. Mixing it in with the Kewpie mayo adds an extra level of savory flavor! Our personal favorite is Aloha Shoyu, which is brewed in Hawaii and has a delicious, balanced flavor. Feel free to swap shoyu for whatever low-sodium soy sauce is most accessible to you, or sub with tamari to easily make this recipe gluten-free.
A few more things to keep in mind…
- Salmon – You can use this recipe to prepare four individually portioned fillets or one large piece of salmon – whatever you prefer! Either way, we love how the tender, flaky fish pairs with the texture-loaded furikake seasoning.
- Wasabi paste – We love how wasabi’s pungent flavor and quickly fading heat cuts through the creaminess of the Kewpie mayo sauce. It’s totally optional, but we love it!
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Buy Now → How to Make Baked Furikake Salmon
Everything about this furikake salmon recipe is easy, easy, easy! There’s zero prep aside from mixing up some mayo, then the oven does all the work. The whole process takes 25 minutes tops! It’s the low-effort kind of dinner every weeknight deserves.
Prepare the mayonnaise. While Kewpie mayonnaise is delicious all on its own, mixing in some shoyu and wasabi paste elevates the flavors even more. Why mayo? ⇢ Creamy Kewpie mayo makes the baked furikake salmon super juicy, infusing each salmon fillet with even more flavor!
Season the salmon. Use paper towel to pat the salmon as dry as possible, then place them on a baking sheet and slather with the prepared mayo, coating the entire surface of each salmon filets. Finish with a generous amount of furikake. Why? ⇢ Thoroughly covering the entire mayo mixture with furikake creates a beautiful crust on the salmon furikake as it bakes – seriously, don’t hold back here!
Bake. Cook the furikake salmon in a 400-degree oven for about 15 minutes – just enough time to wash a few dishes and grab your plate! Tip! ⇢ You’ll know the salmon furikake is ready once the fish easily flakes when you nudge it with a fork.
Air Fryer Furikake Salmon
This furikake salmon recipe is already quick and easy but using an air fryer takes the cooking time down by about 5 minutes. Feel free to give it a try if you’re in a time crunch or just extra hungry! Preheat the air fryer to 380 degrees F and season the salmon with the mayo and furikake, then let it cook for about 10 minutes. Check the Recipe Notes, below, for more guidance!
Step-by-Step Video
Serving Suggestions
We love to enjoy furikake salmon with a side of fluffy white or brown rice. For a lower carb dinner, try cauliflower rice or a sautéed vegetable like bok choy, cabbage, or broccoli. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice, some diced avocado, or cucumber and carrot namasu (Japanese-style pickled veggies) are also beautiful add-ons.
The salmon is loaded with intense flavor, so keeping the sides simple is ideal. You’ll already have everything you need in one bite!
I can’t wait for you to try this Furikake Salmon recipe! It’s quick, hands-off and seriously so flavorful – what’s not to love about that? It will definitely earn a spot in your weeknight dinner rotation, whether you’re on the islands or on the mainland!
If you give it a try, be sure to let us know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo and tag @playswellwithbutter on Instagram. We LOVE seeing your PWWB creations! ♡ Happy cooking!
Print
25-Minute Furikake Salmon (Baked or Air Fried)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
- Category: Main Dish, Seafood Recipes
- Method: Baked, Air Fryer
- Cuisine: Hawaiian
Description
The perfect weeknight recipes are fast, flavorful, and made with just a few ingredients, and this Furikake Salmon completely fits the bill – it’s made with just 5 simple ingredients and comes together in 25 minutes or less, basically a low-effort dinner dream!
The star of this dish is the furikake, an umami-rich Japanese rice seasoning made with nori seaweed, sesame seeds, sugar, and salt. If furikake is a new-to-you ingredient, you’re in for quite a treat – it’s SO good sprinkled on anything with rice, but its umami also makes it a natural pairing with seafood.
To make furikake salmon, you simply slather the fish in a creamy Kewpie mayo sauce seasoned with shoyu and wasabi, then cover it with a generous sprinkling of furikake. Bake it in the oven (or the air fryer!) until the salmon is tender and flaky with a totally crispy furikake crust.
This easy recipe is a popular weeknight dinner in Hawaii, where my family is from, so I’m really excited to share it with you. Check the blog post, above, for more background and prep tips. ♡ Happy cooking!
Ingredients
- nonstick cooking spray
- 1 ½ – 2 pounds fresh salmon fillet, sliced into 4 portions
- ¼ cup Kewpie mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon shoyu (or soy sauce, or tamari if gluten-free)
- optional: 1 teaspoon prepared wasabi paste
- ¼ cup furikake (see Recipe Notes)
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
- for serving, as desired: rice, sautéed cabbage or bok choy, thinly sliced green onions, etc.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, ensuring a rack is positioned in the center of the oven. Lightly spritz the surface of a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. (For easy clean up, you can also line your pan with parchment paper or foil.) Set aside. Gather and prep all ingredients according to Ingredients List, above.
- Prepare the furikake salmon: Season the entire surface of the salmon fillets well with 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt and ground black pepper as desired. Place the salmon on the prepared baking sheet, salmon skin side facing down. To a small bowl, add the mayonnaise, shoyu, and prepared wasabi paste (if using), and mix to combine very well. Spread the mayonnaise mixture over each salmon fillet, spreading it so it coats the entire surface of the fish. Sprinkle furikake over the salmon, covering the mayo mixture thoroughly.
- Bake the furikake salmon: Transfer the prepared salmon to the oven. Bake 12-14 minutes, until the salmon is cooked to your liking and flakes easily when nudge of a fork.
- Serve the furikake salmon immediately, alongside rice and your veggie of choice. Garnish with extra furikake and thinly sliced green onions as desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Ingredient Notes:
- Kewpie mayonnaise is a Japanese variety of mayonnaise made exclusively with egg yolks and seasoned with a little MSG. As a result, Kewpie mayonnaise is notably richer than standard American mayonnaise – both in flavor and texture. Since furikake salmon is really such a simple dish, using Kewpie mayo helps build in a little extra flavor without any added effort. These days, you can find Kewpie mayo readily in Asian grocery stores, the “international” aisle of large conventional grocery stores near other Asian ingredients, or online. If you prefer to use another type of mayonnaise for this furikake salmon recipe – go for it!
- Fuikake is a Japanese rice seasoning made of sesame seeds, nori, salt, and sugar. It’s a total umami bomb and it’s the star ingredient of furikake salmon, of course! Furikake has grown increasingly popular in recent years, so you can often find it in the “international” aisle at most conventional grocery stores near other Asian ingredients. You can also order it online.
- Alternate Cooking Method: Air Fryer Furikake Salmon: Preheat an air fryer to 380 degrees F. While the air fryer preheats, prepare the furikake salmon according to Step 2 of Recipe Directions, above. Working quickly, lightly spritz the hot air fryer basket with nonstick cooking spray, then carefully lay the furikake salmon into the basket skin side facing down. Air fry the furikake salmon 10-12 minutes, until the salmon is cooked to your liking and flakes easily when nudge of a fork. Serve as described in Step 4 of Recipe Directions, above.
- Storage and Reheating: Store leftover furikake salmon in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Leftovers are great served cold, though you can also reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until warmed through.
Recipe and Food Styling by Jess Larson, Plays Well With Butter | Photography by Rachel Cook, Half Acre House.
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This is absolutely one of the easiest and most flavorful salmon recipes! will be making it over and over. The Furikake blend I used had wasabi in it already, so did not add the paste, but will do so next time for the additional punch. Great recipe!
Hi Canan, it’s one of our favorites largely because of how flavorful & easy it is to make!! So happy to hear you loved it, too! 🙂