186. Inspired by Spring: Maple Salmon Skewers

Served with a spicy dipping sauce, mixed salad tossed in a maple/garlic vinaigrette, and fluffy basmati rice

May 11, 2025

This recipe is a beautiful example of how you can create restaurant-worthy salmon at home! This recipe is as easy as it gets. Simple ingredients you may already have on hand. This meal is perfect for entertaining, a special occasion, or a quick weeknight meal. Skip the restaurant and make it confidently yourself.

This is the kind of meal I keep coming back to.

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The salmon recipe is just 3 steps:

Make the marinade then cut the salmon into cubes.
Marinate the salmon in the fridge for at least 30 minutes then thread onto skewers.
BBQ, or air-fry until done (until the fish has moist gentle flakes). The skewers take almost no time to cook. Depending on how small you cubed the salmon, I guesstimate 4-7 minutes of cook time. Salmon may also be baked / broiled in the oven on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

The salad is simply mixed greens of your choice. I chose a creamy garlic vinaigrette that has a hint of maple syrup from post #145 Dress a salad to impress - post features multiple homemade vinaigrettes.

Ingredients for the salmon and marinade:

1 lb wild salmon, skinless cut into bite sized cubes (these will be threaded onto skewers) - If you can, choose salmon that is wild caught, and not farmed.

3 Tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp sesame oil

1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 Tbsp hoisin sauce

2 cloves garlic minced

2 scallions (green onion) diced finely for the marinade reserve a bit for garnishing

1 Tbsp grated ginger or 1/2 tsp dried powdered ginger

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

finely chopped parsley for garnishing

Ingredients for the sriracha mayo:

2 Tbsp mayonnaise (Vegan works here too!)

1 Tbsp sriracha

Rice

1/2 - 1 cup basmati rice cooked following the package instructions

Ingredients for the Vinaigrette: Creamy garlic vinaigrette

This vinaigrette is fresh, tangy and just plain gorgeous. Simple ingredients understanding each other and infusing together to bring out the most onctuous flavour - this is instantly seductive.

1/2 shallot chopped roughly

2 small cloves of garlic

1 Tbsp maple syrup (or honey)

1 Tbsp grainy Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

big pinch salt

small pinch pepper (optional)

1 tsp of water if needed - Optional, the vinaigrette will be creamy - if you prefer a looser consistency, just add a tsp of water at a time while blending until you reach the desired consistency.

Blend all the ingredients together until smooth and creamy, taste, and adjust salt or honey/maple syrup.

Vegetable components for the accompanying salad.

Instructions:

Cut the salmon into 1 inch cubes and place them in a bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the rest of the ingredients: maple syrup, sesame oil, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, hoisin sauce, scallion, salt and pepper.
Pour 2/3 of the marinade on the cubed salmon, and marinate for 20 minutes (place everything in a bowl or ziploc bag). The other 1/3 of the marinade may be used to baste the skewers while BBQ’ing.
Prepare you rice as per the package instructions. The general rule is 1 cup of rice and 2 cups of water. Be sure to rinse your rice in a colander until the water runs clear. Add 1 tsp salt and 1 Tbsp of avocado oil (any neutral vegetable oil works).
While the salmon is marinating prepare your salad vinaigrette, set aside to allow the ingredients to infuse. Prepare the salad using whatever greens you like. The photo above shows the vegetables I added to the salad, I also included fresh mint. Toss the salad just prior to serving.
Thread the skewers with the marinated cubed salmon. Preheat and prepare the grill on the BBQ, or air-fryer on high. Thread the salmon pieces onto skewers. Grill the skewers for approximately 2-4 minutes per side until they become lightly charred or place in the air fryer for 5-7 minutes (depending on the size of the cubes). While the salmon is cooking prepare the sauce by simply mixing the mayonnaise with the sriracha.
Once the salmon is cooked, remove from the grill, brush with any leftover of the reserved sauce and garnish with parsley and or minced scallion.
Plate the skewers separately on serving plate, or prepare each serving individually, including the salad and rice. Serve the sriracha dipping sauce on the side.