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
This sounds wonderful!
(And I know it was 1am, but I really do think the Great Wall of China is a little longer than 1500 feet.)
OK, so what is “liquid smoke” and will this be OK if I don’t have/use it?
I’ve come to rely way too heavily on the “try it with this…and this…or this” on y’all’s posts. I now serve lime cilantro rice or mushroom rice with everything… Got any other suggestions for this one?
Dear Kate, you must be my soul mate!
I love salmon and can’t wait to try this tent thing! Awesome served with Jasmine rice and a asparagus! followed by the Mississippi Mud pie of course!
This looks so good and I have every single one of the ingredients in this recipe! I know what’s on the menu for tonight! I’ve never cooked salmon by steaming it in a tin-foil tent. We eat a lot of salmon though – so this might become my new method of choice!
Looks delicious! Any special instructions for doing this on the grill? When it’s 108 outside, I won’t turn the oven on for even the most delicious of fish… 🙂 But I probably will for Mississippi Mud Brownies. I know, it’s a total double standard. 🙂
I love salmon and this sounds like such a delicious marinade for it! I can’t wait to try it.
does this method of steaming fish in the foil tent work for other types of fish? unless we’re talkin’ sashimi, i’m not really into salmon. but the marinade sounds delish!
My hubby loves salmon and is always looking for new/different marinades. I’ll show this to him. 🙂 Thanks!