Name: Bang Bang Salmon
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 17 min
Total time: 32 min
Ingredients: 4 salmon fillets ((about 6 ounces each)); 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon paprika; ½ teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon black pepper; ½ cup mayonnaise; 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce; 1 tablespoon sriracha ((adjust to taste)); 1 tablespoon honey; 1 teaspoon lime juice; ½ teaspoon garlic powder; 2 tablespoons chopped green onions; 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, optional; fresh cilantro, optional

Recipe Overview

Why you’ll love it: Bang bang salmon adds Asian-style sweet heat to your weeknight dinner! Baking salmon in a creamy homemade bang bang sauce keeps it moist and flavorful.

How long it takes: 32 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: baking sheet, small bowl
Servings: 4

Bowl with rice, sliced avocado, tomatoes, cucumbers, shredded carrots, and a piece of bang bang salmon topped with sesame seeds and sliced green onions.

Pin this now to find it later

Pin It

Bang Bang!

I’ve been on a bang bang kick lately and I’m not ready to stop yet! First, I made bang bang sauce, then I used the sauce to make bang bang chicken, and now I’m saucing up baked salmon fillets. Bang bang sauce is creamy, spicy, sweet, and tangy, adding pop and pizzazz (and yes, some bang bang) to an everyday kind of dinner like baked salmon.

Serve bang bang salmon over rice with tender-crisp stir fried veggies and you’ll feel like you’re eating a restaurant meal!

Easy Bang Bang Salmon Recipe

Awesome sauce. Sweet and spicy is always a good flavor combination for salmon (like this maple mustard baked salmon). The creamy bang bang sauce really helps lock in moisture and ensures that the salmon is flaky and tender.

Quick and easy. This recipe comes together in just a smidge over 30 minutes. Make the sauce a day or two ahead to save even more time. This baked bang bang salmon recipe is a perfect weeknight meal, keeping things quick and easy while still packing in lots of flavor, nutrition, and plenty of high-end appeal.

Versatile. Serve bang bang salmon as a main dish with a traditional side, add it to a salad, cube it up for a meal bowl—you’ve got options!

Three pieces of bang bang sauce glazed salmon topped with sliced green onions and sesame seeds are arranged on a speckled plate, with sauce, rice, seasonings, and half an avocado nearby.

Ingredient Notes

Salmon fillets: Fresh or frozen both work, but be sure to defrost frozen salmon first. The salmon can be skinless or skin-on.
Olive oil: Oil helps the seasoning stick. You can use a different type of oil if you prefer.
Seasonings: I use garlic powder, paprika, salt, and black pepper to add flavor to the salmon itself so it’s not bland underneath the sauce.
Bang bang sauce: I make homemade bang bang sauce (the recipe is included), but swap in store-bought if you want dinner on the table even faster. Keep in mind that the sauce will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator so you can easily make it ahead.
Garnishes: While you don’t have to garnish the salmon, I highly recommend adding sliced green onions and/or sesame seeds as toppers. Chopped cilantro goes well, too.

Four raw salmon fillets on parchment paper, surrounded by small white bowls containing pepper, paprika, salt, olive oil, and garlic powder.

How to Make Bang Bang Salmon

Prepare. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it with nonstick spray or a thin layer of oil.

Season the salmon. Mix the garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Pat the salmon dry using clean paper towels and place it on the prepared baking sheet. Arrange the salmon on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly coat the fillets with oil and then use the seasoning mix to season the salmon.

Four raw salmon fillets are arranged in a row on a white surface while a hand uses a paper towel to pat one fillet dry.

Four raw salmon fillets arranged vertically on a white surface, each topped with a mix of red and brown spices.

Sauce the salmon. Whisk together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Drizzle about a tablespoon of the bang bang sauce over each fillet, then spread it evenly over the salmon (see cooking tip). Save the rest of the sauce for when you serve the salmon.

Cooking Tip

When you add the sauce to the salmon, don’t touch the raw salmon with the spoon you’re using. Once you’ve drizzled it on all 4 fillets, then spread it (and don’t put the spoon back into the sauce!). Otherwise, you could potentially transfer bacteria from the salmon to the sauce. Remember that you won’t be using all of the sauce to cook the salmon; the remaining sauce is reserved for adding after the salmon is baked.

Four seasoned salmon fillets are arranged in a row on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Four seasoned salmon fillets are arranged in a single row on a parchment-lined baking sheet, ready for cooking.

Bake. Place the pan in the oven and bake the salmon for 15 to 17 minutes, or until the it reaches 145ºF on an instant read thermometer. If the temperature is slightly less than 145ºF when you check it, that’s okay. The temperature will continue to rise five or ten degrees if you let the salmon rest five minutes or so. If you don’t have a thermometer, the salmon is done when it flakes easily.

Serve. Drizzle the reserved sauce over the salmon or serve it on the side. Garnish as desired, and serve.

Four baked salmon fillets topped with sauce and chopped green onions on a parchment-lined baking sheet, with a bowl of dipping sauce in the center. Surrounding bowls contain sliced cucumbers and rice.

Close-up of cooked salmon fillets topped with creamy sauce, sesame seeds, and chopped green onions, served on parchment paper.

Recipe Options

Make the sauce ahead of time. Bang bang sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week. To get a head start on the recipe, make it ahead. I like to make a double batch and use the sauce for other meals, too! If you prefer, a bottle of bang bang sauce can be purchased at the grocery store.

Air fry the salmon. Yes, you can cook bang bang salmon in the air fryer! I would cook it at 400ºF for 8 to 10 minutes (refer to my recipe for air fryer salmon, if you like).

Adjust the spice level. You can add more sriracha for a spicier bang bang sauce, or reduce the amount if you want it milder.

Serving Suggestions

Grains. Instant Pot jasmine rice or Instant Pot basmati rice are two great options to serve alongside the bang bang salmon, or try this yellow rice. Coconut rice would go well, too.
Vegetables. Since your oven will be occupied, make air fryer carrots or sautéed asparagus on the stovetop.
Salad. This Asian salad would be fantastic with bang bang salmon, as would mandarin orange salad.
Make a bang bang salmon bowl. Serve the salmon in bowls of rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice with fresh veggies, fruit, and other toppings. I share some ideas in the recipe card below (inspired by my salmon bowl recipe).

A bowl of white rice topped with a glazed salmon fillet, sliced cucumber, shredded carrots, avocado, chopped red bell pepper, and garnished with sesame seeds and green onion.

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerate: Store leftover bang bang salmon in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. I don’t recommend freezing this recipe, both because mayo-based sauces don’t freeze well and because in my experience, freezing cooked fish usually produces lackluster results. It’s edible but nothing you’d look forward to eating!

Reheat: Place the salmon on a baking sheet and cover it with foil. Bake at 350ºF for about 10 minutes, or until heated through. Alternatively, you can microwave the salmon, but do so carefully, in 30-second intervals, to avoid overcooking it.