Our two daughters really know how to give the perfect Christmas gifts. This year they got me a a new coffee grinder AND an electric gooseneck tea kettle and for Mr. EN, they bought an online subscription to the New York Times. A few days ago, while scrolling through the “paper” an ad came up for a NYT Cooking subscription, so I bit. I mean, the New York Times? All of the recipes just had to be the most creative, delicious and well-tested recipes ever written right? That’s where I got the idea for this out-of-this world, Instant Pot 10-Minute Vietnamese Salmon.
The first time I made this I followed the NYT Cooking recipe by Melissa Clark for Pressure Cooker Vietnamese Caramel Salmon. It was easy to make and it tasted “fine”, but the smell of the vaporized fish sauce wafting out of my Instant Pot just wasn’t a good thing for us. Plus it was a little too sweet and sticky for our taste. A few days later I just knew I could do better so Mr. EN and I tweaked the recipe and ended up with this spicy, saucy, umami-rich Instant Pot of deliciousness. You’ve just gotta try it!
This Instant Pot Vietnamese Salmon is…
- High in omega three fats, the kind that protect your heart
- Low in saturated fat
- Low carb, high protein
- Light on the clean up – just one pot!
- Quick to fix – just 10 minutes!
- Saucy, a little sweet and savory
- Easy to make
- Super-satisfying
Prep Tips
- Skinless Salmon. Remove the skin or use skinless salmon fillets for this recipe. This will ensure more even cooking.
- No trivet please. Many instant pot recipes instruct you to put the fish in the Instant Pot on a trivet. Don’t do that! In order for the fish to brown and cook correctly place the salmon directly into the bottom of your Instant Pot, right on top of the sauce (See Step 4 below.)
- Don’t rush step 7. Wait until the sauce has thickened and is bubbly before you spoon it on top of the salmon. Also if you cook just two filets instead of three you will have extra sauce.
What’s your favorite way to prepare salmon these days? Have you ever tried making it in your pressure cooker? You will be AMAZED at how easy and flavorful this Instant Pot Vietnamese Salmon is.
Peace, love and good eats, from our Empty Nest to yours.
Trending in the Empty Nest Kitchen: Kikoman’s Gluten Free Hoisin Sauce
Mr. EN’s take on this recipe: “I’m surprised at the texture. The Instant Pot cooked it perfectly and the sauce has just the right amount of heat and flavor.”
Instant Pot 10-minute Vietnamese Salmon
Yield 2-3 servings
Ingredients
- 2 salmon filets, 5-6 ounces each
- ¼ cup chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce or sambal oelek
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons tamari (regular or low-sodium)
- ½ lime, juiced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- A few lime slices and chopped green onions and/or cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Pat the fish filets dry.
- In the Instant Pot (before turning it on) whisk together the broth, coconut oil, chili garlic sauce or Sambal Olek, garlic, corn starch, hoisin sauce, ginger, tamari, lime juice and red pepper flakes.
- Turn on the Instant Pot to saute mode, bring the sauce to a simmer, then turn off the heat.
- Place the salmon in the pressure cooker, skin-side up. Spoon some of the sauce over the fish.
- Cover and cook on LOW PRESSURE for two minutes. Let the Instant Pot release naturally for five minutes, then release the remaining pressure manually.
- Carefully lift the fish out of the pot, flipping them over onto a serving plate so the browned side is facing up.
- Reduce the sauce on the saute mode until it thickens.
- Spoon the sauce over the salmon and garnish with green onions and/or cilantro and a lime slice.
Notes
Serving Idea: I served this over a 5-minute cabbage slaw I threw together by combining 4 cups finely shredded cabbage, ¼ cup each chopped cilantro and green onions, a sprinkle of cayenne pepper, a splash of rice vinegar, a squeeze of fresh lime juice, a handful of chopped peanuts and Aldi’s The Little Salad Bar Ginger Vinaigrette dressing.
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