The people who sell you ready-made teriyaki sauce are ripping you off! Not only is it expensive, but the taste of the bottled stuff is flat, chemically and too-sweet.
The secret is, teriyaki sauce is really only 3 ingredients. Sure, you can get all fancy and put more, like sesame seeds, a little grated ginger and garlic. But plain and simple, teriyaki sauce is equal parts sugar, sweet cooking wine (mirin) and soy sauce. Though, if you’re like me, and prefer a less-sweet version, I use a lot less sugar.
Mirin is Japanese sweet rice wine. It’s not the same as Chinese rice wine, nor is it rice vinegar. Mirin contains sugar mixed with rice wine and is an essential ingredient to everyday Japanese cooking. You can find mirin in Asian grocery stores and I’ve seen them in most regular grocery stores in the “Asian” or ethnic section.
To make a Teriyaki sauce, just bring all three ingredients to a simmer until all the sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. That’s it!
Now, if you want to add some sauteed mushrooms to that, even better.
I’m using Hokto’s King Trumpet Mushrooms, which are big, meaty mushrooms. Substitute with any type of fresh mushrooms – I’ve even used crimini mushrooms.
Saute the mushrooms – once they are softened, pour in the teriyaki sauce. Simmer for another minute, and it’s ready to pour over your grilled salmon, grilled steak or just poured over steamed rice.
Teriyaki Mushroom Sauce with Grilled Salmon
Ingredients
- 4 6 oz salmon fillets
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 12 ounces fresh king oyster mushrooms or fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- 1 1/2 tablespoon cooking oil, separated
- 1 stalk green onion, thinly sliced (optional)
For the Easy Teriyaki Sauce:
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
- 2 tablespoons sugar (or more if you like a sweet teriyaki)
Instructions
- To make the Easy Teriyaki Sauce, whisk all the sauce ingredients in a small sauce pan and simmer on low for 3 minutes, until the sauce has thickened slightly.
- Brush salmon fillets with 1 tablespoon of the cooking oil, season with salt and pepper. Heat a frying pan over high heat. and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, until just cooked through. Remove the salmon to a plate to let rest..
- Return the frying pan to the stove on medium-high heat. When hot, add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of cooking oil. Add the mushrooms and saute for about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add the teriyaki sauce, let simmer for 1 minute. Serve the teriyaki mushrooms on top of the salmon. Garnish with green onion, if desired
Did you try this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a review in the comment section! I always appreciate your feedback and I know other readers do, too!
Stay in touch with me in our 
I hear you! My (ex)husband hated the smell of fajitas. I wasn’t ever allowed to order them because he said it made his clothes and hair stink. The day after he left, I went to a Mexican restaurant and ordered – you guessed it – FAJITAS! Anyway, enjoy your salmon with mushroom sauce while he’s out of town! I’m going to use this sauce with grilled steak, too. Sounds yummy!
I make this Teriyaki sauce all the time now and I’ll never buy bottled again. I use it for marinating steaks and chicken — it’s super yummy and easy. If I want to go fancy I add some sesame seeds, but usually I just make it as is. It’s fantastic. THANKS!
I love that I ran across this recipe! I love teriyaki and I love that I can make it myself (for way cheaper and tastier 🙂 I haven’t been able to find Mirin anywhere though. I did find cooking michiu distilled spirits of rice though that a lady I talked to at the Asian Market said was probably the same thing. Is it? Thanks for sharing your recipes!
We made this last night and served it with your bok choy recipe. It was good that we are having the teriyaki mushroom sauce again tonight – this time with steak! Delicious!
Can I use Kikkoman soy sauce?
yes of course!
I made this for my husband (who was recovering from jaw surgery) and it was AWESOME!! He was so happy to get a “real” meal again, and it was perfect for a busy weeknight. I posted it with a link to this page over on my blog. This one is definitely going into regular rotation. YUMMM!
Jaden, that is one FIIIIIIIIIINE bias cut with the scallions!
(Is it sad I’ll just google you for recipes instead of picking up a book from my personal library???)
I made this a while back and forgot to tell you. It turned out great and I’ve used the teriyaki recipe a million times since then. It’s my go-to for a quick dinner. I blogged about it at http://alittlenosh.blogspot.com/2010/09/salmon-with-teriyaki-mushroom-sauce.html
Can you use brown sugar instead of white for the teriyaki sauce?
Wow, you can make teriyaki sauce from scratch, amazing. I can’t wait to try. I saw the same recipe at http://www.hokto-kinoko.com web site and they use 2 TEAspoons sugar. Please verify the sugar, is it 2 tablespoons or 2 teaspoons? I do a lot of Chinese cooking. This should be fun to make. Thank you.
You can use either. Traditionally it’s 2 Tbl — but I like to use less sugar
I am fasting until tomorrow morning because I am getting a blood test, so of course all I can think about is food! When I came across this recipe and your beautiful pictures, my mouth started to salivate!!! It looks delicious and I know what I am making for dinner tomorrow night!
I have to admit, until recently I always bought teriyaki sauce. Then last week I discovered I was out so I thought I would see how hard it would be to make my own. I was surprised that I had all the ingredients on hand, it wasn’t hard at all, and it tasted so much better!
I also love making salmon with teriyaki sauce but I use a store bought bottle. Thank you for sharing your homemade version Jaden. It really looks simple enough to make!
Great recipe, tasty, balanced and easy to cook, thank you for posting! I had to wait for my wife having dinner outside before trying it, so it goes both ways.
What about the teriyaki sauce recipe from one of your sister bloggers that I found recently, where they use one third mirin, one third soy and one third sake? i tried it on beef with very good results, using 1 tsp honey instead of sugar to condense.
If only I could get my husband to eat salmon….looks wonderful. Maybe a try when he is out of town! Thanks for sharing.
I know I really should be making my own teriyaki sauce! Thanks for spelling it out for me 🙂 Hehe! I will defnitely no pass up on the mirin next time I see it!
I could easily eat a whole bowlful of those mushrooms. What a rich, comforting sauce – and so easy to make. This is going straight onto my must-make list.
What a great looking main dish! This is a great post! Never knew making Teriyaki sauce was so easy.
Wow-I would have never thought to pair salmon with mushrooms (not sure why), but this looks incredible! I love your recipe for teriyaki sauce-no more bottle teriyaki for me! Thanks, Jaden! 🙂
why buy teriyaki sauce in a bottle when this is so simple to make? i’m absolutely gonna try this. thanks, jaden!
I know I should make my own more often because it is so much better. That first shot is gorgeous. Did you shoot it back light with a reflector in the front?
Oh, I have made that same lecture to I don’t know how many people–even enlightened ones, real foodies–about teriyaki sauce being super-simple, no big deal, and definitely no reason to buy prepared versions, which add all kinds of questionable, gross stuff. Maybe there’s some block about “teriyaki is exotic therefore it must be complicated.” Don’t know–but thank you for reminding everyone. Takes only a minute to make the real deal. Fresh and simple.
Thanks – I need this. Can’t find Teriyaki Sauce here – and when I (rarely) do, it’s outrageously expensive.
Great tip on the teriyaki sauce. Love it! Always good to know how to make these sauces vs store bought.
Thanks for the teriyaki sauce tip. I bought a bottle of the stuff while on vacation this summer, marinated some chicken in it, and it was barely edible… just like you said- chemically and too sweet & a TON of sodium- yuck! I’ll never buy the stuff again.
Do you know of a specific brand of soy sauce that is gluten free?
We’re big on salmon (and mushrooms too), so this looks lip smackin’ good.
I normally will by San-J GF tamari sauce as alternative to soy sauce.
Great tip on the teriyaki sauce, I love learning new stuff like that and being able to make as many things as possible from scratch. I pretty much always have those 3 ingredients on hand but never knew that’s what was in teriyaki – so you can bet I won’t be buying the bottled stuff again any time soon. Thanks!
girl, that salmon teriyaki looks so fantastic! i’ll just have to wait until hubby goes on a business trip when i make this recipe. he hates even just the smell of it – to top it off with mushrooms? that’s another no-no on his list. oi…
I was so amazed when I realized how to make teriyaki sauce a while back. Through learning all about cooking, it is amazing to know that you can easily make a lot of your own condiments and most of the time you already have the ingredients in your pantry. BTW, those mushrooms look great, never heard of that kind before.
So simple yet looks so tasty! Love it!
What a beautiful dish! I love how simple this is and yet the trumpet mushrooms are so elegant. I’m not a fan of store-bought teriyaki so I can’t wait to try this!
Hi Jaden! Wonderful recipie! I can’t wait to try this on beef and chicken. Just wondering, is there a particular soy sauce you’d recommend?
I’ve always been a fan of Kikkoman Low Sodium!
I eat a ton of fish so I’m always looking for new recipes – will definitely try this soon!
Jaden, can I make a big batch and store it in the frig? If so, how long will it keep before spoilage?
yes you can. you can store the teriyaki sauce for up to 2 weeks.
Looks like a really nice and simple Salmon recipe. And with ingredients I have in my kitchen cabinet. Excellent!
Love the recipe for teriyaki sauce….didn’t know it was so simple. I normally use Soy Vey, but I will have to try making my own.
Where do you get the mushrooms?
Also tried your rib with sweet chili glaze labor day they were awesome. I tried a homemade bbq sauce as well yummy
I get those specifically from Hokto Kinoko, which are only sold in California right now. But check your Asian markets, especially the Japanese markets.