This Hot Honey Salmon Recipe combines tender salmon, a crispy parmesan crust, and a sweet-and-spicy hot honey glaze for a restaurant-quality meal that's surprisingly easy to make. Golden, crispy, and bursting with flavor, it's the perfect combination of sweet heat and savory goodness in every bite.
Hot Honey Salmon Recipe Essentials
- 🍽️ Course: Main Course, Dinner, Appetizer
- ⏱️ Cooking Time: 20 minutes
- 🍴 Servings: 6-8 servings
- 🧄 Flavor Profile: Sweet, spicy, savory, cheesy, and crispy
- 🍚 Best Served With: Rice, roasted vegetables, salads, potatoes, or pasta
- 🧊 Make Ahead?: Yes, prep ahead and bake when ready
Summarize and Save This Content On
Whether you're looking for a quick weeknight dinner, an easy appetizer, or a crowd-pleasing party dish, this hot honey salmon recipe delivers restaurant-quality flavor with simple ingredients. The crispy parmesan coating and sweet heat from the hot honey create a combination that's impossible to resist.
This was inspired by my salmon omelet and salmon quiche on this site, and pairs well with this jalapeno mac and cheese.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Sweet, spicy, and packed with flavor: Hot honey and a crispy parmesan coating create the perfect balance of sweetness, heat, and texture in every bite.
- Quick, easy, and family-friendly: Ready in about 30 minutes with simple ingredients, and the spice level can easily be adjusted to suit your taste like our jerk salmon.
- Versatile and protein-packed: Serve as an appetizer, main course, salad topper, or rice bowl for a satisfying meal that's naturally gluten-free.
- Perfect for entertaining and meal prep: This restaurant-quality salmon is impressive enough for guests, yet easy enough for weeknights, and leftovers reheat beautifully just like our salmon florentine.
Ingredients
You only need a handful of simple ingredients to make this flavorful hot honey salmon recipe just like this baked salmon with mayo recipe.
- Garlic Powder: Adds savory flavor throughout the coating.
- Smoked Paprika: Provides smoky depth and beautiful color.
- Salt: Enhances all of the flavors.
- Black Pepper: Adds mild heat and balance.
- Parmesan Cheese: Creates a crispy, flavorful crust on the salmon.
- Olive Oil: Helps the coating stick and promotes browning.
- Salmon: The star ingredient that becomes tender, flaky, and flavorful.
- Hot Honey: Creates the sweet and spicy glaze that makes this recipe special.
- Lemon Slices and Parsley: Add freshness, color, and brightness for serving.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Hot Honey Marinade: Use our hot honey vinaigrette to marinade your salmon or as dressing on a side salad.
- Turn up the flavor: Add extra hot honey, Cajun seasoning, lemon zest, Dijon mustard, fresh herbs, or garlic for a spicy, tangy, or savory twist.
- Change the coating: Mix panko breadcrumbs with the parmesan or use an air fryer for an extra crispy crust.
- Sweet and savory options: Add maple syrup, soy sauce, ginger, or sesame oil to create maple-hot honey or Asian-inspired salmon variations.
- Switch the presentation: Use salmon fillets instead of strips, serve as crispy salmon bites for appetizers, or add to rice bowls and salads.
How to Make Hot Honey Salmon Recipe
This Hot Honey Salmon is incredibly easy to make and comes together quickly just like our jerk salmon. Preheat your oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. If you're making my homemade hot honey recipe, prepare it now and set it aside.
Step 1: Make coating. In a large bowl, combine the garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese.
Step 2: Dredge salmon. Coat your salmon strips in olive oil and dredge them through the parmesan cheese mixture.
Step 3: First bake. Place them 2 inches apart on your baking sheet and bake uncovered for 12 minutes.
Step 4: Second Bake. Take them out of the oven and brush generously with hot honey sauce, then bake once more for an additional 3 minutes.
Sprinkle with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.
Expert Tips
- Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat at 350°F for 8-10 minutes or air fry until warmed through.
- Place the salmon filets skin side down: Cooking the salmon skin side down ensures that it stays nice and crispy.
- Let the salmon rest: After the spicy honey salmon is baked, give it a few minutes to rest before serving to ensure maximum juiciness.
- Create the crispiest crust: Pat the salmon dry, use freshly grated parmesan, cut the salmon into even pieces, and avoid overcrowding the pan.
- Perfect the glaze: Brush the hot honey on generously and watch carefully during the second bake to prevent over-caramelizing.
- Cook it perfectly: Use parchment paper for easy cleanup and cook until the salmon flakes easily or reaches 145°F internally.
- Finish with fresh flavor: Add lemon juice and parsley just before serving for the best color and flavor.
If you love recipes like this, you may also enjoy our salmon sushi bake and salmon wellington.
Serving Suggestions
- Classic sides: Serve with coconut ginger rice, mashed potatoes, pasta, dinner rolls, or mac and cheese.
- Fresh and healthy options: Pair with roasted vegetables, slow cooker brussels sprouts, coleslaw, green salads, classic pasta salad, or grain bowls.
- Entertaining ideas: Serve on appetizer platters, party trays with our hot honey Cheez-Its recipe, honey hot chicken wings and hot honey chicken sliders or as part of a seafood spread.
- Spicy salmon bowls: Serve over rice with your favorite vegetables for an easy hot honey salmon bowl, or use leftovers to make salmon pizza.
Hot Honey Salmon Recipe FAQs
Use them in salads, wraps, rice bowls, tacos, sandwiches, or pasta dishes.
Yes, add cayenne pepper, hot sauce, or red pepper flakes to create a similar flavor.
Yes, air fry at 400°F for 8-10 minutes, depending on thickness, then brush with hot honey and cook 1-2 minutes more.
More Salmon Recipes
If you love salmon, here are some delicious salmon recipes you may also enjoy trying.
If you try this recipe and love it please leave a star rating in the recipe card below or even better, drop a review in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to follow along with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube for more easy recipes!
Hot Honey Salmon Recipe
Ingredients
Coating
- 1 cup grated parmesan
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds salmon skin on, cut into 2 inch strips
- 1 cup hot honey make mine or store-bought
Garnish
- 1 medium lemon cut into wedges
- fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Prepare my hot honey sauce if not using store-bought.
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and line a 9x13 baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese.
- Coat your salmon strips in olive oil and dredge them through the parmesan cheese mixture.
- Place them 2 inches apart on your baking sheet and bake uncovered for 12-15 minutes.
- Take them out of the oven and brush generously with hot honey sauce, then bake once more for an additional 2-4 minutes to caramelize the glaze.
- Sprinkle with parsley and serve with lemon wedges and additional hot honey sauce.
Notes
- Baking Time: For most quarter-pound fillets, 12 minutes + 3 minutes after glazing is usually perfect. If the fillets are especially thick, go closer to 15 minutes + 3 minutes glazed.
- Place the salmon filets skin side down: Cooking the salmon skin side down ensures that it stays nice and crispy.
- Let the salmon rest: After the spicy honey salmon is baked, give it a few minutes to rest before serving to ensure maximum juiciness.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat at 350°F for 8-10 minutes or air fry until warmed through. You can also coat the salmon several hours ahead and refrigerate until ready to bake.
- Create the crispiest crust: Pat the salmon dry, use freshly grated parmesan, cut the salmon into even pieces, and avoid overcrowding the pan.
- Perfect the glaze: Brush the hot honey on generously and watch carefully during the second bake to prevent over-caramelizing.
- Cook it perfectly: Use parchment paper for easy cleanup and cook until the salmon flakes easily or reaches 145°F internally.
- Finish with fresh flavor: Add lemon juice and parsley just before serving for the best color and flavor.
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