Easy Salmon Bites with Hot Honey Dipping Sauce
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These Salmon Bites are so easy, quick and incredibly tasty! Bite-sized pieces of seasoned salmon are cooked under the broiler and ready to eat in minutes. Just drizzle some of our hot honey on them and watch them disappear!
Salmon bites make an impressive and fun appetizer, but they are also perfect for snacking or as a quick meal! Cooking them under the high heat of the broiler creates crispy edges, but one taste and you will see that these seasoned salmon bites are perfectly tender and flaky. They will make salmon lovers out of your whole family.
I love to cook salmon for dinner because it is generally easy to prepare and cooks quickly. Lemon Pepper Salmon with Dill is one of my go to weeknight dinner recipes.
Using just a handful of simple ingredients, this salmon bite recipe can be made from start to finish in less then 30 minutes. And you will love how versatile this salmon dish is. It isn’t just an appetizer. This bite size salmon is delicious in a salad, served over a bed of arugula or as part of a rice bowl.
Ingredients for the Salmon Bites and Hot Honey Dipping Sauce
For the Salmon Bites
- Salmon Filets – Use fresh salmon or frozen salmon that has been completely thawed. If you an find skinless salmon fillets that will save you a step, but if not, use a sharp knife to remove the skin before cooking.
- Lemon Pepper Seasoning, Garlic Powder and Salt
- Olive oil – not extra virgin olive oil.
For the Hot Honey
- Honey – whatever honey flavor you like is fine.
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Lemon Zest – This is optional, but I like to sprinkle it on the salmon bites before I serve them.
How to Make Salmon Bites
- Prepare the salmon – Cut the salmon into bite size chunks, about 1 inch cubes. Place them in a mixing bowl with a drizzle of oil.
- Season the Salmon – Blend the lemon pepper, garlic powder and salt in a small bowl. Add the seasoning mix to the bowl with the salmon and toss until they are evenly coated.
- Broil the Salmon – Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the seasoned salmon cubes on the baking sheet, skin side down. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven, about 4 inches from the broiler and cook for about 5 minutes per side to a crispy perfection. The cooking time may vary depending on how thick the salmon chunks are.
- Mix the honey and red pepper flakes in a small sauce pan. Simmer over low heat just until the tiny bubbles start to form around the edges of the pan. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the apple cider vinegar. Cool the honey for about 10 minutes, then strain it through a fine mesh sieve.
- Place the cooked salmon bites in a serving plate and drizzle 2-3 tablespoons of the honey on them. Serve with a bowl of the hot honey for dipping.
Tips for Best Results
- Drying the salmon with a paper towel before seasoning it will result in crispy salmon bites!
- If you like the salmon skin you don’t have to remove it. It will get nice and crunchy from the broiler.
- Salmon cooks quickly so keep an eye on it. The salmon is done when it is light pink in color and opaque. It should flake gently, when you press on the flesh with your finger or a fork. If you want to use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature, according to Americas Test Kitchen, salmon tastes best at 125F degrees if it is farm raised and 120F degrees if it is wild caught.
- The hot honey can be made as mild or as spicy as you like. The longer you let the red pepper flakes sit in the honey the hotter it will be. I like to strain about half of it after 10 minutes and then leave the red pepper flakes in the remaining honey for those that love spice.
Storing and Reheating
We very rarely have leftovers when we make this salmon recipe. But leftover salmon bites make a delicious lunch or snack the next day. Stored in an airtight container they will last 3-4 days in the refrigerator. To reheat them, place them in an oven set at 275F degrees for about 10 minutes. You just want them to be heated through.
Salmon Bite FAQ’s
That white substance is called albumin and it is a protein that solidifies as salmon cooks. It may not look pretty but it is harmless and you can eat it. If you see a lot of this on your salmon then you most likely over cooked it.
Farmed salmon is lighter and more pink then wild salmon. It will also have more of the white fatty lines running through it. Wild salmon will be a deep reddish orange color.
Yes you can make crispy air fryer salmon bites. Spray the basket of your air fryer with cooking spray. Place the seasoned salmon bites in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Set your air fryer for 390F degrees and cook for 7-10 minutes, just until the salmon is cooked through. Shake the basket about half through the cooking process. Then follow the instructions above to make the dipping sauce.
More Easy Appetizers
Want some other simple but flavorful appetizers to try. You will love my Baked Ricotta Cheese which I love to serve with Garlic Roasted Cherry Tomatoes over some crostini. My Crab Stuffed Shrimp and Shrimp Oreganata are both elegant appetizers perfect for a special occasion.
Other Easy Dinner Ideas
Garlic and Herb Grilled Shrimp
Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings with Parmesan
Sicilian Style Cod alla Ghiotta
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Easy Salmon Bites
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Ingredients
Salmon
- 1½ lbs Salmon Skinned and cut into 1" – 1½" cubes
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Lemon Pepper Seasoning
- 1 tsp Salt Kosher
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
Hot Honey Dipping Sauce
- 1 cup Honey
- 2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
Instructions
Salmon
- Preheat the broiler in your oven and position a rack about 4" from the heating mechanism. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Toss the salmon, lemon pepper, garlic powder, salt and olive oil in a bowl until the salmon is evenly coated. Transfer to baking sheet and place in the oven.
- Broil for 5-6 minutes, then turn the salmon cubes over and broil about another 5 minutes, just until the salmon is cooked through.
Hot Honey Dipping Sauce
- Place the honey and red pepper flakes in a small sauce pan set over medium low heat. Stir to mix well. Simmer until tiny bubbles start to form around the edges of the pan. Do not let the honey come to a boil as it will boil over quickly.
- Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the apple cider vinegar and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes. Using a fine mesh sieve, stain the honey into a bowl or a jar.
- To serve, place the cooked salmon a plate and drizzle a couple tablespoons of honey on them, then serve with the remaining sauce for dipping.
Notes
- Drying the salmon with a paper towel before seasoning it will result in crispy salmon bites!
- If you like the salmon skin you don’t have to remove it. It will get nice and crunchy from the broiler.
- Salmon cooks quickly so keep an eye on it. The salmon is done when it is light pink in color and opaque. It should flake gracefully, when you gently press on the flesh with your finger or a fork. If you want to use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature, according to Americas Test Kitchen, salmon tastes best at 125F degrees for farm raised salmon and 120F degrees for wild caught.
- The hot honey can be made as mild or as spicy as you like. The longer you let the red pepper flakes sit in the honey the hotter it will be. I like to strain about half of it after 10 minutes and then leave the red pepper flakes in the remaining honey for those that love spice.
I have been wanting to make this recipe for awhile, but I only have albacore tuna – will it work?
Hi Nancy I have never tried this with any other fish, but I think that you can use any any fish or even shrimp. I would make sure that the fish is fresh and meaty so an Albacore tuna steak would work.
This is so healthy and delicious for an appetizer dish !