Teriyaki Salmon Bites

Get ready for some slammin’ salmon with these Dan-O-Myte teriyaki salmon bites. These are a great addition to a protein bowl, or a burrito. You can make them in about 10 minutes which makes them great for a quick dinner or meal prep. We recommend teriyaki salmon bites with crispy roasted potatoes, Dan’s famous green beans, and or Greek salad in a jar. Dan-O’s Crunchy adds some nice texture to teriyaki salmon bites with Dan-O’s chipotle adding a nice smoky kick of heat to them. Feel free to substitute chipotle for spicy or original, both work well but we do think the heat of chipotle or spicy rounds teriyaki salmon bites out!

What is Teriyaki?

When we talk about teriyaki, we have two different answers: Japanese Style teriyaki & American Style. The word teriyaki comes from 3 separate Japanese words mashed together. Beginning with the noun teri which refers to the shine created by the sugar content found in the tare; tare is a general Japanese term for dipping sauce, and yaki which refers to the cooking method of grilling or broiling. The first instance of teriyaki comes from around the 1600s. The teriyaki tare in traditional Japanese cooking is made by mixing soy sauce, sake or mirin, and sugar together before boiling and reducing to a desired thickness. 

A lot of Japanese teriyaki dishes were focused around seafood like yellowtail, marlin, and of course teriyaki salmon bites. White and red meat became more widely used in Western countries but Japan did occasionally do hamburger steak and meatballs. 

In America, any dish with a teriyaki-like sauce is described using teriyaki. Often teriyaki sauce in America uses substitutes for sake and includes additional ingredients like sesame or garlic. Depending on the recipe, pineapple juice is added to up the sweetness, and the enzymes found in the juice help to tenderize the meat. Often in American style teriyaki, the meat is grilled first and the sauce poured on afterwards. 

American Teriyaki started to take root in American cuisine in 1976 in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle with the introduction of Toshi’s Teriyaki. The restaurant became known for their low-cost skewers in teriyaki sauce that would inspire many other restaurants in the area. It wouldn’t be until the 90s, that a large teriyaki culture emerged in the city. By 1996, Toshi’s grew into a chain with 17 locations and by 2023, there were over 90 restaurants in Seattle that had teriyaki in the name.