These bang bang salmon nuggets are the appetizer I make when people are coming over. They require minimal effort and taste amazing. The best part is they are ready in about 20 minutes, and this healthy high protein starter is sure to be a hit at a game day spread or on a holiday table. Everything cooks on one rack in the oven, so cleaning up is quite easy.
One of the things that I love about this recipe is that is baked not fried, and that you can make everything in a bowl and a lined sheet pan with a baking rack. When I tell you this is a simple recipe I am not kidding. It takes longer to place all of the salmon on one baking rack than anything else. Where the crust comes from is the sesame seeds that add a great taste and texture. It also makes great leftovers, perfect in a salad, in a rice bowl with a little seaweed salad, or in tacos.
Table of Contents
In this recipe
The best part is that most of this is already in your pantry or refrigerator. Sweet chili sauce and sesame seeds might require a trip to the store when you grab the salmon.
Salmon: You want to get a nice even sized thickness filet like a center cut with the skin removed. However, I have used the precut nuggets that are prepared from the store. That is what I used for the photo.
Sesame seeds: do not get them already toasted, the heat from the oven will do the toasting for you. If you get them toasted already then, they will become bitter tasting and could burn. While I use both black and white sesame seeds you can use just white ones without any loss of flavor.
Sriracha: this is going to be what gives the bang bang sauce heat. You can use another chili sauce like Sambal Oelek, harissa, or gochujang instead based on your tastes.
Rice vinegar: adds brightness to the bang bang sauce as well as helps to thin the sauce out.
Getting them crisp without frying
Two things do the work here and both of them matter.
The first is the rack. On a wire rack, hot air hits all sides of every nugget at once. On a bare sheet pan the bottom sits in the moisture the fish gives off, so that side steams while the rest roasts. You end up with an uneven texture for the salmon nuggets. If you have a convection oven then using the setting will ensure a nice, toasted crust much like how an air fryer works.
The second is the heat. 450°F (230°C) is hot enough to set the sesame crust before the inside overcooks. At 375 the nuggets will cook through before the outside has had a chance to get toasty, and you get baked salmon cubes instead of nuggets. The other part of that is the at that temperature and the length of time the sesame seeds will be nice and toasted.
It is important to make sure that you grease the baking rack to help prevent the salmon and the sesame seeds from sticking and tearing the nuggets when you remove them. It is also important to make sure that you pat the salmon dry. This will help prevent the salmon from steaming and the seeds from toasting.
How long do salmon nuggets take to cook?
They will take about 5 minutes to cook but up to 7. However, one of my tricks is to watch the sesame seeds. They take the same amount of time to toast as the salmon will cook. This makes them the perfect indicator. When the sesame seeds start to turn golden brown then you know the salmon is ready. There is also something else to consider and that is the carryover cooking that will happen. Once you get to the 5-minute mark any of the larger pieces will continue to cook after you remove them from the oven.
Can I cook these a different way?
Yes. The oven is just what I reach for first.
In an air fryer, 400 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes in a single layer. The basket already gives you air on all sides, so you do not need a rack in there. Shake it once about halfway through.
In a pan, use nonstick or a well-seasoned cast iron over medium high heat with a little neutral oil, and give each side about a minute. You get a harder crust on two faces and a softer one everywhere else. The seeds scorch faster in a pan, so keep the heat just under where you think it should be.
On the grill, use a grill basket or a plancha. Straight on the grates the seeds fall through and the salmon sticks.
When to sauce them
This is the one decision that changes the dish, and it depends on how you are serving it.
When I put these out as an appetizer, the sauce goes in a bowl on the side. Every time. Tossing the nuggets in a mayonnaise-based sauce softens the sesame crust in a couple of minutes, and on a party tray they are sitting out for twenty. Toothpicks in the nuggets, sauce in the middle, and everybody controls their own heat.
Conversely, when these go into a bowl, I drizzle the sauce over the top with a spoon, so it reaches the rice too. I will sauce it at the table right before we eat.
The only time I toss them is for tacos or a wrap, where the sauce needs to be spread around and the crust is going soft against a tortilla anyway.
Round out the plate
Turning this appetizer into dinner is the easiest thing in the world. All you need to do is add it.
For the base I use plain jasmine rice most of the time but, Cilantro Lime Rice is a fantastic alternative, because the lime and the cilantro are great against the bang bang sauce. For a cold version, Vietnamese Noodle Salad already has the herbs and the acid built into it, but in this case, I would make sure that the salmon is set beside the noodles versus placed on top of them.
Then add the cold things. Seaweed salad from the refrigerated case at the grocery store, cucumber tossed with rice vinegar and a little honey and salt, shredded carrot, and avocado. If you want a fun little twist, then the Candied Jalapenos scattered over the top will do just that.
Finish with sliced scallions, a few more sesame seeds, and a wedge of lime. When you add rice and most vegetables you need that bright hit of acid will help keep the dish from getting boring halfway through.
What to drink with it
Bang bang sauce is rich and sweet and spicy all at the same time, so I want something that cleans the palate rather than something that tries to match it.
For a cocktail, the Gin-Gin Mule is my pick. Muddled mint, lime, and a long pour of ginger beer, and that ginger lines up directly with the ground ginger in the spice blend.
A crisp Japanese style lager or pilsner is the easy answer and there is nothing wrong with taking it. For wine, a Riesling has enough residual sugar to handle the sriracha and enough acid to handle the mayonnaise. A Grüner Veltliner works if you want something drier. However, I would skip anything oaked, and I would skip red entirely.
For the alcohol-free option, the Ginger-Lime Mule gives you the same structure without the gin. Fresh lime, lime cordial, and a long pour of ginger beer.
Make it ahead
Most of this is a 20-minute job so there is not much to get in front of, but two things are worth doing early and one thing you should not do early at all.
Make the sauce ahead. Bang bang sauce is better after a few hours in the fridge, and it keeps for about a week. The garlic and the chili settle into the mayonnaise instead of sitting on top of it. When I am cooking for a party, this is the piece I knock out the day before.
Cut the salmon ahead. The cubes hold for a few hours in the fridge, covered, on a plate lined with a paper towel so any moisture has somewhere to go.
You can season ahead of time, but you need to omit the salt. Salt starts pulling moisture out of raw salmon within about twenty minutes, and after an hour you start curing it. The texture goes firm and a little translucent, which is great if you are making gravlax and wrong for this. Toss with the oil, salt, and the seeds a few minutes before the tray goes into the oven.
For leftovers, I would use them cold for something like salads or rice bowls. While you can reheat in the oven the outside will start to dry out before the inside gets hot.
More recipes you might like
- Sweet and Spicy Gochujang Wings run on the same sweet heat logic with chicken instead of fish.
- Glazed Sesame and Teriyaki Meatballs hold on a tray longer than almost anything else I make.
- Colossal Coconut and Rum Shrimp is crispy seafood with a dipping sauce. The two work on one spread.
- Sticky Soy Glazed Pork Belly is the one rich dish that can be turned into an appetizer to put next to the salmon.
- Sweet Chili Chicken Lollipops share the sweet chili sauce that is already in your bang bang.
Baked Bang Bang Salmon Nuggets
Equipment
- Parchment lined sheet pan
- Baking rack
- 2 Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
Ingredients
Salmon nuggets
- 2 pounds salmon filet cut into 1 inch chunks
- 3 tablespoons sesame seed
- 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoon sesame oil
- ½ tablespoon garlic powder
- ½ tablespoon black pepper
- ½ tablespoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon chili powder
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
Bang Bang Sauce
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sriracha
- ¼ cup sweet chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
Instructions
Making the salmon
- Preheat the oven to 450°F, 230°C, or gas mark 8. Spray a baking rack with cooking spray and place in the parchment lined sheet pan.
- Pat the salmon dry with a paper towel. In a bowl combine the salmon, ginger, salt, pepper, chili powder, sesame oil, and garlic powder. Mix until the salmon is evenly coated.2 pounds salmon filet, 2 tablespoon sesame oil, ½ tablespoon garlic powder, ½ tablespoon black pepper, ½ tablespoon salt, ¾ teaspoon chili powder , ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- Add the sesame seeds and mix until evenly coated, and place the salmon onto the greased baking rack.3 tablespoons sesame seed, 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
- Bake for 5-7 minutes depending on the thickness nuggets.
Making the bang bang sauce
- While the salmon is cooking, in a bowl combine the mayonnaise, sriracha, sweet chili sauce, and rice vinegar. Whisk to combine.¾ cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup sriracha , ¼ cup sweet chili sauce, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- Once the salmon is done drizzle or spoon the sauce over the nuggets. You can also use it as a dipping sauce.
Nutrition
