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This super-simple sheet pan dinner of salmon bok choy is healthful and delicious for an impressive dish to serve guests or a good-for-you meal that’s ready super-fast! {Gluten-Free adaptable}

Sweet and Sour Salmon with Bok Choy

4.58 from 7 votes
This super-simple sheet pan dinner of salmon bok choy is healthful and delicious for an impressive dish to serve guests or a good-for-you meal that’s ready super-fast! {Gluten-Free adaptable}
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Total Time: 23 minutes
Course: Main
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: home style
Servings: 2 servings
Author: Maggie Zhu

Ingredients

  • 2 fillets salmon , about 4 oz (113 g) each (*Footnote 1)
  • 6 bulbs baby bok choy , split in half (*Footnote 2)
  • 2 cloves garlic , minced

Sauce

  • 1/2 cup rice vinegar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup sriracha (or your favorite chili sauce) (*Footnote 3)
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce (or tamari for gluten free)
  • 2 tablespoons water

Instructions

  • Adjust the oven rack so it’s 5” (13 cm) under the broiler.Turn on the broiler to preheat your oven.
  • Combine all the sauce ingredients in a small pot. Heat over medium-high heat until bringing to a boil. Boil for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring regularly, until the sauce is thick and glossy. Remove the pot from the heat and add the garlic. Stir to mix well.
  • Line a baking tray with parchment paper (optional, for easy clean up). Place the bok choy, flat side up on the tray. Brush the whole bok choy bulbs with a generous amount of sauce, making sure some sauce gets between the leaves of the bulb. Flip the bok choy and brush them again. Arrange the bok choy in an interlocking pattern with the leaves in the center. Place the salmon fillets between the bulbs, on top of the leaves (*Footnote 4). Brush both fillets generously with the sauce on all sides. (*Refer to the pictures in the blog post above to see how I arranged the bok choy and salmon)
  • Broil at 550°F (288°C) for 8 minutes, until the salmon is cooked through and sauce begins to caramelize. (*Footnote 5) Pull out the baking sheet and let everything sit for 5 minutes.
  • Serve hot with the remaining sauce over rice. Drizzle with more sauce if needed, and enjoy!

Notes

  1. If you use a larger cut of salmon, the baking time will be longer.
  2. It’s best to use small heads of baby bok choy that are about the size of your palm. If you use larger heads (sometimes they are huge!), you can reduce to 3 to 4 heads but will need more baking time. I couldn’t find small heads of bok choy when I shot the photos for this recipe, so I ended up taking the salmon out first and baking the bok choy a bit longer until they were cooked.
  3. The Sriracha adds aroma to the sauce and creates a spicy and balanced result. It’s not super spicy because the sugar mellows it out. You can reduce the amount of Sriracha for a less spicy taste but I highly recommend adding at least a small amount for the fragrance.
  4. It’s important to place the salmon so that it covers the bok choy leaves, so they won’t get cooked too quickly or become burned during baking.
  5. The cooking time will be longer if you use a larger cut of salmon or larger heads of bok choy. To test the doneness, insert a fork into the thickest part of the salmon - it should flake easily. If your salmon is cooked first, remove the fillets onto a plate and bake the bok choy for another 3 to 4 minutes. Alternatively, if your bok choy is cooked first, remove them and bake the salmon a bit longer until cooked to your preferred doneness.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 312kcal, Carbohydrates: 27.8g, Protein: 24.3g, Fat: 7.3g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 50mg, Sodium: 357mg, Potassium: 824mg, Fiber: 1.5g, Sugar: 19.3g, Calcium: 207mg, Iron: 2mg