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TL;DR (Quick-Answer Box)
- What it is: Tender salmon fillets pressure-cooked in a rich Vietnamese caramel sauce with brown sugar, fish sauce, ginger, lime, and soy sauce. A stunning main dish.
- Why you’ll love it: Unbelievably fast, delivering rich, savory-sweet Asian flavor with a sticky glaze in just 15 minutes. It’s an effortless weeknight pressure cooker wonder.
- How to make it: Whisk and simmer sauce ingredients in the pressure cooker. Add the salmon and cook on low pressure for 1 minute. Remove fish, then use the sauté function to reduce the sauce until syrupy.
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Dinner in just 10 minutes? You betcha. For this spectacular yet almost effortless meal, salmon is pressure-cooked in a sweet and tangy Vietnamese-inspired caramel sauce.
Featured Review
OMG!!! This was so easy. We had a bunch of fresh halibut, it worked perfectly. Darn fish sauce is so pee-you stinky, then in a hot minute transforms into this luscious umami sauce. I will have to admit I was super skeptical, but then viola, we had a 5-star fish dish, that frankly my sautéed haricot verts were embarrassed! I gotta go shout from the roof top how absolutely YUMILICIOUS this fish is!! Do it! make it, you won’t regret it one bit!!! TY!
BBQgoddess
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
Did you know only 68% of the recipes we test make it onto the site? This recipe survived our rigorous blind testing process by multiple home cooks. It earned the Leite’s Culinaria stamp of approval—and the testers’ reviews below prove it.
I’ve tried to like my Instant Pot. I’ve tried soups and stews. Rice and beans. Meats. I’ve read tons of recipes. Blog posts. Magazine articles. There is an Instant Pot love fest happening around me but I’ve always been left scratching my head wondering why. Until now.
With my mind suitably blown by this Vietnamese caramel salmon, I’m finally feeling the love. The salmon was moist and beautifully flavored with the tangy caramel sauce and made a lovely meal served with steamed rice and a salad. Aside from a bit of measuring and a few stirs, there was no work involved as the Instant Pot did the rest.
My only issue was that when the Instant Pot reached pressure, it overheated and I had to turn it off. Despite this, the salmon was still perfectly cooked. Next time, I’ll double the sauce ingredients to hopefully prevent this from happening. Added bonus? More syrupy caramel to add to my steamed rice.
This Vietnamese caramel salmon is the perfect weeknight dinner–quick, easy and I had all the ingredients in my pantry. I served it with rice and an Asian cucumber salad. This received rave reviews and requests for this dish to be in our regular rotation of dinner ideas.
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If you make this recipe, or any dish on LC, consider leaving a review, a star rating, and your best photo in the comments below. I love hearing from you.–David
Pressure Cooker Vietnamese Caramel Salmon
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted, or 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce or low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
- finely grated zest of 1 lime (about 2 teaspoons)
- juice of 1/2 lime (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 (6-to 8-ounce) salmon fillets, preferably center-cut pieces
- sliced scallions, (white and light green parts), for garnish
- fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
Instructions
- In your pressure cooker or Instant Pot, whisk together the 1 tablespoon coconut oil, 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar, 3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce, 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce or low-sodium soy sauce, 1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger, finely grated zest of 1 lime (about 2 teaspoons), juice of 1/2 lime (about 1 tablespoon), and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Use the sauté function to bring to a simmer and then turn off the heat.
- Place the 4 (6-to 8-ounce) salmon fillets in the pressure cooker, skin-side up (if there is skin still attached, that is). Spoon the sauce over the fish, cover, and cook on low pressure for 1 minute. Let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes; then release the remaining pressure manually. Check the fish for doneness by cutting into a fillet. If you prefer your salmon more well-done, cook it for another minute or so using the sauté function.
- Carefully lift the salmon fillets onto a serving platter, flipping them over so the browned caramelized side is facing up. (The fillets may fall apart a little as you lift them out. That’s okay. They’ll still taste ridiculously lovely.)
- Use the sauté function to reduce the sauce until it’s thick and syrupy, about 3 minutes. Spoon the sauce over the salmon and garnish it with the sliced scallions and fresh cilantro leaves.
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is a keeper. Although, the wild Pacific salmon (go ahead, drool) was overly done, so we would let the steam release naturally for 2 minutes then manually release the steam. Salmon is usually over-done.
Nods. It’s tricky to not overcook salmon. Thank you for sharing your tip. And I am guessing it was still incredible as wild Pacific salmon always is…
I don’t have a pressure cooker or instant pot. Advice on cooking on stovetop?
Hi Roni, your better bet might be to cook it in an oven at 350F. I would mix all your marinade ingredients then place in a baking dish along with salmon, skin side up. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until the salmon is done to your taste. Remove the salmon and return the dish and marinade to the oven and broil for a few minutes until the sauce is reduced.
This is a fantastic recipe and I’ve subbed kabocha squash for the salmon with amazing results, too.
What a great idea, Jacqueline! Thanks for the suggestion.
Hope you try it. My new favorite way to eat Kabocha!
I will, Jacqueline!