Treacle-glazed salmon is baked salmon brushed with a sticky glaze of black treacle, soy sauce, English mustard and lemon, ready in about 25 minutes. The treacle gives the same dark, sweet-salty edge people love in a treacle cure, but the fish is fully cooked, so it is a simple weeknight supper rather than a three-day project.
This recipe replaces our old treacle-cured salmon method, which we withdrew in September 2026 because it had not been validated for food safety.
Before you start
All the dark, sweet-salty character of treacle salmon in a weeknight supper: the glaze turns sticky and glossy in the oven while the fish stays moist.
What you'll need
Gather everything first, then the cooking feels calmer.
Cook along
Take it step by step; seafood rewards a calm hand.
- 1
Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, gas 6). Line a baking tray with baking paper, because treacle burns onto bare metal.
- 2
Stir the treacle, soy sauce, mustard, lemon juice and garlic together in a small bowl until smooth. If the treacle is too stiff to measure, stand the tin in warm water for a few minutes first.
- 3
Pat the salmon dry with kitchen paper. Rub the skin with the oil and lay the fillets skin side down on the tray, spaced apart. Season with black pepper; the soy sauce brings the salt.
- 4
Spoon half the glaze over the tops of the fillets and bake for 8 minutes.
- 5
Spoon over the rest of the glaze and bake for another 4 to 7 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets.
- 6
Check the thickest fillet: the flesh should be opaque all the way through and separate easily with a fork. If it is still translucent in the middle, return the tray to the oven for 2 minutes and check again.
- 7
Rest the salmon on the tray for 2 minutes, scatter over the spring onions and serve with lemon wedges.
For a softer, less bitter glaze, use half treacle and half golden syrup or honey. Thin tail-end fillets cook faster than thick centre cuts, so check them a few minutes early.
Leftovers: cool them quickly, keep them in the fridge and eat within two days. Reheat until steaming hot throughout, or flake cold cooked salmon into a salad.
Serve it with
Serve with new potatoes and buttered greens, or steamed rice and a crisp slaw. A wedge of lemon cuts through the sweetness.
Common questions
- How do I know when the salmon is cooked?
- The flesh turns from translucent to opaque all the way through and separates easily when you press the thickest part with a fork. If you use a probe thermometer, the Food Standards Agency's benchmark for cooked food is 70°C in the centre for 2 minutes.
- Can I use golden syrup or honey instead of black treacle?
- Yes. Golden syrup or honey make a lighter, sweeter glaze without treacle's slightly bitter, liquorice edge. Half treacle and half syrup is a good middle ground.
- Why did my glaze burn?
- Treacle is mostly sugar and catches quickly. Line the tray with baking paper, keep the oven at 200°C (180°C fan) rather than hotter, and add the second half of the glaze only for the last few minutes.
- What happened to the treacle-cured salmon recipe?
- We withdrew it in September 2026. Curing does not cook fish, and we could not show that the old home-curing method was safe. This baked version keeps the treacle flavour and cooks the salmon through. The Food Standards Agency advises pregnant people and anyone with a weakened immune system to avoid ready-to-eat cold-smoked or cured fish unless it is cooked until steaming hot.
- Can I cook it on the barbecue?
- Yes. Cook the fillets skin side down on a sheet of foil over medium, indirect heat with the lid closed, and add the glaze for the last few minutes so the sugar does not burn. Check that the flesh is opaque and flakes easily before serving.
