Teriyaki Salmon Rice Paper Chips

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You’ll never snack the same way again after you try these teriyaki salmon rice paper chips 🤯 They’re so easy to make, and you get that deep sweet-savory flavor combined with a crunchy shell, so every bite is super satisfying. I marinate a salmon fillet in Bachan’s Japanese BBQ sauce, bake it, flake it into thin pieces, seal it inside rice paper with scallions, then flash-fry the whole thing until it shatters. They’re tasty enough plain, though I’d tell you to dip them if you’ve got sauce on hand!

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What Makes These Salmon Rice Paper Chips So Good

It’s all about the contrast. The rice paper fries into a light, blistered crunch, and tucked inside is soft glazed salmon that tastes like teriyaki heaven. Sweet, savory, crispy and tender all at once, and the scallions add a fresh little bite on top. SO good!

Plus, these are finger-food gold. It’s the same crowd-pleaser energy as my spicy salmon on crispy rice, except that one pan-crisps sushi rice into little rectangles and this one uses fried rice paper as the base. Set a plate of these out and watch them vanish, because the plate was empty before I was ready for it to be.

Do You Need to Soak Rice Paper Before Frying?

You do, and it’s the step that makes or breaks the chip. Dip both sides in cold water for a second or two, just enough to soften it, then lay it flat on a cutting board. You want it pliable and tacky so it folds around the salmon and seals shut, not soaked and gummy. Rice paper keeps absorbing water as it sits, so a quick dip really is plenty. Once it’s folded and sealed properly it fries up crispy instead of chewy.

How Do You Keep Salmon Rice Paper Chips Crispy?

Hot oil and no crowding, in that order. Get your oil to 350 to 375F before anything goes in, because oil that’s too cool gives you greasy limp chips instead of crisp ones. Fry each piece for a few seconds a side until the rice paper turns white and puffs, then drain on paper towels straight away. I wouldn’t sauce them until you’re about to eat either, since any dip softens that shell fast.

Can You Fill These With Something Other Than Salmon?

You can fill these with almost anything you can think of, and that’s what makes it such a good base recipe. The rice paper chip is really just a crispy vehicle, so enoki mushrooms, shredded chicken or thinly sliced veggies all work. If you’d rather go the no-cook raw-fish route, my spicy miso tuna on rice paper chips folds sushi-grade tuna with white miso and Kewpie mayo and piles it on top of the fried chip instead of sealing it inside.

Tips for Making Teriyaki Salmon Rice Paper Chips

1. Let the salmon really soak up the sauce

Fifteen minutes in the Bachan’s is the minimum, and longer gets you deeper flavor. Pat the salmon dry before it goes in the oven too, so it glazes rather than steams.

2. Flake it, don’t chunk it

Break the cooked salmon into thin, flat pieces so the chips stay slim and fry evenly. Big chunks make the rice paper bulge and then it won’t seal or crisp properly. Two thin pieces per chip is what I aim for.

3. Leave a border when you fold

Keep the filling away from the edges so you’ve got clean rice paper to press together. That seal is what stops oil getting inside and turning the salmon greasy, and a chip that bursts in the pan is a mess you don’t want!

4. Work in small batches

Fry two or three at a time so the oil temperature doesn’t crash. Rice paper cooks in seconds, so a crowded pan means some pieces are done while others are still pale and soft.

Storage and Leftovers

These are absolutely best straight out of the oil, so I’d fry what you’re going to eat. If you’ve got leftovers they’ll keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.

A few minutes in a hot oven or the air fryer brings back some of the crunch, though they’re never quite the same as fresh. What I’d actually do is bake and flake the salmon ahead, keep it in the fridge, and then assemble and fry when you want them!

Equipment

• Frying pan
• Baking pan
• Kitchen thermometer
• Chef knife

Ingredients

• 1 salmon filet
• 1/2 cup Bachan’s Japanese BBQ Sauce
• Pepper, to taste
• 3 sheets rice paper
• 3 stalks scallions, chopped
• 1 cup vegetable oil, for frying

Substitutions and Swaps

• The salmon. Any firm fish works, so cod or even canned tuna will do the job. Shredded rotisserie chicken is the easiest swap of all if you want to skip cooking anything.
• The Bachan’s. Any Japanese BBQ or teriyaki sauce works here. If yours is thin and watery, reduce it in a pan for a couple of minutes first, because a thicker glaze clings to the salmon instead of soaking into the wrapper.
• The scallions. Chives or thinly sliced red onion both bring that sharp fresh note. Shiso leaf is the move if you can find it, and it’s excellent against salmon.
• Frying. You can air fry these at 375F for about 6 to 8 minutes with a spray of oil. They come out crisp but a little less blistered and crunchy than the fried version, which is the trade-off.
• The dipping sauce. More Bachan’s is what I’d recommend and it’s what I’d have used if I’d had any in the house. Spicy mayo or ponzu are both great alternatives.

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350F. Pour the Bachan’s into a freezer bag, add the salmon fillet, and marinate in the fridge for 15 minutes.
2. Line a baking pan with foil, lay the salmon on it, and bake for 8 to 12 minutes depending on the size of the fillet. While you wait, chop the scallions. Once it’s done, use a fork or knife to break the salmon into thin pieces.
3. Fill a dinner plate partway with cold water, dip both sides of a rice paper sheet, and lay it on a cutting board. Put two thin pieces of salmon on one half and sprinkle chopped scallions over each.
4. Leaving room along the edges, fold the other half of the rice paper over the top and press down around the edges to seal. Slice down the center to make two pieces. Repeat with the remaining sheets.
5. Heat the oil in a pan to 350 to 375F and set out a plate lined with paper towels. Drop each piece in for a few seconds a side, until the rice paper crisps and turns white, then drain on the paper towels.
6. Pour some Bachan’s into a small bowl for dipping and serve right away.

These are good enough plain, but I’d still dip them if you have Bachan’s on hand. I didn’t when I made this batch, and it’s the one thing I’d change about how they went.

It’s a snack that feels a lot more involved than it is, and a single salmon fillet stretches further than you’d expect. 🙌

If you make these, leave a star rating on the recipe card and tell me in the comments what you filled yours with. It really helps other people find the recipe, and I want to hear the weirdest filling that worked!

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