This grilled salmon is coated in a flavorful marinade then grilled until golden brown. A super easy dinner option that will earn you rave reviews! This salmon can also be baked, broiled or pan seared.
My grill is one of my favorite cooking devices, I regularly make grilled chicken tenders, steak kabobs and this sweet and savory grilled salmon.
There are so many different ways to prepare salmon. You can bake it, broil it, pan sear it or steam it. However in my opinion, the best way to cook salmon is to grill it, especially when there’s a flavorful marinade involved!
This grilled fish is one of my favorite dinner choices. You can make this salmon with fantastic side dishes like green bean fries, cucumber tomato salad, fried corn, dill potato salad or grilled zucchini.
Grilled Salmon Ingredients
To make grilled salmon you will need salmon fillets as well as olive oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, lemon zest, Dijon mustard, parsley leaves, thyme leaves, salt, black pepper and garlic for the marinade. You may want lemon wedges to garnish your dish.
How Do You Make Grilled Salmon?
This grilled salmon recipe starts with making a flavorful marinade in a large bowl. Whisk together olive oil, minced garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, chopped parsley, chopped thyme, salt and pepper. Add the salmon to the bowl. The salmon should marinate for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours. When the fish finishes soaking in all that flavor, remove it from the marinade and place on your grill. Grill the fish until done, then serve with lemon wedges and enjoy.
Tips For The Perfect Grilled Salmon
- You can make this salmon marinade up to 3 days before you plan to use it. Simply store the marinade in the fridge until you’re ready to add your salmon.
- Start by cooking your salmon skin side down to firm up the salmon before you flip it.
- You can use the marinade to flavor small salmon fillets, or try marinating a larger side of salmon. If you’re planning to cook a large piece of salmon, I’d recommend cooking it in foil or on a plank since it will be difficult to flip on the grill.
- You can use leftover grilled salmon for salads, pastas or sandwiches!
- I typically grill my salmon outdoors when the weather is nice, and indoors on a non stick grill pan on cold days. Either way will work just fine!
Quick Tip
Find salmon filets that are about the same size so they take a similar amount of time to cook through. You can also cut your salmon into similar sized pieces if you have a large piece of salmon.
Recipe FAQs
Salmon is cooked through when the flesh is opaque and flakes easily from the fillet. If you’re not sure that the salmon is done, you can use a thermometer to measure the internal temperature. If the temperature of the salmon is at least 145 degrees F, then the salmon is ready to eat. You want to be sure not to overcook your salmon as it can get tough and dry.
If you’re using an outdoor grill, you’ll want to take care to make sure that your salmon does not stick to the grates.
1) Make sure your grill grates are super clean. If the grill has bits of old food left on the grilling surface, the salmon may stick.
2) Lightly coat your grill grates with vegetable oil before you place the salmon on the grill. You should also add a little extra oil to the surface of your salmon for added insurance that it will not stick.
3) Make sure to pre-heat your grill before you add the salmon.
Grill salmon with skin by marinating the salmon and then placing it on the grill skin side down. Cook the salmon until it firms up and then flip it over to grill the top of the salmon.
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Flavor Variations
This recipe is great as-is, but you can add other flavors to customize the dish to your taste.
- Herbs: Try swapping out the parsley and thyme for other herbs such as basil, chives or dill. You could also sprinkle on some lemon pepper.
- Spicy: If you like a little kick to your salmon, feel free to add your favorite hot sauce or red chili flakes to the marinade.
- Garlic Lover’s: Increase the amount of garlic in the recipe to 1 tablespoon.
- Protein: This marinade will also work with other types of seafood including shrimp, halibut and swordfish.
- Butter: Try melting some butter over the salmon when it is almost done cooking for a decadent meal.
This grilled salmon is perfect for a quick weeknight dinner, yet elegant enough to serve to company. It’s one of my all time favorite ways to enjoy salmon!
More Great Salmon Recipes
Salmon Foil Packets
30 mins
Greek Salmon Salad
35 mins
Salmon with Avocado Salsa
25 mins
Salmon Teriyaki
20 mins
Honey Garlic Salmon
30 mins
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Grilled Salmon
Ingredients
- 6 salmon fillets 4-6 ounces each
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon parsley leaves chopped
- 2 teaspoons thyme leaves chopped
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
Instructions
- Place the olive oil, brown sugar, soy sauce, lemon zest, Dijon mustard, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper in a bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Reserve 1 tablespoon of the marinade in the refrigerator for later use. Add the garlic to the bowl.
- Add the salmon to the bowl of marinade. Spoon the marinade over the salmon and cover the bowl.
- Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or up to 8 hours.
- Remove the salmon from the marinade and scrape off any excess bits of herbs or garlic (otherwise they could burn on the grill!).
- Preheat an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan over medium high heat. If you’re using an outdoor grill, be sure to thoroughly coat your grill grates with vegetable oil.
- Add the salmon fillets and cook for 5-6 minutes on each side or until salmon is opaque throughout.
- Brush the reserved marinade over the salmon fillets, then serve.
Notes
- You can make this salmon marinade up to 3 days before you plan to use it. Simply store the marinade in the fridge until you’re ready to add your salmon.
- Find salmon filets that are about the same size so they take a similar amount of time to cook through. You can also cut your salmon into similar sized pieces if you have a large piece of salmon.
Absolutely the most incredible fish I’ve ever had. Thank you so much for posting. This is the recipe I’ve been looking for for years!!
I have made this several times and everyone just loves it. I am planning on having a family BBQ and one of my brothers that I made it for his family before ask me to please make this salmon dish again. High praise coming from him.
Made this and my boys loved it! Cooked just right! And tasted awesome after overnight marinade in the fridge. Pair it with mashed potatoes and it was cleaned off the plate in no time ♥️ Will definitely make this again !
I made this for my husband and I tonight and served it with your grilled zucchini. We loved it both the salmon and zucchini had so much flavor and the salmon was so moist. Your cooking times were right on, the zucchini was tender but not mushy. Thank you for sharing with us.
I made this for Father’s Day along with a cold orzo salad. The marinade was easy and the finished grilled salmon was delicious. I am not always a fan of salmon but the flavor of this was so delicious and fresh. I will make this again for sure!
Fantastic. Made this for the second time last night. So good. Simple and delicious. I’ve made it with skin on fillets and not slipped them at all during cooking. I also added some honey to the marinade and reduced the brown sugar a bit. Yum!