This marinated salmon is fresh salmon fillets flavored with olive oil, garlic and herbs, then grilled or baked to perfection. You’ll want to grill salmon all summer long after you taste this easy marinade!
Salmon is the perfect fish for grilling – it doesn’t fall apart and it doesn’t dry out. When you add a simple yet flavorful marinade to the mix, you get a crowd pleasing dish that will end up on your permanent dinner menu rotation.
For me, summer is all about grilling, and one of my favorite things to grill is seafood. I make this marinated salmon constantly during the warmer months and there are never any leftovers. Even my kids love this one!
How do you make marinated salmon?
The marinade for this salmon is a mixture of olive oil, honey, soy sauce, lemon zest and herbs. The salmon sits in the marinade for up to 6 hours, then is grilled or broiled to perfection. I intentionally left lemon juice out of this recipe because acids like lemon juice can actually “cook” the salmon as it sits in the marinade. The lemon zest adds tons of citrus flavor without the risk of changing the texture of the salmon.
This is a simple recipe, which means that it’s best to buy the highest quality salmon you can afford. Fresh salmon often tastes better than frozen salmon, and wild caught salmon is healthier and more flavorful than farmed salmon. Don’t have salmon fillets? Salmon steaks will also work, or try marinating a whole side of salmon and baking it in the oven.
What is the best seasoning for salmon?
My favorite way to season grilled salmon is with a combination of lemon, garlic, fresh herbs, salt and pepper. You can use whatever herbs you have on hand. This recipe calls for parsley and thyme leaves, but other great choices are chives, oregano or dill. Don’t have fresh herbs in the house? Try a teaspoon or two of a dried herb seasoning blend such as Italian seasoning.
How do you grill salmon?
You can grill salmon either on an outdoor grill or an indoor stove top grill pan. It’s important to leave the skin on the salmon so that the fillets will hold together and not fall apart on the grill. Typically you’ll want to cook the salmon for 5-6 minutes per side, but this time can vary depending on the thickness of your salmon fillets. I often add some vegetables to the grill at the same time, such as asparagus, zucchini, or corn on the cob to round out the meal.
The finishing touch on this marinated salmon is a drizzle of reserved marinade. It adds so much extra flavor! I serve my garlic herb salmon over rice, mashed potatoes or pasta, along with some veggies for a complete meal.
This grilled marinated salmon is easy enough for a quick weeknight dinner, yet elegant enough to serve to company. Whether you grill or bake your salmon, everyone is sure to love it!
More salmon recipes you’ll love
- Salmon Foil Packets
- Honey Garlic Salmon
- Salmon with Avocado Salsa
- Lemon Dill Salmon in Foil
- Salmon Teriyaki
Marinated Salmon
Ingredients
- 4 salmon fillets 4-6 ounces each
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- Place the olive oil, honey, soy sauce, lemon zest, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper in a bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Reserve 1 tablespoon of the marinade for later use. Add the garlic to the bowl.
- Add the salmon and marinade to a resealable freezer bag and seal. Shake to coat the salmon with the marinade.
- Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or up to 6 hours.
- Remove the salmon from the marinade and scrape off any excess bits of herbs or garlic (otherwise they could burn on the grill!).
- Grilling instructions: Preheat an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan over medium high heat. Add the salmon fillets and cook for 5-6 minutes on each side or until salmon is opaque throughout.
- Oven instructions: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the salmon fillets on a sheet pan lined with cooking spray. Bake for 15 minutes or until salmon is cooked through.
- Brush the reserved marinade over the salmon fillets, then serve with lemon wedges if desired.
Lisa E says
It was a huge hit! I was looking for a way to use odd sized salmon cuts which are sold at my local grocery store as “salmon bits” at a reduced price and ran across this recipe. I baked them at 350 degrees because some were small, reserving more marinade than called for for the brown rice. Absolutely delicious.
Ray Powell says
I’ve made it a dozen times on my BBQ and everyone raves about it, it’s that good! I always make plenty of extra so there is always some for my guests to take home.
Ann Dupree says
This is the best salmon Recipe I have ever made. The flavors were wonderful and I have never liked salmon more. I served it at 3 different ‘get-togethers’ and was asked each time for the recipe.
This recipe is definitely a winner!
Margo says
I Totally despised salmon my husband totally loves it. I decided to try this Marinades . I recently moved from California to Michigan and the salmon in California always smell so fishy and taste fishy. But oddly enough the fish in Michigan has no fish smell nor does it taste fishy And this marinade took it over the top thank you so much I am now a salmon lover
Penny says
This is my fifth time making this recipe. I figured it was time to leave a review! It is by far my favorite salmon recipe. Being on a keto diet I usually serve it with some sesame garlic string beans or a nice kale salad. Everybody that has tried this salmon has raved about it. Thank you!
Hannah says
I mean… holy heck. These are SO delicious. I baked the fillets according to the recipe and they came out perfect. Had no regular honey or maple syrup on hand, so I used hot honey and it was a GAME CHANGER. Seriously, if you have hot honey, it adds a wonderful zing to the salmon. I made the mistake of pouring the excess marinade onto the salmon, so it burned on the pan and got all smokey 🤦♀️ Nonetheless, the recipe is spectacular. Go make it. Like, make it right now.
Pizazz says
Sooo delicious. Used panini grill and turned out perfectly moist. Both teens loved it too thx
Peggy says
Just made this for company and it was easy and wonderful tasting!
Bonnie ZoBell says
You say it’s okay to bake, For those of us novice cooks, could you tell us at what temperature and for how long you’d bake it? Appreciate! Can’t wait to try!
Sara says
Try 425 degrees F for about 15 minutes!
Jan Lustig says
Delicious. I have made this recipe so often that I needed a new copy. Tonight I wanted to leave a message saying thank you.
It was the first time we didn’t have a lemon in the house, but still the salmon was fantastic.
FLMom says
I tried this recipe on a whim, and it’s my new favorite way to eat salmon. That’s saying something, because I typically eat salmon at least once or twice per week. I marinated my salmon fillets for about 35 minutes and baked in the oven at 425 F for 17 minutes. I served them with a side of angel hair pasta with pesto sauce. Perfection.
Natasha says
Can I cook this in the oven?
Sara says
Yes that’s fine!
Jessie says
I have made this recipe three times now and it has come out fabulous every time. I followed the recipe exactly, marinated for 4-6 hours and grilled the salmon. This is now my go to grilled salmon recipe. I get SO many compliments! It’s a keeper.
Sandy says
I made this tonight, and it was AMAZING!!! thank you so much for sharing this. I didn’t have parsley or thyme, but had fresh oregano and it turned out fantastic! hands down my favorite salmon recipe!
Eleanor Ward says
Absolutely stunning, very tasty, I’ll certainly be doing this again. The marinade was also tasty on a beef burger.
Heather says
Absolutely Delicious! We added a little dijon mustard to the marinade and cooked the 1 pound filets in the oven. Served it with roasted zucchini sticks and fussilli pasta. So Amazing! Will be making again for sure! Thank you!
Eric says
The marinade doesn’t need the salt. The soy is enough. Otherwise it’s pretty good.
Monica says
This marinade is awesome! I put the salmon in salt water for 10 minutes first, then in the the marinade. Experment with marinating times depending on your taste. I found 30 minutes wasn’t long enough for me. I cooked it on a gas grill for about 10 minutes and it came out moist and very flavorful!
Micki says
Delicious! I omitted the thyme because I didn’t have any. Great marinade!!!
Nadine says
Sounds yummy! Making this recipe tonight but was wondering instead of grilling is it better in oven or cook on stove in a cast iron pan?
Sara says
I like to grill it but I’ve also broiled it with great results!