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.
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!!!