Grilled Salmon

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If there’s one recipe that gets me running to the grill over and over (and over), it’s my grilled salmon. Yes, I love hamburgers, grilled steak, and grilled chicken legs too, but this is my top way to enjoy my favorite fish when the weather is nice. It’s got just the right balance of flavors, a moist and flaky texture, and it’s so easy. I’ve made it so many times that I’ve put together a host of tips and tricks to help you make it perfectly every time. So, fire up your grill and see why this is my best grilled salmon recipe!

Why You’ll Love My Grilled Salmon Recipe

• Flaky, buttery texture – Nothing is worse than overcooked fish! My method will give you moist and tender salmon fillets every time.
• Sweet and savory flavor – Most grilled salmon recipes use pretty basic seasonings. You can certainly use the basics from my air fryer salmon, but I can’t resist jazzing up this one with my simple 6-ingredient maple salmon marinade. It’s herby, a little sweet, and just so good!
• Effortless, healthy dinner – Just whip up the marinade and make your side dishes while you wait. From there, grilling salmon takes just minutes! I love making it after spending all day outside because it’s so fast.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Here I explain the best ingredients for cooking salmon on the grill, what each one does in my recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.

• Salmon – You can grill any variety (sockeye, Coho, King, etc.), but I recommend skin-on salmon if you can get it. Not only does it add extra flavor — even if you choose not to eat the skin — but it helps keep the fish intact on the grill. If you have a whole fillet, cut it crosswise into individual ones (5-6 ounces each), so that it’s manageable to flip. You can learn more about selecting salmon in my baked salmon post.
• Oil – Since the grill is very hot, it’s important the oil that you use can stand up to the heat. I usually use olive oil, but avocado oil also works well.
• Lemon Juice – The acid helps to tenderize the salmon, plus the tang of citrus pairs very well with fish. I love using fresh lemon juice when I have time, but bottled works for convenience.
• Maple Syrup – I use Wholesome Yum Zero Sugar Maple Syrup, which is naturally sweetened and tastes just like real maple syrup. But you can use regular too if that works for you, or substitute honey.
• Fresh Herbs – I like summery dill and parsley for my grilled salmon, though you could use other herbs. Dark green leaves will have the most flavor. You can use dried herbs in a pinch (1/3 the amount of fresh), but fresh tastes a lot better here.
• Garlic – Use fresh minced garlic, or 1/2 teaspoon of jarred garlic for a time-saving shortcut.
• Sea Salt & Black Pepper

VARIATION: Skip the marinade and use simple seasoning.

If you don’t have time to marinate, my go-to grilled salmon seasoning is a quick brushing of olive oil and lemon juice, followed by a sprinkle of garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Easy, peasy!

How To Grill Salmon

I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.

1. Make the marinade. Find the directions and amounts for my salmon marinade here.
2. Marinate the salmon. Pat the salmon dry with paper towels. Place the fish and marinade into a large zip lock bag or a bowl. Seal or cover, and marinate.
3. Grill skin side down. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat with the lid closed. Cook salmon on grill, skin side down (flesh side up), with the lid closed. Grill until the salmon turns light pink on the bottom half and no longer sticks.

4. Flip and grill the other side. Use large tongs (I have and love this grilling set) or a fish spatula to carefully flip the salmon. Grill until the internal temperature reaches your desired doneness. (See my tips on this below!)
5. Let it rest. This is less critical than when you are cooking, say, a sirloin steak recipe, but I still like to rest my fish, because it helps lock in moisture. I like to garnish my grilled salmon with an extra squeeze of fresh lemon and a sprinkle of parsley.

How Long To Grill Salmon?

Salmon grill time will vary depending on the size and thickness of your fillets, but my rule of thumb is 6-8 minutes skin side down, followed by 2-5 minutes skin side up.

A common recommendation for fish is that it’s done when it flakes easily with a fork, but I don’t love this method because it’s easy to overcook it this way. For moist and flaky grilled salmon, use an instant read thermometer and aim for an internal temperature of 135-140 degrees F. I check every couple minutes after flipping. Use my handy temp chart to grill salmon the way you like it:

Let the salmon rest for 5 minutes before serving. The internal temperature will rise 3-5 more degrees while resting.

My Recipe Tips

• Marinate for only 30 minutes. Longer than that, and the fillets can start to get mushy, so I stick to the sweet spot of half an hour.
• Coat the salmon with oil, not the grill. It may be intuitive to coat your grill grates with oil, but it’s actually not necessary and much more effective to have your fish covered in oil instead. My easy marinade in this grilled salmon recipe has plenty of oil and is perfect for this purpose, but if you’re not marinating, be sure to coat your fish generously in oil before grilling.
• Preheat the grill well. That way, the salmon sears right away, and helps prevent sticking. Plus, I love those grill marks!
• Don’t move the fish around while grilling. It messes with the sear, and can lead to sticking and uneven cooking, since the heat keeps changing.
• Grill skin side down first, and for most of the time. The skin protects the more delicate flesh from the high heat, crisps up better with direct heat, and is much easier to flip without sticking. I wait for it to be 70-80% done before flipping.
• Keep the grill lid on, except to flip. This creates an even source of heat (think oven effect), so that your salmon can cook evenly.
• Use the right tools. Because fish can be fragile, I use a fish spatula like this to flip. It’s thin enough that it can slide underneath without tearing the fish, and large enough to hold your entire grilled salmon fillet on it. If the fish doesn’t want to slide on, I use my tongs to push it on gently.
• Don’t want to deal with flipping? Make my salmon foil packets instead. You can grill or bake them. You can also try my salmon burger recipe, which is easier to flip.

Storage & Meal Prep

• Store: Keep leftover grilled salmon in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.
• Meal Prep: I don’t recommend marinating fish in advance, but I do often whisk together the marinade a couple days before and keep it in the fridge. You can also grill salmon ahead and portion it into lunch containers (I often cook up some frozen cauliflower rice and grilled broccoli, or meal prep my salmon bowls).
• Reheat: Pop your salmon on the grill again over indirect heat, or use your oven or stovetop for a short time. It tastes great chilled or at room temperature too, so I like to repurpose leftovers for a salmon salad or swap the tuna in my Hawaiian poke bowl.
• Freeze: Keep the salmon in a zip lock bag or airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.

Serving Ideas

My grilled salmon recipe pairs perfectly with all your favorite summer sides! Here are some ideas:

• Vegetables – While I already have my grill going, I tend to make grilled asparagus (pictured in the photos above), grilled zucchini, or grilled broccoli.
• Salads – Try one of my fresh summer salad recipes, like Caprese salad, Greek salad, or creamy cucumber salad. And if you love salmon and asparagus together like I do, don’t miss my fresh asparagus salad.
• Starches – My sweet potato salad or cauliflower potato salad are very cookout friendly! Or sometimes I just pop my kids’ fave potatoes in the air fryer — they can cook hands-off while I’m outside grilling.
• Toppings – This grilled salmon is amazing as-is, but if you want to get fancy, add a scoop of my pineapple salsa on top, or a drizzle of lemon butter sauce, hollandaise sauce, or pesto sauce.

More Grilled Fish Recipes

Now that you know how to grill salmon, try one of my other ways to grill fish next time:

Grilled Halibut

Salmon Burgers

Grilled Cod

Tuna Steaks

My Tools For This Recipe

• Meat Thermometer – It folds up for easy storing and reads super fast.
• Fish Spatula – This is my secret for flipping fish while grilling. It works well for my indoor recipes, too!

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Grilled Salmon (Perfect Every Time)

Learn how to grill salmon perfectly with my easy grilled salmon recipe! It turns out moist and flaky, with simple ingredients and quick prep.

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 10 minutes

Marinating Time: 30 minutes

Total: 50 minutes

Author: Maya Krampf from Wholesome Yum

Servings: 4 (adjust to scale recipe)

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Ingredients

Tap underlined ingredients to see the ones I use.

• 1/3 cup Olive oil ▢
• 3 tbsp Lemon juice ▢
• 2 tbsp Maple syrup (I use my natural sugar-free maple syrup) ▢
• 2 tbsp Fresh parsley (chopped) ▢
• 1 tbsp Fresh dill (chopped) ▢
• 1 clove Garlic (minced) ▢
• 3/4 tsp Sea salt ▢
• 1/4 tsp Black pepper ▢
• 4 6-oz Salmon fillets (skin on, about 1 inch thick) ▢

Instructions

Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.

1. Make the salmon marinade here, using the ingredients above.

2. Pat the salmon fillets dry on both sides with paper towels. Place them into a bag or bowl with marinade and turn to coat. Marinate for 30 minutes.

3. Toward the end of marinating time, preheat the grill to medium-high heat with the lid closed.

4. Remove the fish from the marinade. Place the salmon on the grill, skin side down. Close the lid and grill for 6-8 minutes, until the salmon color turns lighter pink on the bottom half and doesn't stick when you try to flip it.

5. Use large tongs or a fish spatula to carefully flip the salmon. Grill for 2-5 more minutes, until internal temperature reaches your desired doneness: 120 degrees F (49 degrees C) for medium rare, 130 degrees F (54 degrees C) for medium, or 140 degrees F (60 degrees C) for medium well. (Internal temperature will rise a few more degrees while resting in the next step.)

   Use a meat thermometer for the best grilled salmon done perfectly. If you don't have one, another doneness indicator is the fish will flake with a fork, but sometimes it's overcooked by the time it gets to this point, and you'd give up the resting step by flaking it to test for doneness.

6. Remove the fish from the grill and rest for 5 minutes before serving. If you want to, you can remove off the skin (it should peel off effortlessly).

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Leave a rating to help other readers, tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram (I’d love to see!), or save the recipe to your email.

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Try More Of My Recipes

• 
  Salmon Marinade
• 
  Pesto Salmon
• 
  Crab Stuffed Salmon Recipe
• 
  Salmon Lox Recipe

Maya’s Recipe Notes

Serving size: 1 6-oz salmon fillet

Only 1/4 of the marinade is included in the nutrition calculation, as a lot is discarded after marinating the salmon.

Nutrition Facts

Amounts per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.

Calories 395

Fat 26.5g

Protein 34g

Total Carbs 0.3g

Net Carbs 0.2g

Fiber 0.1g

Sugar 0.1g

I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keywords: grilled salmon, grilled salmon recipe, how to grill salmon, salmon on the grill

Calories: 395 kcal

© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead.

Gratitude Moment

Here’s me preparing to make my grilled salmon recipe in my kitchen. Sometimes I still pinch myself that I have this bottle of zero sugar maple syrup that I developed myself, with my face on the label on the back. Let me just say, it has made so many of my marinades 1000 times better!

How do you like your marinades, sweet or savory? What other foods do you like to marinate? Tell me in the comments below!