This Easy Grilled Salmon Recipe couldn’t be more delicious! Simply seasoned salmon filets that are grilled to perfection in just 10 minutes. A healthy seafood dinner that goes perfectly with just about any side!
Sometimes the easiest recipes are the best! Serve this salmon with our Garlic Parmesan Potatoes and a crisp Champagne Moscow Mule for a delicious seafood dinner right in your own kitchen!
Easy Grilled Salmon Recipe
This Easy Grilled Salmon Recipe comes out so juicy and flaky, you’ll think it came from a restaurant! An easy to prepare, healthy seafood dinner that only takes about 15 minutes from start to finish.
Since this salmon recipe uses only a few simple seasonings, it can be easily adapted to your liking. Play around with different spices and herbs, then you can get into sauces for topping!
Ingredients To Make A Grilled Salmon Recipe
- Fresh Salmon Filets: Sometimes you’ll see these cut already, also called BBQ cuts. If you can’t find salmon filets, just grab thicker pieces of salmon (about 1 1/2 inch thick) and cut them into filets at home.
- Old Bay Seasoning: This classic seafood seasoning works perfectly on grilled salmon.
- Kosher Salt & Fresh Black Pepper: Kosher salt is a must for most recipes, including this grilled salmon. Kosher salt has a coarser grain which helps to ensure that your end product isn’t too “salty” tasting.
- Lemon Wedges: A squeeze of fresh lemon is all the garnish that you need. Since this salmon is simply seasoned, leftovers can be used in most any dish!
How Thick Should Salmon Be For Grilling?
As we mentioned above, you’ll want a salmon filet that’s at least about an inch and a half thick. Of course, you can use a thinner piece of salmon, just make sure to cut back on the cooking time so that the salmon isn’t overcooked.
Wild caught salmon can sometimes tastes “fishier” then farm raised salmon. Not in a bad way, either. Wild caught salmon tastes more like salmon to me, and farm raised has milder salmon flavor.
Both will work for this grilling recipe, it comes down to what you prefer!
Can You Cook Salmon Right On The Grill?
Yes! Just make sure to oil the salmon filets on all sides before placing them on the grill. Alternately, you can use a non-stick cooking spray to spray the grill grates before adding the salmon.
Cooking sprays are sort of looked down upon in the grilling world but I do think there’s a time and a place. You can also buy non-stick grilling sprays that stand up to a higher heat and don’t leave as much residue on the grill grates.
As long as you make sure that you clean the grill grates thoroughly after using I think either method works just as well.
How Do I Know When Salmon Is Done?
If you’re looking at FDA standards, then you’ll want to pull the salmon off the grill at 140 degrees. After resting for 5 -10 minutes the salmon will be at 145 degrees which is the recommended temperature for salmon.
However, a lot of professional chefs like salmon a little more medium rare, around 125 degrees. We’ll leave this up to you, but we like our salmon cooked somewhere in between. I’ll usually pull it off the grill or out of the oven around 130-135 degrees.
Another good way to tell if salmon is done is to flake the meat with a fork. If it flakes apart easily then it’s done!
What Sides Are Good With Salmon?
As you can see by our pictures here, we like a combination of a starch and a vegetables. Roasted asparagus and steamed potatoes are what we had on hand, but there are a ton of great options!
- Garlic Dill Roasted Potatoes
- Parmesan Bacon Orzo
- Cheesy Roasted Asparagus
- Garlic Roasted Broccoli
- Escarole Bistro Salad
- Green Beans Almondine
What Kind Of Sauce Is Good With Salmon?
Maybe the kids like their salmon plain or as-is, but you like to sauce it up? A simple sauce idea that we use for our kids is a drizzle of soy sauce or teriyaki sauce. Or you can try one of these delicious sauce recipes!
- Awesome Sauce
- Garlic Basil Mayonnaise
- Basil Cream Sauce
- Spicy Chimichurri Sauce
- Bang Bang Sauce
- Hot Chili Oil (one of our favorites, you can also buy at Trader Joe’s!)
Tips For The BEST Grilled Salmon!
Never made salmon on the grill before? Never fear, this recipe is so easy anyone can do it! We’ve added a few tips to make sure that your grilled salmon recipe turns out perfectly.
- Make sure the grill is at the right temperature: For this grilled salmon recipe you want the grill to be at a medium to medium-high heat. So around 400 degrees would be perfect.
- Oil the salmon or the grill grates: Either method works, but you have to have some oil on the fish or the grill grates to make sure the salmon doesn’t stick.
- Don’t put salmon on the grill cold from the refrigerator: Take the salmon out and let it come to room temperature about 15 minutes before grilling. Cold salmon will stick to the grill more than room temperature salmon will.
Do you Have to Flip Salmon On The Grill?
Nope! You can cook the salmon the entire time skin side down with the lid closed. The skin might get super crispy (or even a little burned) but as long as you’re not looking to eat the skin, that’s totally fine.
The skin acts as a barrier to help keep the salmon moist (and also not burned) so if flipping the salmon worries you then just cook it on one side until the desired temperature is reached.
Looking For More Salmon Recipes?
- BBQ Asian Salmon
- Crispy Teriyaki Salmon Bites
- Salmon Salad Recipe (Great for leftover salmon!)
- Honey Salmon Meatballs
- Salmon Burger
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Easy Grilled Salmon Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeThis Easy Grilled Salmon Recipe is the perfect summer dinner! A healthy seafood meal that you can have on the table in 15 minutes!
Ingredients
- 4 (1 1/2 inch thick, about 6–8 ounces each) skin on salmon filets – see note*
- Old Bay Seasoning
- Kosher salt
- Fresh Black pepper
- Lemon wedges
Instructions
- Take the salmon out of the refrigerator 15 minutes before grilling.
- Preheat the grill to a medium-high heat, about 375 – 400 degrees.
- Season the tops of the salmon filets with the Old Bay, salt and pepper.
- Oil the grill or spray the grates with non-stick spray. Add the salmon filets to the grill, skin side down. Grill the salmon for 6-7 minutes until the top of the salmon is slightly firm.
- Flip the salmon over and grill for another 3-4 minutes, depending on how thick your salmon filet is.
- The salmon is done when the temperature is 145 degrees, so remove the salmon from the grill at 140, then let it rest until it reaches 145 degrees. (See the post or the recipe card notes for additional cooking temperature recommendations.) The salmon is done when you can easily flake the flesh with a fork.
- Serve with lemon wedges.
Recipe Notes
Cooking Temperatures for Salmon: If you’re looking at FDA standards, then you’ll want to pull the salmon off the grill at 140 degrees. After resting for 5 -10 minutes, the salmon will be at 145 degrees which is the recommended temperature for salmon.
However, a lot of professional chefs like salmon a little more medium rare, around 125 degrees. We’ll leave this up to you, but we like our salmon cooked somewhere in between. I’ll usually pull it off the grill or out often oven around 130-135 degrees.
Another good way to tell if salmon is done is to flake the meat with a fork. If it flakes apart easily then it’s done!
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: American
