Published 6/2/2022 • Updated 2/19/2024 This grilled salmon recipe comes out so tender and flakey. It’s a quick and healthy protein to make on the grill. When it comes to grilling, salmon is one of the quickest and easiest (and most delicious!) proteins to grill as long as you follow a few simple steps that we’ve tested over and over to ultimate perfection. Our grilled salmon recipe is made flavored with the basics (salt and pepper) so that you can serve your salmon in many different ways. Try eating it next to your favorite grilled veggies, in a rice bowl, or in a breakfast scramble!
What You Need for Grilled Salmon
Salmon fillets: we’re using skin-on fillets for this grilled salmon recipe as it chars deliciously keeps the salmon in one piece while grilling. Salt & pepper: simple, yes! But flavorful — oh yes. There’s no need to mask the taste of your delicious salmon. Olive oil: make sure to oil your salmon fillets before grilling. Olive oil is a great neutral oil that won’t leave a strong taste on your salmon, but will help prevent it from sticking to the grill grates.
How to Grill Salmon
For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card for a list of ingredients and instructions. Quick: this grilled salmon recipe is ready in less than 30 minutes. Easy Prep: no fancy gadgets or ingredients are needed for this grilled salmon recipe. Healthy: salmon is high protein and packed with omega-3 fatty acids making it a healthy protein option. Best Leftovers: leftover salmon is so delicious. Try our yummy salmon patties to mix things up on day 2. Surrender Salmon is a family-run company based here in Minneapolis and they are good friends of ours! Support a local business if you can.
Preheat and Prep Salmon
Preheat a gas grill or charcoal grill to 450°F – 475°F. High heat is crucial to getting that perfect sear on your salmon without overcooking it! Pat the salmon filets with a paper towel to remove moisture, and then brush olive oil onto all sides of each salmon fillet (yes, even the skin side!).
Grill Salmon
Place salmon fillets directly on the grill, skin-side down, and close the grill. Grill your fillets skin-side down for 6 minutes (yes, only 6 minutes!). Best Salmon Marinade Then, flip the fillets and grill for an additional 2 minutes skin side up. This will give your salmon those perfectly seared grill marks. Do you have to flip salmon on the grill? If you are grilling salmon directly on the grates, we suggest starting skin-side down and flipping after 6 minutes to sear the flesh for a few minutes to get gorgeous grill marks.
Check the Temperature
Salmon needs to cook to an internal temperature of 140°F – 145ºF before removing it from the grill. If your salmon needs additional time to reach an internal temperature of 140°F (which is common if your fillets are especially thick!), flip back to skin-side down and grill for an additional 1 minute at a time.
Let Salmon Rest
Remove the salmon from the grill and let rest for 5 minutes. This will allow the internal temperature of your salmon to increase by 5ºF to 145°F. Thermoworks Thermapen
Serve and Enjoy!
Remove the skin by peeling it back away from the fillet. The skin should peel off easily on cooked salmon. Then serve with your favorite grilling sides. We recommend any of the following 😀
What to Serve with Grilled Salmon
While you’re grilling salmon, consider making any of the following side dishes that pair perfectly with salmon! Make sure you have your grill tools ready to go: We recommend having a grill spatula and grill tongs at ready for when you have to flip the salmon. Don’t put your salmon on the grill cold: If you put cold salmon on a hot grill there is bound to be some salmon that sticks to the grill. Let your salmon sit out for a bit before grilling it.
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