Perfectly grilled salmon with a slightly sweet and smoky flavor.
Grilling is a year-round thing at our house, so when I found this recipe for Best Grilled Salmon on the Honey Bear Lane blog, I wanted to see if that claim was indeed true. This recipe is not only delicious, but it is extremely easy to prepare.
Combine the marinade ingredients in a single gallon-size ziplock bag (no need to dirty up a bowl) and refrigerate for at least an hour. After soaking up all that flavorful marinade, the salmon fillets are grilled in little aluminum foil “boats”. I used heavy duty non-stick aluminum foil and just folded up the sides a couple of times to make a lip. Remember folding your homework to make a paper airplane?!
Making these aluminum foil boats won’t get you into trouble and make you stay after class..haha! The best part is that after grilling, you just toss the foil — there is literally no clean-up required for this recipe!
The salmon is perfectly cooked after just 18-20 minutes on the grill — very flaky and moist with a slightly sweet and smoky flavor. You’ll want to avoid overcooking or the salmon or it will become too dry. The marinade creates a nice glaze during cooking so that the salmon filets have a very slightly crisp outside and light flakiness inside.
I served our grilled salmon with a fresh Caesar salad and my husband who normally doesn’t like salmon, loved it! Who knew that after 30+ years of marriage I could finally convince him to actually try salmon?
I guess this really is the BEST Grilled Salmon recipe! Enjoy!
Perfectly grilled salmon with a slightly sweet and smoky flavor.
- 2 - 4 salmon fillets
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup lite soy sauce
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1-2 cloves minced garlic
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Place all marinade ingredients into a gallon size zip lock bag and seal. Squeeze gently to combine ingredients, then add salmon fillets. Seal and refrigerate for 1 to 3 hours to allow flavors to penetrate the fish.
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Preheat grill to medium high heat. For each salmon fillet, take a piece of heavy duty aluminum foil and fold into a "dish" with sides. Place a salmon fillet into each dish skin side down. Add a little of the marinade on top and place the entire dish on the grill.
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Grill for 18-20 minutes with the lid closed. Flip the salmon onto the grill to sear the top, about 1-2 minutes. Carefully scrape off the skin (it should lift right off) and serve.
Original recipe by Honey Bear Lane
Can you grill salmon without the skin? Would you just shorten the cooking time?
Thanks!
Hi, Paula. You can grill the salmon without the skin, but I think leaving it on helps to hold the fish together. Adjust cooking times, with or without the skin, depending on your preference for the fish temperature/doneness. I always test with a fork to make sure it flakes easily.
This marinade makes delicious grilled salmon. I grill the salmon pieces directly on the grill, skin side down for 18 minutes. Flip it. Pour marinade over it and grill it for 2 minutes more. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
delicious recipe!! We grilled the salmon on the BBQ. Thanks for sharing
So glad you loved the salmon!
Could you bake the salmon and turn on the broiler at the end to “sear” the top? If so, what temperature would you bake it and how long?
Terri, I would try baking the salmon at 425 – 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes and very carefully turn on the broiler at the end of cooking, but personally I think grilling is best.
Hi! My husband also loved this, thanks! I was hoping for it to turn out with more of a glaze on it… it was still great, but any advice to help achieve that? Thanks!
Hi, Kate. Because of this cooking method, I think it would be difficult to get a really thick glaze going on. You could try preparing a little extra marinade to use as a basting sauce. Brush it on just before you flip the salmon during the last step when you sear the fish. Let me know if you try that – thanks!
When placing the salmon into the foil “dish” what side goes down? Skin side or the fish side?
Rose, it starts out with the skin side down. Enjoy!
Delicious! We loved the salmon tonight!
Suzy, I am so glad you did!
I just tried this recipe but instead I baked it for 13 mins and then grilled them on medium/high heat for 40-50 secs using a grill pan It was AWESOME!
That’s a great indoor solution! Thanks for sharing.
We just tried this recipe. We subbed coconut aminos in place of soy. It came out perfect. Best i have done so far. Thank you for posting your recipe.
Best grilled salmon I’ve ever had! Family loved it!!