The Best Grilled Salmon

You, too, can make the absolute BEST Grilled Salmon in foil on the grill. This salmon has a slightly sweet and smoky flavor and is grilled to perfection in just around 15 minutes!

During cooking, the marinade creates a nice glaze so that the salmon filets end up with a slightly crisp outside and light flakiness inside. This simple grilled salmon is not only delicious, but it is extremely easy to prepare.

The marinade is mixed up right in a ziplock bag and the fish is grilled in little aluminum boats placed right on top of the grill grates making clean up easy!

My family agrees this is the best salmon recipe ever, and I think yours will, too!

How to make the best grilled salmon

STEP 1 | Marinade the salmon

Combine the grilled salmon marinade ingredients in a single gallon-size zip lock bag (no need to dirty up a bowl). Add the salmon, and refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the flavors to penetrate the fish.

STEP 2 | Make aluminum foil boats

After soaking up all that flavorful marinade, the salmon fillets are grilled in little aluminum foil “boats”. I use heavy duty non-stick aluminum foil and just fold up the sides a couple of times to make a lip.

STEP 3 | Grill the fish

Place the filets on the foil skin side down, then pour some of the marinade over the top. The best part is that after grilling, you just toss the foil!

The salmon is perfectly cooked after just 15-18 minutes on the grill with the lid down. Be careful that you avoid overcooking or the salmon will become too dry. The salmon should lift away from the skin easily with a flat spatula.

Frequently asked questions

Serving suggestions

I like to serve this healthy grilled salmon with a baked sweet potato and my 20-minute oven roasted Brussels sprouts. Other options include:

• Pasta or rice pilaf
• Steamed broccoli
• Roasted asparagus

This salmon recipe is by far the best I’ve had! 5 stars for sure!

— Lynn

Related recipes

Cooking dinner on the grill gets everyone involved in preparing the meal at our house. We love being outdoors and grill as often as the weather cooperates — sometimes even three or four times a week.

Here are a few of our favorite grilling recipes:

• Easy Grilled Steak Fajitas for Two — A red curry paste marinade and fresh avocado crema make for tasty and easy grilled steak fajitas at home!
• Country-Style Ribs and Grilled Sweet Potatoes & Chow Chow — Tender, juicy country-style pork ribs are grilled up with sliced sweet potatoes and garnished with a slightly sweet chow chow mix of corn, onion, sweet bell peppers, and jalapeño.
• Mongolian Glazed Grilled Steak — This steak has a light, crispy coating and a tangy barbecue glaze. It’s so unexpected and so phenomenal!
• Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Blueberry Salsa — Easy enough for  weeknight grilling or fancy enough for your next Summer dinner party!
• Grilled Steak Salad with French Vinaigrette — A lite French Vinaigrette works perfectly with the tender grilled steak, juicy pears, and blue cheese on this entrée salad. 
• Chili-Orange Glazed Pork Tenderloin — Easy preparation and simple ingredients combine to create a flavorful meal of Chili-Orange Glazed Pork Tenderloin with roasted sweet potato wedges.

Grilled Salmon in Foil: behind the recipe

Grilling is practically a year-round thing at our house. Early Spring until late Fall, you’ll find John flipping burgers, chops, steaks—well, just about anything, really—at least two or three times a week.  

Lately, we’ve been adding this salmon recipe to our regular grilling rotation. What’s surprising about that is for the longest time John believed he didn’t even like salmon. Until we tried this delicious grilled salmon recipe!

That’s a big win for me because I love salmon. Now my hubby’s the one who suggests we pick up salmon for the grill. You know what they say, “happy wife, happy life”! We first made this recipe over two years ago and my family whole-heartedly agrees that this truly is the BEST salmon they’ve ever eaten.

I seriously can’t even count how many times we’ve used this recipe to grill salmon. The marinade is so flavorful, the salmon is tender and flaky, and clean up is a breeze. This recipe is always a winner with our crowd and has become one of our go-to options because it is SO easy and SO tasty!

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Print

4.26 from 324 votes

Best Grilled Salmon

Perfectly grilled salmon with a slightly sweet and smoky flavor.

Servings 4 servings

Course Fish & Seafood

Cuisine American

Keyword grilled, salmon

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

Marinade

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup lite soy sauce
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 cloves minced garlic

• 4 6-oz. Salmon filets

Instructions

• 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.
• 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.
• Grill for 15-18 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.

Video

Notes

Original recipe by Honey Bear Lane 

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1g | Calories: 643kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 52g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 31g | Cholesterol: 143mg | Sodium: 1549mg | Sugar: 11g

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About Sheila Thigpen

Recipe Developer, Food Photographer, Food Writer

Sheila Thigpen is the publisher of Life, Love, and Good Food — a Southern food blog — and the author of Easy Chicken Cookbook and The 5-Ingredient Fresh and Easy Cookbook. After 20+ years in the publishing industry, she retired in 2018 to focus on her own creative endeavors full time. She and her husband live near the beautiful Smoky Mountains and have a precious little granddaughter who has stolen their hearts. As an influencer, Sheila has collaborated with brands like Creamette, Kroger, HERSHEY’S, Hamilton Beach, Garafalo Pasta, OXO, Smithfield, Valley Fig Growers, and more.