The Best Grilled Salmon
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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
Fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork in the thickest part of the filet. The color should change from red to pink, but may still look a little translucent.
Always start cooking with the skin side down (for any recipe) as the fish will be easier to flip. Otherwise, the fish may stick to the grill grates and flake away.
Yes, you absolutely can eat the skin. With this recipe, however, I usually serve the salmon without the skin because it does not get crispy with this particular cooking method and I eating the skin if it has been pan-fried.
It’s always a good idea to rinse any meat under cool running water and dry with paper towels before cooking. Always remember to sanitize your sink and counter tops after this process, though, to avoid any splattered bacteria.
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.
- Grilled Sirloin 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!
Best Grilled Salmon
Ingredients
Marinade
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup lite soy sauce
- ¼ 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
Nutrition
Life Love and Good Food does not claim to be a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information shared on this site is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
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.
Amazing platter. Just passed the recipe to my friend whose family loves salmon.
Looks delicious! I make salmon all the time–why don’t I ever grill it!
I have never eaten salmon before, but this makes me want to. it looks so delicious!
Question…..im preparing to make the Salmon today. When you flip the salmon, are you flipping it out of the “dish” and onto the grill grates or does it stay in the “dish” after you flip it?
Thanks…
Hi, Tracy. If you do flip for the grill marks, place the salmon directly on an oiled fish rack on the grill. Recently, we’ve skipped this step and the salmon is still great! Enjoy!
I’ve used this recipe several times and it’s absolutely delicious and favorite. We grill it and never fails!
Thanks for sharing.
Oh.my.goodness…I too am a salmon hater. My husband loves it and was stuck with only getting to have it when we ate out. I loved this recipe and him even more so. Thank you so much for sharing.
Salmon is just fabulous. Recipe easy to follow. Thanks. Made lots of times.
We loved this!! I added a little honey. My company said it was the best they had ever had!
Can you cook this in a skillet on the stove?
Pam, I wouldn’t recommend cooking this in a skillet on the stove. Instead, you may enjoy this salmon recipe for Honey Soy Salmon Sheet Pan Dinner that can be prepared indoors.
I cooked this a few days ago and loved it. I took it out of the aluminum foil about 2 minutes before it was done and turned it upside down above the flames to sear it. The salmon was so tender it basically melted in my mouth. I will cook this again.
The best grilled salmon! I actually put/poured more marinade over the fish! My husband loved it and so did my almost 5 year old.
Thank you!
I made this salmon today for a birthday dinner. It was absolutely delicious and very easy. Everyone loved it. The marinade was not overpowering or too sweet. Thanks for the recipe. *****
It took me 45 minutes to make this dish for the first time.
My daughter really liked it.
This dish is delicious and good for health.
thank you.
Love this marinade…just one question. I see that is says to marinade 1-3 hours. I’m no expert chef by any means, but I had been told that marinating over 1 hour when using salt in any form starts to “cook” the fish. Is this true? I generally like to marinate my meats on the longer side, so I’d love to do the 3 hours, but not at risk of ruining the fish. Thanks!
Zachary, I’ve used this particular marinade for that amount of time with good results. Truthfully, though, I think the salmon tastes just as good by marinating for only one hour.
Very delicious and nutritious recipe. My parents enjoyed it.
This is a very easy delicious recipe. I made it for my in-laws and they couldn’t stop talking about it. Even my very fussy 2 year old loved it.
Grilled salmon today for the first time using your recipe. My family loved it!! Thank you!
Great Grilled Salmon! The ingredients are simple and easy to process and taste great, which is my favorite thing in this recipe. Thanks for your recipe
Our favorite salmon recipe by far. And fun to make.
We just started eating salmon because of this recipe. I make it once a week. We love it!!!
That’s awesome to hear!! Glad you like this recipe as much as we do 🙂