Here’s how to cook the absolute best grilled salmon! It’s perfectly tender and flavored with a magical blend of spices that takes it to new heights.
Want to grill salmon to perfection? Salmon is notoriously easy to overcook and under-season. We’ve had our share of bad experiences with salmon, so we set out to find a surefire way to grill salmon. meet him Perfect grilled salmon! It’s an easy method and tender with a slightly crispy crust. Best of all, it’s sprinkled with our delicious blend of magical spices. This salmon seasoning is so good you’ll want to put it everywhere…you may never cook salmon without it again.
Ingredients for grilled salmon
Let’s break down the ingredients for grilled salmon, shall we? It only takes a few quality ingredients to make the best grilled salmon:
- Salmon fillets with skin: Try to find something in nature if you can: it’s better and more durable. The skin is important as it acts as a barrier between the fish and the grill during cooking.
- Olive Oil and Salt: You only need a little for grating and dusting.
- Seafood Seasoning: This is where the magic happens…
The best seasoning for salmon… period.
The salmon is beautiful with just salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon. But do you want to take over? (We know that.) The best way to flavor grilled salmon is with our homemade Seafood Seasoning! It gives this fish an unreal savory flavor. There’s a little smoky, hearty and savory, with hints of celery seed and allspice for some intrigue. It’s so good we can’t resist adding it to all of our grilled veggies too. What’s in this magical spice blend:
- Smoked paprika (or sweet paprika)
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- thyme
- celery seed
- cumin
- pimento
- Salt
Tips for Grilling Salmon: The Easy Way!
Some people swear by cooking grilled salmon en papillote. But we think it’s best directly on the grill. This way you get all the smoky flavor and a crispy exterior. Here are our tips for grilling salmon:
- Salt the salmon first! Salting involves simply placing the salmon in a saltwater solution while the grill preheats. It gives perfectly moist salmon and helps the salmon reach room temperature, which allows it to cook more evenly. Alternatively, you can marinate the salmon: go to Marinated Grilled Salmon.
- The temperature of grilled salmon? Medium heat or 375 to 450 degrees. Medium-high heat gives a perfectly cooked piece of salmon. While you can cook on high and then finish cooking on low, we like the simplicity of grilling at one temperature.
- How long to cook grilled salmon? 3-5 minutes skin-side up until grill marks form and detach from the grate, then 2-5 minutes skin-side down, depending on thickness! The best way to measure when it’s done is to use an indoor thermometer. Stick it in the thickest part of the fish and it should read 125 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit.
Ways to avoid sticking to the grill!
Some people complain that the salmon sticks to the grill. The biggest contributor to this problem? Don’t try to spin it too soon! When the salmon is just cooked through, it will release from the cooking grates and turn easily. But if you touch it beforehand, it may stick and break. You don’t need to oil the grill grates. It is enough to lightly oil the fish and, when cooking, wait until the salmon comes off easily (about 5 minutes). Then it’s easy to rotate!
Another tip: Be sure to cook with the skin of the salmon. This is how they stay together on the grill. Skinless salmon sticks easily to the grill. We do not recommend using it here.
Another method: grilled salmon en papillote!
Another great way to avoid sticking to the grill? Build Grill the salmon en papillote! Here are the pros and cons of this method:
- Grilled salmon en papillote eliminates the need to flip fish on the grill.
- The compromises? The top doesn’t get as crispy as it does with this method, and the fish doesn’t absorb as much flavor from the charred grill. If that sounds interesting to you, check out our recipe for Grilled Salmon with Papillote.
Or try marinated salmon!
Other option? Attempt Marinated grilled salmon! This gives the salmon fillets a big, savory, moist flavor and is one of our favorite ways to make this recipe. Here are the pros and cons:
- marinade gives fish fillets a complex and hearty taste.
- It takes at least 30 minutes for marinating, but half of that time is your preheat time. You can also marinate in the fridge for up to 3 hours (simply remove 30 minutes before grilling).
Other ways to season salmon
There are a thousand and one ways to season salmon! Once you’ve tried this seafood spice, you might want to change it up a bit. Here are some more spice ideas:
What to serve with grilled salmon
Enough cooking: let’s talk about food! What do you serve with grilled salmon? Try using the leftover cooking grates for grilled veggies or pair them with a summer salad. Here are some recommendations for preparing your meal:
Craving more grilled seafood? Try our grilled scallops, grilled cod or grilled ahi tuna.
This Grilled Salmon recipe is…
Gluten-free, dairy-free and pescetarian.
The description
Here’s how to cook the absolute best grilled salmon! It’s perfectly tender and flavored with a magical blend of spices that takes it to new heights. Or try our Marinated Grilled Salmon with a quick marinade.
- Preheat a grill to medium-high heat (375 to 450 degrees).
- Salt the salmon (or switch to marinated salmon instead for marinating): While the grill is preheating, in a shallow bowl, combine 4 cups of room temperature water and 3 tablespoons of Kosher salt. Place the salmon in the water and wait 15 minutes (this should be about the time it takes to preheat).
- Pat the salmon dry with a clean towel. Rub generously with oil and sprinkle with the salt and kosher spice mix (or just salt and pepper).
- Grill the salmon, skin-side up, for 3-5 minutes (keeping the flames away from the fish) until grill marks appear and the grate is free. Flip and cook an additional 2 to 5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon, until the salmon is flaky and just pink at the thickest part and the internal temperature is 125 to 130 degrees. (Salmon varies in thickness, so the cooking time for each piece of fish will vary.) Let sit for a few minutes, then serve.
Remarks
*We highly recommend making this homemade seafood seasoning! To make a quick version just for the salmon, combine 2 tsp smoked paprika powder, 2 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, ¼ tsp kosher salt, and ¼ tsp cumin coffee.
- Category: main course
- Method: Goal
- Kitchen: seafood
- Diet: few calories
