This easy grilled salmon is ready in 15 minutes. Simply brush the fish with olive oil, sprinkle it with spices, and grill. The skin is the best part, and I'll share a few tips for ensuring it's nice and crispy.
Of all my salmon recipes, including salmon steak and blackened salmon, grilled salmon is one of my favorites. When accompanied by an easy, make-ahead side dish such as broccoli salad, it's one of the easiest dinners I make for my family. Much like this grilled mahi mahi, it's ready in 15 minutes, and it's delicious!
Ingredients
The ingredients list for making this recipe is delightfully short! The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Salmon fillets: I almost always opt for skin-on filets. The skin, fatty and crispy, is my favorite part.
- Olive oil: This is my favorite oil - it's delicious. If you prefer an oil with a higher smoke point, use avocado oil. Melted ghee is another tasty option.
- To season: Kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
Variations
- You can brush the fish with melted butter or ghee instead of olive oil.
- Try adding more spices. Tasty options I tried and liked include ½ teaspoon of onion powder, paprika, or cumin, and a pinch of cayenne.
- Sometimes, I slice a lemon, brush the slices with olive oil or butter, grill them alongside the fish, then serve them with the fish.
Instructions
Cooking salmon on the grill is fast and easy. Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
You start by preheating your grill on medium and greasing it. You can use an outdoor grill, an indoor grill (including a dual-contact grill like the one I use in the video below), or a grill pan. Grease the grill thoroughly to prevent the fish from sticking.
Brush the salmon fillets with olive oil and sprinkle them with the seasonings.
Place the fillets on the hot grill, skin side down. Cover and grill until the outside of the fish is crispy and the inside is fully cooked. This should take about five minutes per side. If using a dual-contact grill, it should take a total of five minutes.
Serve immediately.
Expert Tip
When using skin-on fillets (as you should!), nothing crisps the skin better than grilling. Look at the lovely, crispy skin in the photo below!
Crispy salmon skin is delicious. As you probably know, many Japanese restaurants serve salmon skin sushi rolls, considered a delicacy.
In addition to making the skin crispy, grilling keeps the fish exceptionally juicy, as long as you don't overcook it.
Recipe FAQs
I like to season it simply with olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
Sage is also excellent with salmon but will char on the hot grill. So, I don't use this recipe, but I use it when making pan-fried salmon.
Place the fillets on the grill skin side down and allow them to cook undisturbed for five minutes. Then flip them carefully and finish cooking the other side.
Fish skin tends to stick to cooking surfaces, so it's important to grease your grill thoroughly. If using a grill pan or a dual-contact grill, make sure they're nonstick - truly nonstick with no scratches - and oil them before using.
Check with an instant-read thermometer. The FDA recommends cooking fish to an internal temperature of 145°F.
Serving Suggestions
Salmon is a versatile main course. You can serve it with any side dish you like. As mentioned above, I often serve it with broccoli salad. It's also good with a side of microwave asparagus or with this cucumber tomato salad.
The photos on this page show another common dinner plate in our household: grilled salmon, roasted broccoli (leftovers I reheated), and microwave sweet potato.
I also like to serve it with grilled portobello mushrooms, grilled broccolini, or grilled okra, grilling the main dish and sides simultaneously.
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat them gently, covered, in the microwave at 50% power.
You can freeze the leftovers wrapped in foil and sealed in freezer bags for up to 3 months.
Instead of reheating and drying the leftovers, I sometimes flake them and use them as a salad topping. They're excellent as an added protein in this arugula salad and can be used instead of chicken in this Cobb salad.
More Salmon Recipes
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Recipe Card
Easy Grilled Salmon
Video
Ingredients
- Avocado oil - for the grill
- 4 salmon fillets - 1-inch thick, skin-on, 6 ounces each, pin bones removed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or ½ teaspoon of any other salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Heat a grill, a nonstick grill pan, or a nonstick dual-contact grill on medium. Grease it well.
- Brush each salmon fillet on both sides with olive oil and sprinkle it with kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
- Place the salmon fillets on the grill, skin side down. Cover (you can loosely cover with foil if you don’t have a lid) and grill until the outside is crispy and the inside is fully cooked, about 5 minutes per side. If using a dual-contact grill (like I do in the video below), grill 1-inch-thick fillets for a total of about 5 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- To ensure the skin is crispy, place the fillets on the grill skin side down and allow them to cook, undisturbed, for five minutes. Then, flip them carefully and finish cooking the other side.
- Fish skin tends to stick to cooking surfaces, so it's important to grease your grill well. If using a grill pan or a dual-contact grill, ensure they're truly nonstick with no scratches, and grease them thoroughly before using them.
- The FDA recommends cooking fish to an internal temperature of 145°F.
- You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to three days. Reheat them gently, covered, in the microwave at 50% power. You can also freeze the leftovers wrapped in foil and sealed in freezer bags for up to 3 months.
Nutrition per Serving
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Disclaimers
Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.
