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Perfectly grilled salmon with smoky, charred lemons makes for an unbeatable combination of flavors all enhanced by cooking on the grill.
Why is this Grilled Salmon Recipe the absolute best on the internet?
Grilling is a great way to impart smoky and charred flavors into food, but grilling fish can be tricky because of the delicate nature of the protein and the propensity to stick to the grates. But we’ve got a solution for you! We’ve tested out several different grilling methods, and the secret to perfectly grilled fish every time is to do the majority of the cooking atop some thick sliced lemon slices. This infuses the salmon with the lemon flavor, helps distribute the heat, and combats the fish getting stuck to the grill grates, and (on top of all of that) you get the tastiest grilled lemons to serve alongside your salmon after cooking.
Grilled Salmon Ingredients
You just need a few fresh ingredients to make this simple and flavorful grilled salmon. Here’s what you’ll need:
- 4 salmon filets, 3-4 ounces each
- 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil
- 1½ teaspoons of flaky sea salt
- 4 lemons, sliced into ½ inch thick rounds
Ingredient Modifications
I love a really simple seasoning on salmon (salt with a squeeze of lemon is wonderful!), but you can definitely play with this recipe to add different flavors. Here are some ideas for how you can change things up:
- Add spices – add garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika for a simple rub.
- Top with fresh herbs – once your salmon is finished grilling, top it with fresh herbs like thyme, parsley, dill, or chives.
Supplies Needed to Make this Recipe
- Gas or Charcoal Grill
- Metal Spatula
How to Make Salmon on the Grill
- Preheat the grill. Preheat the grill to medium heat, rub the salmon filets with olive oil, and sprinkle with sea salt.
- Cook on one side. Put the lemon slices directly on the grill and top with the salmon filets, skin-side down. You’ll use about one lemon or 2 large slices per filet. Close the grill and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Flip and cook on the other side. Flip the salmon, sprinkle a little more sea salt on the skin side, close the grill, and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, or until the salmon has started to turn light pink in color.
- Crisp the skin. Turn the heat up to high and flip the salmon filets skin side-down directly on the grates for 1-2 minutes, until crisp, then carefully remove them from the heat.
- Serve and enjoy! Serve alongside the grilled lemon slices and enjoy!
Grilled Salmon Frequently Asked Questions
Because salmon has such a beautiful, rich flavor on its own, I personally love a really simple seasoning of sea salt and lemon. Grilling the lemons adds
Absolutely! If you don’t have an outdoor grill, feel free to use a grill pan on the stovetop to cook your salmon. Follow the same time guidelines either way!
Salmon, and fish in general, cooks up nice and quick on the grill. You just need about 8-10 minutes to get the salmon cooked. Â
This salmon gets cooked on both sides on top of the lemons on the grill, then gets a final sear on the grill grates to crisp up the skin.Â
Absolutely! The crispy skin is arguably the best part about the grilled salmon!
Start by grilling with the skin side down first, then flip to the other side. This way, the skin side will be ready for a final crisp at the end of cooking.Â
Grilling on top of the lemon slices helps maintain moisture in the salmon and distribute the heat while cooking. Don’t forget to monitor the oven temperature so that you don’t overcook the salmon.Â
You don’t have to flip salmon on the grill, it will cook through without doing so, but I like to infuse the flavor from the lemons on both sides and allow both sides to get some cooking closest to the heat.Â
Your salmon is cooked once it is light pink in color and has reached an internal temperature of 145℉ at the thickest part of the filet.Â
The more you move the salmon, the greater the odds of it flaking and falling apart on the grill. You’ll want to use a gentle hand when flipping and try not to fuss with it too much once you’ve flipped it. Keeping the skin on also helps hold the filets together while grilled. Cooking on the lemon wedges helps combat the potential of the fish sticking to the grates as well, while still being exposed to the direct heat.Â
Sure! This is another popular method for grilling salmon (find our salmon foil packs here), you just won’t get the same char and crispness you get from grilling on the grates.Â
You can absolutely marinate your salmon prior to grilling if you want. A simple combination of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper would be really tasty. You don’t need to marinate the salmon long, as you don’t want the more acidic ingredients to break it down too much.Â
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Ingredients
- 4 salmon fillets – 3-4 ounces each
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons flaky sea salt
- 4 lemons, sliced into 1/2-inch thick rounds
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to medium heat and rub the salmon filets with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.
- Put the lemon slices directly on the grill and top with the salmon filets, skin-side down. You’ll use about or lemon or 2 large slices per filet. Close the grill and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Flip the salmon, sprinkle a little more sea salt on the skin side, close the grill, and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, or until the salmon has started to turn light pink in color.
- Turn the heat up to high and flip the salmon filets skin side-down directly on the grates for 1-2 minutes, until crisp, then carefully remove them from the heat.
- Serve alongside the charred lemons and enjoy!
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