Grilled Salmon Recipes

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Packed with flavor and heart-healthy fats, salmon can handle the grill, whereas flaky fish like cod, sole, and tilapia tend to fall to pieces. So delight friends and family with one of our delicious and healthy grilled salmon recipes at your next gathering, or whip up a favorite to incorporate more fish into your weeknight dinner menu.

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Dilly Salmon Packets with Asparagus

Photo: Jennifer Causey

View Recipe: Dilly Salmon Packets with Asparagus

Adding the orange slices to the packets will perfume the fish and make the slices easier to squeeze after grilling. Remove the foil and arrange fillets over asparagus for a lovely presentation. No grill? Bake the packets at 425° for 15 minutes or until desired degree of doneness.

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Wild Salmon with Horseradish-Mustard Sauce

Photo: Sarah Anne Ward

Wild salmon tends to be leaner than farmed, making it trickier to cook; brushing the fillets with oil helps to keep them moist. Look for fresh starting in mid-may, or find it year-round in your freezer case. If using farmed salmon, look for fish caught in U.S. waters. We love the richness of full-fat sour cream here, but you can use reduced-fat if that's what you have.

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Salmon with Potatoes and Horseradish Sauce

Photo: Romulo Yanes

View Recipe: Salmon with Potatoes and Horseradish Sauce

You’ll be surprised at the sophistication of this 5-ingredient dish, which is easy, elegant, and beautiful. You can't go wrong when you start with salmon and a sour cream sauce, especially if the sauce is flavored with dill and horseradish. Fill out the plate with a side of steamed asparagus or haricots verts (slender French green beans), or barely wilted spinach or Swiss chard. If you have a mandoline in your kitchen, use it—carefully—on the potatoes to make the job of slicing go faster.

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Grilled Salmon With White Bean and Arugula Salad

Photo: Jennifer Causey

View Recipe: Grilled Salmon With White Bean and Arugula Salad

Ask for salmon fillets from the head end of the fish—the tail end is much thinner.

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Glazed Salmon and Rice Bowl

Photo: Greg Dupree

View Recipe: Glazed Salmon and Rice Bowl

A soy sauce, honey, and vinegar mixture doubles as a marinade for the salmon and a drizzle over the finished dish.

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Salmon in Smoky Tomato Broth

Photo: Jennifer Causey

View Recipe: Salmon in Smoky Tomato Broth

This delicate broth is a grade-A example of how to build big flavor—fast. Keep this recipe on deck for last-minute company.

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Salmon with Walnut-Avocado Guacamole

Photo: Jennifer Causey

View Recipe: Salmon with Walnut-Avocado Guacamole

Salmon is a staple in paleo diets as it's incredibly rich in healthy fats. The dish contains 32 grams of total fat: That's the amount in three Butterfinger candy bars. But the quality of the food—salmon, walnuts, avocado, olive oil—is premium, fresh, and delicious. You'll walk away happy, satisfied, and comfortably full—a fullness that will last for hours. Bonus: It's fast food, ready in less than 20 minutes.

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Sesame Cabbage Salad With Grilled Salmon

Photo: Jennifer Causey

View Recipe: Sesame Cabbage Salad With Grilled Salmon

There are lots of sustainable salmon options available now, from wild Alaskan to farmed U.S. species. Keep this easy recipe in mind for times when you have leftover cabbage in the fridge.

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Smoked Salmon, Barbecue University-Style

Photo: Brian Woodcock

View Recipe: Smoked Salmon, Barbecue University-Style

This whisky-scented smoked salmon combines the virtues of hot smoking and cedar planking. The dry brine in a sugar-salt mixture seasons the fish wonderfully.

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Nice and Crisp

Photo: Mary Britton Senseney/Wonderful Machine and Randy Mayor

View Recipe: Grilled Salmon and Brown Butter Couscous

Our Grilled Salmon and Brown Butter Couscous recipe offers the perfect pairing for a hassle-free, great-tasting weeknight meal.

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Grilled King Salmon with Tomato-Peach Salsa

Photo: John Autry

View Recipe: Grilled King Salmon with Tomato-Peach Salsa

Use a peach that's just ripe so it's juicy but still holds its shape. King (also called chinook) salmon is the best quality and works well in this dish, though sockeye works.

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Cedar Plank-Grilled Salmon With Mango Kiwi Salsa

Photo: John Autry

View Recipe: Cedar Plank-Grilled Salmon With Mango Kiwi Salsa

The smoky grilled salmon stands up nicely to the spicy sweetness of the tropical salsa. Prepare the mango salsa before the salmon so the flavors have time to meld.

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Grilled Salmon with Tangy Cucumber Sauce

Photo: Randy Mayor

View Recipe: Grilled Salmon with Tangy Cucumber Sauce

This recipe showcases the classic combination of salmon, cucumber, and horseradish. Use two spatulas to make handling the salmon easier. Garnish with lemon wedges, if desired.

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Bourbon-Glazed Salmon

Photo: Randy Mayor

View Recipe: Bourbon-Glazed Salmon

This recipe receives rave reviews, even from picky eaters who don't normally try salmon.

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Pan-Grilled Salmon with Red Pepper Salsa

Photo: John Autry

View Recipe: Pan-Grilled Salmon with Red Pepper Salsa

This grilled salmon recipe pairs rich fish with bright flavors. While the fish cooks, prepare the easy red pepper and tomato salsa.

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Grilled Pastrami-Style Salmon

Photo: Howard L. Puckett

View Recipe: Grilled Pastrami-Style Salmon

The classic seasonings associated with beef pastrami taste fantastic on this grilled salmon. Allspice is a fairly strong spice, so if you're sensitive to its "burn," use the lesser amount. Purchase a whole center-cut salmon fillet so that it will cook more evenly than a cut that contains the thinner tail end.

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Grilled Salmon with Chorizo and Fingerlings

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

View Recipe: Grilled Salmon with Chorizo and Fingerlings

Spanish chorizo is typically cured and has a smokier flavor profile than raw Mexican chorizo. If Spanish chorizo is unavailable, you can substitute Portuguese linguiça. Smoked paprika emphasizes the grilled flavor of the fish.

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Plank-Grilled Salmon with Grape Relish

Photo: John Autry

View Recipe: Plank-Grilled Salmon with Grape Relish

Serve this dish with pinot noir. Briny olives, sweet grapes, and rich salmon match well with the wine's balance of earthiness and acidity. Substitute picholine or other green olives, if necessary.

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Maple Grilled Salmon

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

View Recipe: Maple Grilled Salmon

The sweet-sour marinade is cooked down to a syrupy glaze that's brushed on the salmon as it cooks. The citrus and maple flavors would also be tasty with pork. Garnish fillets with orange slices, if desired.

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Grilled Salmon with Smoky Tomato Salsa

Photo: Randy Mayor

View Recipe: Grilled Salmon with Smoky Tomato Salsa

If you prefer a milder relish, remove seeds from the jalapeño before grilling.

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Grilled Salmon and Spinach Salad

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

View Recipe: Grilled Salmon and Spinach Salad

The citrus vinaigrette blends well with the smoky salmon, sweet orange slices, and crisp spinach in this superfast, super healthy recipe.

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Cedar Plank-Grilled Salmon with Avocado-Orange Salsa

Photo: Randy Mayor

View Recipe: Cedar Plank-Grilled Salmon with Avocado-Orange Salsa

Serve this smoky, flavorful salmon with Roasted Asparagus with Dijon-Lemon Sauce to round out the meal.

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Grilled Salmon with Apricot-Mustard Glaze

Photo: Randy Mayor

View Recipe: Grilled Salmon with Apricot-Mustard Glaze

Friends and family will beg for the recipe when you serve this sophisticated take on salmon. Brush the fruit reduction on the fish at the last minute to prevent sugars from burning on the grill.

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Grilled Salmon with Roasted Corn Relish

View Recipe: Grilled Salmon with Roasted Corn Relish

Grilled chiles and corn give the relish a wonderfully smoky flavor that pairs perfectly with grilled salmon seasoned with just salt, pepper, and cumin. Serve with a mixed green salad to round out the meal.

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Ponzu Grilled Salmon with Golden Beet Couscous

View Recipe: Ponzu Grilled Salmon with Golden Beet Couscous

Israeli couscous, highlighted with sweet golden beets, is the perfect companion to the sweet-tart Ponzu sauce that coats the salmon. Try for wild Alaskan salmon; its rich, red color makes this dish gorgeous.

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Grilled Salmon with East-West Spice Rub and Orange-Soy Glaze

Photo: Oxmoor House

View Recipe: Grilled Salmon with East-West Spice Rub and Orange-Soy Glaze

Don't remove the skin from the salmon until after you've taken it off the grill. The skin protects the flesh from the intense heat, allowing it to cook on just one side. This eliminates having to flip the fillets, which often fragments the fish.

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Grilled Wild Salmon and Vegetables

Photo: Howard L. Puckett

View Recipe: Grilled Wild Salmon and Vegetables

You often can find different varieties of locally-grown onions at farmers' markets and occasionally at supermarkets. Use a grill basket to cook the fish and vegetables.

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Alder-Planked Salmon in an Asian-Style Marinade

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

View Recipe: Alder-Planked Salmon in an Asian-Style Marinade

If you can get your hands on a filleted side of salmon, this is the recipe to choose. After a quick dip in a soy marinade rounded out with honey, ginger, and lemon, the salmon is grilled over indirect heat. Keeping it on a plank is one way to ensure that this large cut of fish stays extra-moist.

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Grilled Salmon Caesar Salad

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

View Recipe: Grilled Salmon Caesar Salad

Prepare the dressing up to a day ahead. Coho salmon is especially good in this salad.

Replay gallery

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1 of 30

Dilly Salmon Packets with Asparagus

2 of 30

Wild Salmon with Horseradish-Mustard Sauce

3 of 30

Salmon with Potatoes and Horseradish Sauce

4 of 30

Grilled Salmon With White Bean and Arugula Salad

5 of 30

Glazed Salmon and Rice Bowl

6 of 30

Salmon in Smoky Tomato Broth

7 of 30

Salmon with Walnut-Avocado Guacamole

8 of 30

Sesame Cabbage Salad With Grilled Salmon

9 of 30

Smoked Salmon, Barbecue University-Style

10 of 30

Nice and Crisp

11 of 30

Grilled King Salmon with Tomato-Peach Salsa

12 of 30

Cedar Plank-Grilled Salmon With Mango Kiwi Salsa

13 of 30

Grilled Salmon with Tangy Cucumber Sauce

14 of 30

Bourbon-Glazed Salmon

15 of 30

Pan-Grilled Salmon with Red Pepper Salsa

16 of 30

Grilled Pastrami-Style Salmon

17 of 30

Grilled Salmon with Chorizo and Fingerlings

18 of 30

Plank-Grilled Salmon with Grape Relish

19 of 30

Maple Grilled Salmon

20 of 30

Grilled Salmon with Smoky Tomato Salsa

21 of 30

Grilled Salmon and Spinach Salad

22 of 30

Cedar Plank-Grilled Salmon with Avocado-Orange Salsa

23 of 30

Grilled Salmon with Apricot-Mustard Glaze

24 of 30

Grilled Salmon with Roasted Corn Relish

25 of 30

Ponzu Grilled Salmon with Golden Beet Couscous

26 of 30

Grilled Salmon with East-West Spice Rub and Orange-Soy Glaze

27 of 30

Grilled Wild Salmon and Vegetables

28 of 30

Alder-Planked Salmon in an Asian-Style Marinade

29 of 30

Grilled Salmon Caesar Salad

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