Grilled Lemon Garlic Salmon Recipe - Cooking Classy (2024)

Published June 11, 2018. Updated April 17, 2020

Grilled Lemon Garlic Salmon has such a bright, fresh flavor and its absolutely perfect for summer! Because hello grilling season. It’s easy to make, and only requires a brief marinating and quick grill time. With flavor like this it will likely become a go-to grilled salmon recipe!

Grilled Salmon Fillet

I grill a LOT of food in the summer. Most commonly it’s chicken and salmon so I’m always trying new ways to prep it with different flavors.

The lemon salmon combo is one of my favorites and of course I love the addition of garlic and herbs so here we are with this blend in oh so tasty recipe!

Cooking salmon on the grill takes less than 10 minutes, making it one of the easiest weeknight dinners to make during the warmer months.

Lemon Garlic Salmon Ingredients

This lemon herb salmon recipe is super simple to make and requires a handful of ingredients.

• Salmon fillets
• Fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary and parsley)
• Garlic
• Olive oil
• Lemons
• Dijon mustard
• Honey
• Salt and pepper

How to Grill Lemon Garlic Salmon

First, you’ll whisk together the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Place the salmon fillets in a shallow dish just large enough to fit the salmon then pour marinade over.

Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes carefully turning once halfway through.

Preheat a grill during the last 5 – 10 minutes of salmon marinating. Clean grates and brush with oil then place salmon on grill and cook to your liking. A little bit of the pink in the center is fine if, that’s how you prefer it cooked.

Serve warm garnished with parsley and decorate with mini lemon slices if you’re into that kind of thing.

Are you hungry now?? I know I am and now I need to add them to the menu again next week!

How Long to Marinate Salmon

Don’t marinate this lemon garlicsalmon longer than 30 minutes since it contains acidic ingredients (i.e. lemon juice and mustard). After that, it will start to alter the texture of the salmon.

How Long to Grill Salmon

This lemon garlic salmon needs to be grilled for about 3 – 5 minutes per side.Note that the salmon grill time will vary based on thickness of fillets and how you like them cooked, a bit of darker pink in the center is fine.

Should I Use Skin-On or Skinless Salmon Fillets?

You can grill skin-on or skinless salmon but when I’m marinating I like to skin them so the flavor will soak into both sides. If you grill skin-on, it will actually peel away easily after being cooked so keep that in mind for a different recipe.

If you don’t know how to skin a salmon fillet you can ask your butcher and often they’ll do it for you, if not there are plenty of Youtube videos that show how.

What to Serve with Grilled Salmon

This grilled lemon garlic salmon pairs well with a number of summer side dishes. A few of our favorite salmon side dishes include:

• Grilled Corn on the Cob
• Pasta Salad
• Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Grilled Mexican Street Corn
• Classic Potato Salad

Tips for the Best Grilled Salmon

• Pick the right salmon. The thinner fillets won’t work well for grilling. Look for a side of salmon or fillets that are at least 1 to 1 1/2-inches thick.
• Always preheat the grill, don’t start out with a cold grill. I like to use a medium-high heat. Preheating usually takes about 5 – 10 minutes, or more on cold days.
• Clean grates with a grill cleaning brush, then brush grates lightly with oil (vegetable oil or olive oil) so salmon doesn’t stick.

More Grilled Salmon Recipes

• Grilled Lime Salmon with Avocado Mango Salsa
• Grilled Salmon with Creamy Pesto
• Grilled Salmon with Avocado Greek Salsa
• 5-Ingredient Grilled Salmon
• Grilled Salmon Tacos