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Quick and easy Lemon & Herb Marinated Grilled Salmon recipe
Hot off the grill! Our quick and easy Lemon & Herb Marinated Grilled Salmon recipe yields tender, juicy, flavorful salmon, and it’s healthy too!
Salmon is our favorite go-to fish, and not just in the summer months. But when the weather is warm, grilled salmon is one of our favorite quick and easy meals. With just about an hour in a simple, fresh lemon herb marinade, this grilled salmon recipe is one you’ll want to put on repeat!
Salmon is a heart healthy fish with a big dose of Omega 3-fatty acids.
Salmon is nutrient dense, loaded with B-vitamins and is also a good source of potassium. It’s a high-quality protein and is believed to contribute to brain health and help fight inflammation. Salmon is readily available throughout the year and is a wonderful blank canvas for a variety of flavors. When fresh is not available, we buy frozen wild-caught salmon fillets.
Good quality frozen shrimp and fish is often fresher than the fish you’ll find in the seafood case at the grocery store. The display case is usually stocked full of previously frozen fish that has been thawed and may have been there for a few days. Don’t be afraid to ask your fish monger or buy frozen!
Quick and easy doesn’t mean you have to skimp on flavor.
With just a few simple ingredients, this grilled salmon recipe will be one you’ll want to make again and again. The fresh lemon and pungent herbs compliment the salmon perfectly without masking its rich, mild flavor.
Use fresh herbs for the best flavor. Parsley and oregano are our favorites for this grilled salmon recipe, but feel free to add thyme leaves or other fresh herbs, whatever you have on hand.
Here are a few simple rules you’ll want to follow to prevent the fish from falling apart on the grill.
There’s nothing worse than trying to cook salmon when it sticks to the grill and falls apart before you can get it on the platter. To prevent this problem we have four simple rules we follow each and every time we grill flaky fish.
- First, make sure you buy skin-on salmon fillets. If you remove the skin before cooking, the fish will surely fall apart. The skin helps hold the flesh in place. Fish skin in a good thing!
- Get your grill really hot before you start cooking. If you have a thermometer on your grill make sure it reaches about 500F before you begin. When using charcoal, most of the charcoal should be white before you start grilling. If your gas grill doesn’t have a thermometer, hold your hand a few inches above the grill and if you only last about 1 second, the grill is not enough.
- Probably the most important step, clean your grill grate with a wire brush and generously grease the grates using long tongs and vegetable oil soaked paper towels. You can clean and grease the grates when you first turn on the gas grill, but make sure you grease it again just before adding the fish fillets. If you want to grease the grates three different times during the preheating process, all the better! Vegetable oil is your new best friend when it comes to grilling fish.
- Finally, place the flesh side of the fish on the grill first with the skin side facing up. Grill the fish until it’s almost cooked through before turning. It should easily release from the grates once it has a good char. Once turned, you’ll only need a few minutes to finish it off, so don’t over-cook. Dry fish is not as good as juicy fish!
Grilled lemons are juicy lemons!
If you’ve never tried grilled lemons, you’ve been missing out! Grilled lemons are especially great with grilled fish. Once heated, all the juices of the lemon pour out with just a tiny squeeze. The bright and tangy flavor of a juicy lemon is icing on the cake when it comes to fish, and they make for a pretty presentation too! Enjoy
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Lemon & Herb Marinated Grilled Salmon
Ingredients
- 4 salmon fillets, skin-on
- 3 lemons, divided
- zest of 1 lemon
- juice of 1 lemon
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, chopped
- Vegetable oil for oiling the grill grates
Instructions
- Pat the salmon fillets dry with paper towels. Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and herbs in a small bowl. Mix well. Remove 2 tablespoons marinade and set aside.
- Pour the remaining marinade over the salmon making sure it is coated on both sides. Marinate the salmond in the refrigerator for 1 hour before grilling.
- Set all the burners on your gas grill to high. Cover the grill and preheat for 15 minutes. Clean the grates with a grill brush.
- While the grill is preheating, slice the remaining 2 lemons in half and brush the cut side lightly with vegetable oil.
- Generously and carefully oil the grates of your grill using tongs and folded paper towels soaked in vegetable oil.
- Remove the salmon from the marinade and place skin side up on the oiled grill. Add the lemon halves on the grill, cut side down. Leave the grill set on high and close the lid. Grill until the salmon is well charred about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the lemons when they are charred with nice grill marks.
- Using tongs and a large spatula carefully flip the salmon and continue grilling until the center is just translucent, about 1-2 minutes, depending on how thick the salmon fillets are.
- Remove the salmon and lemons from the grill and transfer to a platter. Brush the hot salmon fillets with the reserved marinade. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve with grilled lemons on the side.
Recipe Notes
- Salmon may be left whole, or sliced into individual servings. The salmon can also be trimmed for uniform pieces by removing the small end and side. Do not remove the skin as it helps hold the salmon together.
- Grilling time will vary if you are using thicker fillets or larger pieces of salmon.
Nutrition
Here are a few more grilled fish recipes you might also enjoy:
Char Grilled Salmon Tacos with Avocado Crema – delicious, healthy and easy tacos loaded with crunchy spicy slaw, a flavorful avocado crema and chunks of tender grilled salmon. Click HERE to get the recipe.
Grilled Salmon & Orzo Corn Salad ~ A light and refreshing orzo salad with fresh, sweet summer corn, tomatoes, basil, parsley, onion and a lemon vinaigrette served with a tender grilled wild caught salmon fillet. Click HERE to get the recipe.
Sriracha Grilled Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos – made with mild, flaky fish, grilled tortillas, and served with a sweet corn salsa, cheese and cabbage. Click HERE to get the recipe.
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says
Grilled salmon is in regular rotation here during the Summer, so I can’t wait to try this simply delicious version!
Tricia Buice says
Thanks Jennifer – hope you love it too!
Sue says
You always get my mouth watering Tricia, that salmon looks insanely good ~ so juicy! How do you get those great grill marks without over cooking the fish?
Tricia Buice says
Aww thanks Sue! When grilling fish I make sure the grill is very hot, then I oil the grates a few times before placing the fish flesh side down. It cooks almost all the way through then I flip it for a quick sear on the skin side. Works every time!
Gerlinde@Sunnycovechef says
What a good looking recipe, I am showing this recipe to my husband because he is the one that grills in our family.
Tricia Buice says
Great Gerlinde! Hope you both enjoy the recipe!