Description

This Marinated Grilled Salmon recipe features tender salmon fillets marinated in a flavorful soy, lemon, honey, and garlic sauce, then perfectly grilled to a medium or medium-rare finish. The marinade doubles as a basting and serving sauce, enhancing the salmon’s natural flavors while the skin on helps keep the fish moist and easy to handle on the grill. Served with fresh herbs and lemon slices, it’s a simple yet elegant dish perfect for a healthy dinner.

Ingredients

Scale

Salmon

4 salmon fillets, skin on (150-180g/5-6oz each)
Olive oil, for cooking

Marinade (Sauce)

1/3 cup (85 ml) soy sauce, low sodium
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp honey
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced

Serving (optional)

Parsley, chives or green onion, finely chopped
Lemon slices

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Instructions

Marinating: Place the soy sauce, lemon juice, honey, olive oil, and minced garlic in a ziplock bag and mix well to combine. Add the salmon fillets into the bag and massage the marinade into the fish to coat thoroughly. Seal the bag and refrigerate to marinate for a minimum of 1 hour up to 24 hours for best flavor. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking to bring to room temperature. When ready, take the salmon out of the bag and place on a plate, allowing excess marinade to drip off.
Sauce Preparation (Basting and Serving): Pour the remaining marinade from the bag into a small saucepan. Simmer over medium-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly and becomes syrupy. Transfer the sauce to a bowl or jug; set aside some for basting during grilling and some for serving.
Preparing the Grill: Brush the grill grates with olive oil to prevent sticking. Preheat the grill to medium heat (use medium-low if your barbecue runs hot).
Grilling the Salmon: Drizzle the salmon fillets lightly with olive oil. Place the salmon on the grill flesh side down with the skin side up. Cook for about 3 minutes until the flesh is golden and grill marks appear. Carefully turn the fillets over using tongs.
Basting and Cooking Through: Brush the flesh side with the prepared marinade sauce. Close the BBQ lid and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes, basting halfway through. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 50°C (120°F) for medium rare or 55°C (130°F) for medium doneness.
Serving: Transfer the grilled salmon to plates. Serve with the remaining marinade sauce and garnish with chopped parsley, chives, or green onion and lemon slices if desired.

Notes

Use skin-on salmon fillets for easier handling and to retain moisture during grilling. Ensure the skin is scaled and bones are removed before cooking.
Substitute soy sauce with light or all-purpose soy sauce, preferably low sodium. Avoid dark or sweet soy sauce for this recipe.
Lemon juice can be replaced with cider vinegar, rice wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, or 1.5 tablespoons of other plain vinegars like balsamic or red wine vinegar.
For sweetness, substitute honey with maple syrup, brown sugar (2.5 tbsp), or another sweet liquid.
Olive oil in the marinade can be replaced with other cooking oils of your choice.
If fresh garlic is unavailable, use 2 teaspoons of jarred garlic.
Customize the marinade with chili flakes, hot sauce, ginger, five spice, or sweet chili sauce for added flavor.
Salmon fillets about 200g (7oz) and 2.5cm (1 inch) thick take approximately 6 minutes to cook after resting out of the fridge for 30 minutes.
Note that some marinade is lost during cooking, so nutritional values are slightly overestimated assuming all marinade is consumed.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 fillet (approx. 180g)
Calories: 320 kcal
Sugar: 8 g
Sodium: 700 mg
Fat: 18 g
Saturated Fat: 3 g
Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 12 g
Fiber: 0 g
Protein: 34 g
Cholesterol: 85 mg