Simple Salmon Marinade
Add a gourmet touch to your fish dinner with a Salmon Marinade Recipe made entirely with long-lasting pantry and fridge staples.
The Best Salmon Marinade
When you eat salmon as often as my family does, it’s easy to get a little bored with it once in awhile. Often, the secret to impressing your taste buds lies in a simple marinade.
This easy marinade is a balanced blend of savory, sweet, tangy and umami flavors, carefully selected to enhance the flavor of salmon but not overwhelm it.
Below, I’ll teach you exactly how to whip up a quick salmon marinade, and then cook the fish so that it has a perfectly tender texture and a caramelized exterior.
Why You Will Love This Marinade for Salmon
- You won’t need a bunch of fresh herbs or even a fresh lemon. This marinade is made entirely with long-lasting pantry and fridge staples.
- The sugar in the maple syrup promotes caramelization during cooking, giving the finished salmon a beautiful lightly browned exterior.
- With minimal prep time, this marinade is perfect for busy weeknights or impromptu gatherings.
Salmon Marinade Recipe ingredients
- garlic – a cornerstone ingredient in so many marinades, this will add a pungent, aromatic flavor to the fish.
- soy sauce – adds umami and saltiness, so that the salmon is seasoned deep into its flesh.
- cider vinegar – adds acidity that helps tenderize the salmon.
- Dijon mustard – offers a tangy, sharp flavor and emulsifies the vinegar and oil together.
- maple syrup – brings a touch of sweetness that balances the acidity and saltiness of the salmon marinade recipe.
- salt and pepper – both enhance the natural flavor of the salmon.
- olive oil – the base of the marinade that adds moisture and prevents the fish from sticking to the pan or the grill while cooking.
How to make the Best Marinade for Salmon
1. WHISK. In a small baking dish or a pie plate, whisk the garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, salt and pepper until well combined. While whisking, slowly drizzle in the oil until all the oil is incorporated.
2. SALMON. Place the salmon, skin-side down, into the marinade.
3. FLIP + REFRIGERATE. Flip the salmon so it is flesh-side down in the marinade. Transfer it to the refrigerator for 1 hour.
4. REMOVE. After an hour, remove the fish from the marinade and discard the excess marinade. Then, cook the salmon using your preferred method. More on this below!
How to cook Marinated Salmon on the grill
To cook grilled marinated salmon, first brush the grill with a wire brush to remove any crumbs or crusty bits, then preheat the grill for direct grilling over medium-high heat.
Spray the grill grates throughly with cooking spray, then place the salmon, skin side down, directly on the grill grates.
Cover the grill and cook 4 to 6 minutes or until the skin is very crisp and the fish is beginning to turn opaque.
Using two heatproof spatulas if necessary, carefully flip the fish. Cover the grill and continue cooking until the internal temperature of the fish reaches 145 degrees F.
How to cook this Marinated Salmon Recipe in the oven
OVEN ONLY
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a rimmed baking pan with nonstick spray, and place the salmon, skin side down, in the center of the pan.
Transfer to the oven and bake until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the fish reaches 145 degrees F.
STOVETOP TO OVEN (RECOMMENDED)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large oven-safe nonstick skillet over medium heat. Transfer the salmon, flesh side down, to the skillet.
Cook 3 to 4 minutes, undisturbed, until the salmon flesh is deep golden brown. Flip the salmon so it is skin side down, then transfer the pan to the oven and continue cooking the salmon until it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F.
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Enter your email below and we'll send it to your inbox.
Home Chef Tips
- No matter what cooking method you choose to use, it’s very hard to give an exact cooking time for the salmon, as each piece varies in thickness.
- Using the methods above, your salmon could take anywhere from 8 to 16 minutes in the oven or on the grill to reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees F.
- Invest in an instant read thermometer. This is the quickest, easiest and best way to check the internal temperature of your fish without cutting into it and letting all the juices run out.
- Add a sprinkle of my salmon rub to your fish before cooking for even more flavor!
Easy Salmon Marinade variations
- MEDITERRANEAN FLAIR – Replace the maple syrup with honey, and add a few tablespoons of chopped fresh dill.
- ASIAN TWIST – Add a tablespoon of hoisin sauce and replace the lemon juice with lime juice.
- SWEET AND SPICY – Add a teaspoon of red pepper flakes and replace the maple syrup with brown sugar for a different kind of sweetness in this best salmon marinade.
How to store Marinade for Salmon
Unused marinade can be stored in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Once you’ve had raw salmon in your marinade, it’s best to discard the marinade. Don’t re-use it.
If you wish to use some of the marinade as a sauce for drizzling on the salmon after it cooks (good idea!), set aside a portion before adding the salmon to the remaining marinade.
Simple Salmon Marinade FAQs
Ideally, salmon should be marinated for about 1 hour. In a pinch, you can push it to 2 hours, but no longer than that. Marinating longer can start to break down the proteins in the salmon, leading to a mushy texture.
It’s not necessary to wash salmon before marinating. In fact, it will just spread bacteria around your kitchen. Skip it!
Salmon should always be marinated in the refrigerator to ensure it stays at a safe temperature, slowing bacterial growth.
Best Marinade for Salmon
Ingredients
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 ¼ pounds salmon either 1 large piece or a few smaller pieces
Instructions
- In a small baking dish or pie plate, whisk garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, salt and pepper until well combined. While whisking, slowly drizzle in oil until all oil is incorporated.
- Place salmon, skin-side down, into marinade.
- Flip salmon so it is flesh-side down in the marinade. Transfer to refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Remove fish from marinade and discard excess marinade. Cook salmon using your preferred method:
STOVETOP TO OVEN (RECOMMENDED):
- Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in large oven-safe nonstick skillet over medium heat. Transfer salmon, flesh side down, to skillet. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, undisturbed, until salmon flesh is deep golden brown. Flip salmon so it is skin side down, then transfer pan to oven and continue cooking until salmon reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F.
OVEN:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray rimmed baking pan with nonstick spray, and place salmon, skin side down, in center of pan. Transfer to oven and bake until internal temperature of thickest part of fish reaches 145 degrees F.
GRILL:
- Brush grill with wire brush to remove any crumbs or crusty bits, then preheat grill for direct grilling over medium-high heat. Spray grill grates throughly with cooking spray. Place salmon, skin side down, directly on grill grates. Cover grill and cook 4 to 6 minutes or until skin is very crisp and fish is beginning to turn opaque. Using two heatproof spatulas if necessary, carefully flip fish. Cover grill and continue cooking until internal temperature of fish reaches 145 degrees F.
Notes
- No matter what cooking method you use, the exact cooking time will depend on the thickness of your salmon piece(s); the salmon could take anywhere from 8 to 16 minutes total cooking time to reach temperature.
Wow! A recipe that I don’t have to adapt for my keto diet! This sounds wonderful. I’m always looking for good ways to prepare salmon, since I’m trying to increase the amount of fish in our diet. Another wonderful thing about this recipe is that the “sweet and spicy” variation tells me that I can make it even lower carb by using Swerve brown (an erythritol sweetener). This sounds like a winner on all fronts.
So glad this will work for you, Susan!