Easy Salmon Marinade
Add a gourmet touch to your fish dinner with the Best Salmon Marinade made entirely with long-lasting pantry and fridge staples.
This Is The Best Salmon Marinade For Any Way You Want To Cook!
When you eat salmon as often as our 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, we’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 Recipe For Marinated 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 Fish Marinade Ingredients
A full recipe card, including exact ingredient amounts, appears at the bottom of this post.
- 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. We’ve also tested this with honey, and that works well, too.
- 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 Easy Salmon Marinade

1. WHISK. In a small baking dish, 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. MARINATE. Place the salmon filets, skin side-down, into the marinade. Then, flip the salmon so it is flesh side-down in the marinade. Transfer it to the refrigerator for 1 hour.
3. COOK. 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 Use This Quick Salmon Marinade For Grilling
For a detailed tutorial on grilling salmon, see our How To Cook Salmon On The Grill post. TLDR is as follows:
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 a heatproof spatula, 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 Recipe For Marinated Salmon In The Oven
For a detailed tutorial on this, see our How To Cook Salmon In The Oven post. It’s written for sockeye salmon but will work with any variety of salmon. TLDR is as follows:
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.
Marinade For Salmon Fillet 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 our salmon rub to your fish before cooking for even more flavor!

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Best 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 each of hoisin sauce and freshly grated ginger, and replace the lemon juice with lime juice. Finish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
- 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 Salmon Fish Marinade
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.
Marinade For Salmon Fillets 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.
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Best Salmon Marinade
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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.
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!