Follow these easy grilling tips to learn THE BEST way to grill salmon. This grilled salmon recipe is about to become your new favorite summertime dinner.
This recipe is brought to you by Weber Grills
There may not be another summertime recipe that hits our grill more often than this one, and that alone has made my husband the master of his domain: cooking salmon on the grill.
My main man GDawg (aka my husband) has years of experience perfecting the recipe for grilling a simple, bare-bones salmon. Although to be honest, it isn’t as much a recipe as it is method. Either which way, this salmon truly is the best because it’s easy, fast, healthy and flavorful.
No matter what skill level of griller you claim to be, my man’s tips make it easy to take command of the charcoal and serve up a moist and silky salmon dinner that won’t turn chalky and overcooked or leave half your fillet stuck to the grill.
Here’s how he does it.
Ingredients for this Grilled Salmon
- Skin-on salmon. Choose a nice filet of salmon with the skin ON (king, chinook, coho, or sockeye).
- A quality oil. Grape seed oil for its high smoke point, or an extra virgin olive oil are good options.
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. You can start playing around with spice rubs once you’ve mastered the basics.
Heidi’s Tip: Our Favorite Charcoal Grill
Gas grills are popular for their convenience and ease in heat control, but a charcoal grill is where you’ll really find that smokey flavor and aroma that makes the neighbor’s noses twitch with envy, wishing they were invited over for dinner.
Setting the standard, Weber’s kettle BBQ grills have come a long way from the classic Weber. With a heavy duty steel cart, side table, and propane starter, our Weber Performer Premium Charcoal Grill also comes with a built in thermometer, LCD timer and a handy bin attached underneath the cart to keep charcoal within reach but out of the elements.
How to Grill Salmon (aka My Husband’s Secrets Revealed)
- Fire up the grill. Avoid using charcoal fluid and its chemical taste. Instead, top your charcoal briquettes with a charcoal chimney starter stuffed with a few wadded up pieces of newspaper at the bottom. Light the newspaper, then watch as the fire and heat rise, starting the briquettes naturally. Once the briquettes are lightly covered with white ash, use barbecue mitts to empty the chimney starter and distribute the briquette coals on the bottom rack of the kettle.
Heidi’s Tip: Plan on about 20 minutes for the charcoal to be grill ready.
- Preheat the grill to 450°-500°F. Once the coals are in place, top with the lid to preheat the grill grates, similar to preheating an oven. This takes about 10 minutes.
- Oil the fish, not the grill. Contrary to popular belief, there’s no need to oil the grill grates. Oiling the fish itself improves the chances of it releasing more easily from the grates to look—and taste—better. Again, a neutral-flavored oil with a high smoke point like grape seed oil is a good one to choose.
- Grill the salmon skin side down first. Whichever variety of salmon you choose, choose a filet or salmon cut with the skin on. The salmon skin provides a layer of safety between the grill grates and the fish’s flesh as it cooks.
- Keep a lid on it. Maintain a more consistent cooking temperature with the grill lid covering the fish as it cooks, creating the same environment as an oven.
- Flip, then finish cooking. The salmon should release easily from the hot grill grates after 6 to 8 minutes. Flip it once, then cook for another 2 to 4 minutes.
- Let rest. The carry-over heat from the grill will finish cooking the salmon off the heat. Let the fish rest for a minute or two before digging in.
Tips for Grilling Salmon
- Choose the best charcoal. Because they burn at higher temperature and have none of the questionable fillers or binders, I like all-natural briquettes made from pure hardwoods but shaped in the familiar pillow shape. From hardwood to lump charcoal or briquettes, there are many types of charcoal available these days and each imparts a different flavor and ease in lighting—and lasting. Briquettes now come in a variety of flavors that emulate hard wood flavors like cherry or oak, hickory, mesquite, and more.
- Test whether the grill is hot enough. My husband says to (carefully!) place your hand 3 to 4 inches above the grill grates. When you can hold your hand in place for (3) one-one thousand counts, the grill is the right temperature to start grilling. Be very careful, you never want to touch a grate to see if it’s hot! Or, be like me and just look at the temperature gauge on the lid, looking for it to read 450°F.
- Flip once, and you’re done. To ensure that the fish holds together and doesn’t fall apart or stick to the grill grates, grill the salmon skin-side down for 90% of the cooking time.
FAQs
I prefer wild-caught salmon because it has more flavor, but if you’re dealing with eaters who are mild fish fans, a quality farm-raised salmon will have a more mellow flavor.
Like any protein, higher fat fish yields a more buttery bite. Salmon caught in the wild have to work harder than farm-raised, so they tend to be leaner and more fish-like in taste.
Grill the salmon on a 450°-500° F hot grill. The number one way to ensure success when grilling fish is a smoking hot grill.
Cook it skin side down for about 6-8 minutes on hot grates to ensure the fish won’t stick to the grates and will lift easily away once it’s done.
Plan on a batch of 80 to 100 briquettes to last about an hour, adding more briquettes as needed to increase the heat as you cook.
The fish will stick to the grates at first, but after about 6 to 8 minutes, the skin will crisp and release naturally, making it easy to flip and cook the other side for about 2-4 more minutes.
Grilled salmon is cooked when it reaches 145°F, but remember about carry-over cooking, where food will continue to cook once you’ve pulled it from the grill or oven.
To ensure your fish isn’t overcooked, transfer it from the grill when it is 125°-130°F, then let it rest for a few minutes before stripping away the skin and serving.
Sauces to Serve with Grilled Salmon
This simple salmon recipe is a delicious, blank canvas for sauces, toppings, and salsas to serve along with it, like:
- The Best Tartar Sauce
- Cucumber Dill Sauce
- Mango Fruit Salsa
- Dilly Creme Fraiche Sauce
- Easy 3-Minute Blender Hollandaise
- Easy Homemade Basil Pesto
- Tomato Avocado Salsa
- 5 Favorite Flavored Compound Butters
Love salmon? Be sure to make this maple crusted salmon or creamy salmon piccata next. Or, smother your salmon with basil gremolata next time.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a 
star rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
THE BEST Grilled Salmon
Ingredients
- 4 6-8 ounce skin-on salmon fillets , (about 1-inch thick)
- 2 tablespoons grape seed oil
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lemon , cut into wedges
Instructions
- Prepare the grill for direct cooking over high heat, 450°F-550°F. Brush the cooking grates clean and close the lid to heat.
- Generously coat the flesh side of the salmon fillets with oil and season evenly with kosher salt and black pepper. Grill the salmon skin side down over direct high heat with the lid closed, for about 6-8 minutes or until the fish lightens in color, becomes more firm to the touch and you can lift the fillets off the cooking grates without them sticking.
- Turn the salmon over, close the lid, and cook to 130°F or about 2-4 minutes for medium rare or longer to desired doneness. Transfer to a platter to rest for 1-2 minutes. Slide the salmon skin from the fillets and serve with wedges of lemon and tartar or cucumber dill sauce.
Nutrition
What to Serve with Grilled Salmon
- Herbaceous Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
- How to Make the Best Potato Salad
- Avocado and Tomato Salad
- Grilled Asparagus
- Easy Lemon Rice Recipe
- Grilled Corn Salad with Avocado and Tomato
- How to Make the Best Macaroni Salad
Here are 50 of my favorite salmon recipes.
Do you have a favorite grilling recipe, or a tip you’d like to add? Leave a comment in the section and share below.
This post is sponsored by Weber Grills. As always, thank you for reading and supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. There are affiliate links in this post of which I receive a small commission. All opinions are always my own.
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Ethan
This is the clear, practical commentary that really helps me know how to grill salmon well. Thanks!
Happy to hear it Ethan!
Chris
delicious
Glad you liked it Chris.
Kim
Great recipe! I followed recipe exactly, minus the pepper, used a Meater digital thermometer & removed from gas grill at 130 degrees. Salmon rose to 149 after 5 minute rest. It was perfect.
Yay Kim! So glad it worked so well for you Kim! Thanks for the review and rating!
Vanessa
Really pleased with how well this turned out. I did a short marinade in a teriyaki sauce before-hand. Added some chili crisp on top afterwards and served with rice and veggies.
Hayley
We’re so glad to hear you enjoyed this, Vanessa! We appreciate you giving it a try and leaving the 5 star rating! :)
Spud Fed
well the temperature was right on the grill getting hot your husband’s technique is absolutely perfect the only thing I’ve done different is have smoked paprika. that just pops it all off so I’ll give you a recipe four stars but I’ll give mine five not because I’m inpartial. love you you’re other recipes and subscribe to your website can’t wait to give them a try.
Hayley
Oooh yes, you can’t go wrong with smoked paprika! :) We’re glad this worked well for you!
Spud Fed
Hayley. Forgot to mention lime zest. For a great farmed fish. Idaho coho is 1st on the list for farmed salmon. I prefer a Oregon troll caught kingsalmon or Copper River red for wild commercial salmon.
Hayley
Oooh, yes, can’t go wrong with lime zest–yum!
Annie
Very good! Thank you!
Hayley
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Annie!
Frank Spence
Small point: in the text you say “flip to the other side for just another 1-2 minutes of browning”., in the recipe you say “Turn the salmon over, close the lid, and cook … about 2-4 minutes for medium rare or longer to desired doneness.”
Hayley
Thanks, Frank! We have adjusted this (you want to follow the instructions in the recipe card). We hope you enjoy!
Jason
honestly this was the easiest recipe I’ve seen for salmon but it shouldn’t be slept on. it cooks it to a perfect point when done correctly. 10/10 am recommending to friends
Thanks Jason! Glad to hear it worked well for you.