How To Grill Perfect Salmon Fillets

It’s no secret that grilled salmon looks impressive — from its caramelized grill marks to its juicy, rosy interior — but did you know that grilled salmon is stunningly fast and easy, too?

With this recipe, we’ve cracked the code on moist and tender grilled salmon fillets that are perfect for Sunday meal prep, weeknight dinners, or for serving guests. Here, we’ve broken down the few key steps that will make this grilled salmon fail-proof — even for beginner grillers.

For quick and easy grilled salmon, you’ll want to use fillets, which can be seasoned in a brine in just 10 minutes (more on that below), and take less than 10 minutes to cook on a hot grill. Look for fillets that are roughly one-inch thick, about three inches across, and about six ounces each with their skin on. Fresh fillets or ones that have been frozen and thawed will both work for this recipe.

Yes, totally! Although you’ll miss out on the crispy and delicious skin, you can use skinless fillets for this recipe. Just make sure you start cooking skinless fillets with the side that did have the skin facing upwards.

Briefly brining your salmon before grilling it ensures that the fish is moist and flavorful, and it prevents the fillets from getting those funny little bubbles of white protein (totally harmless, if not a bit homely). For four fillets, you need two cups of water, one tablespoon of salt, and 10 minutes of brining — you can easily do this while the grill preheats.

Fish sticking to the grill grates is a legitimate fear — in fact, it’s probably happened to all of us at least once. But thanks to a few smart steps in this recipe, you don’t have to worry about these salmon fillets sticking.

1. Get the grill nice and hot. Give the grill plenty of time to heat up. You want the grill grates to be nice and hot when you add the fish.
2. Brush the fillets with oil. After brining, you’ll pat the fillets dry with paper towels, and brush them gently with oil.
3. Don’t flip too soon. When the grill is hot and the fillets are oiled, you’ll place the salmon skin-side up on the grill. Be patient as it cooks and let the grill marks form before you gently flip the fillets over with a fish spatula. If you meet any resistance, wait 30 seconds and try again.

Salmon is done when the exterior is opaque and the interior is still a bit translucent. For fillets, this is about six minutes of total grill time, or an internal temperature of about 135°F in the thickest part. If you don’t have a probe thermometer, use a paring knife to gently peek into the thickest part of the flesh.

If you plan to grill a bunch of fillets for meal prep and reheat them later, you can slightly undercook them, let them cool to room temperature, then store them in the fridge for up to four days. If you’re serving your salmon straight from the grill, a squeeze of lemon and a side of grilled vegetables is the simplest, easiest way to serve grilled salmon.