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The Best Grilled Salmon

Grilled salmon with crispy skin and tender, flaky flesh using a quick lemon-garlic Dijon marinade. This American-style, omega-3 rich main cooks fast on a medium-high grill for clear grill marks and even doneness.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
marinating 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 410
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Salmon marinade and serving
  • 6 oz salmon fillets skin-on, 4 fillets
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 garlic minced
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 0.5 salt to taste
  • 0.5 black pepper to taste
  • 1 fresh dill for serving
  • 1 lemon wedges for serving

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Make the marinade
  1. In a bowl, mix olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, salt, and black pepper until smooth.
  2. Brush the marinade over the salmon fillets, then let them marinate for 15 minutes.
Grill the salmon
  1. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat and oil the grates well for easy release.
  2. Place the salmon on the grill skin-side down.
  3. Grill skin-side down for 6-8 minutes without moving, until the skin is crisp and grill marks form.
  4. Carefully flip the salmon and grill for 2-3 minutes until cooked to your desired doneness.
Serve
  1. Serve the grilled salmon immediately with fresh dill and lemon wedges.

Notes

Pro tip: Keep the salmon skin-side down and resist moving it during the first cook so the skin crisps. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 2 days; reheat gently so it stays flaky (avoid high-heat blasting). Freezing is not recommended for best texture. For a lower-sodium option, use a reduced-salt blend in place of the added salt.