Grilled lemon salmon is quick and easy to prep and full of zippy, bright flavor from the buttery lemon juice, zest, and garlic marinade.
Why this recipe works
We can’t get enough of flaky, tender salmon. This classic lemon salmon recipe is first sprinkled with garlic salt and lemon pepper, then marinated in a mixture of melted butter, brown sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and garlic. Pair it with some colorful grilled vegetables while you’ve got the barbecue fired up!
Lemon is by far the most popular flavor to pair with salmon. It’s bold, fresh, and bright, which complements the fish’s natural flavor extremely well. If you’d like to go the extra ten yards, try our rich lemon cream sauce from our baked salmon recipe to top it all off.
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
We love salmon in this family, so Antoine makes this grilled lemon salmon for us quite often. Recently we thought the photos in this post could use a facelift, so while you will see larger filets in the step photos, you’ll see thinner filets in the plated photos. That’s because each set of photos were shot at different times. We make it that often!
SALMON – We used two center cut filets, however, this will feed four people. To have nice individual filets, cut the raw salmon in half first so that you have 4 filets. Cutting already cooked salmon is possible but does not produce a clean line as the fish will be flaky.
MARINADE – The brown sugar will help tame the acidity in the lemon juice and zest. Cornstarch is used to thicken the sauce. Use freshly squeezed lemon juice, not the bottled variety.
How to Make Grilled Lemon Salmon
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Mix garlic salt and lemon pepper together and sprinkle on salmon filets.
- Melt butter. Mix melted butter with brown sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and garlic to make the marinade. Spoon over seasoned filets and allow to sit for a few minutes.
- Place remaining marinade into a plastic zipper gallon bag or a glass baking dish.
- Add salmon filets to bag or dish and turn to coat. Allow to marinate for 1 hour.
- Preheat grill to 400 F.
- Remove filets from marinade and set aside. Do not discard marinade.
- Add marinade from the bag/dish to a small saucepan. Whisk in cornstarch to the marinade in the saucepan and heat over medium-high heat for a few minutes. Just enough to warm it through.
- Place filets on grill flesh side down, skin side up. Cook for 15 minutes then turn over, skin side down and brush with remaining marinade. Cook another 10 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
Store any leftover lemon salmon in an air-tight container or tightly wrapped with aluminum foil kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Start salmon flesh side down first. If you start with the skin side down, the fish will begin to cook and become flaky. Therefore, when you flip it, the flesh will already be partially cooked and will fall apart on the grill grates.
Salmon is finished cooking when it reads 145F on an instant read thermometer. Always insert the thermometer in the thickest section of the fish.
Yes, of course! We have a dedicated post on baked lemon salmon that you can check out.
Serving Suggestions
Garlic lemon salmon can be served with a side of rice, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, asparagus, roasted carrots, or a dinner salad. I personally love to pair it with grilled vegetables!
More Salmon Recipes
- Grilled Salmon
- Cedar Plank Salmon
- Instant Pot Salmon
- Sheet Pan Salmon Dinner
- Dijon Lemon Caper Salmon
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Lemon Salmon
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Pin It Rate ItIngredients
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons lemon pepper
- 1 ½ pounds center cut salmon
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
Things You’ll Need
Before You Begin
- Start salmon flesh side down first. If you start with the skin side down, the fish will begin to cook and become flaky. Therefore when you flip it, the flesh will already be partially cooked and will fall apart on the grill grates.
- We used two center cut filets, however, this will feed four people. To have nice individual filets, cut the raw salmon in half first so that you have 4 filets. Cutting already cooked salmon is possible but does not produce a clean line as the fish will be flaky.
Instructions
- Mix garlic salt and lemon pepper together and sprinkle on salmon filets.1 teaspoon garlic salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon pepper
- Melt butter. Mix melted butter with brown sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and garlic to make the marinade. Spoon over seasoned filets and allow to sit for a few minutes.1 teaspoon brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons butter, 2 Tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 1/2 pounds center cut salmon
- Place remaining marinade into a plastic zipper gallon bag or a glass baking dish.
- Add salmon filets to bag or dish and turn to coat. Allow to marinate for 1 hour.
- Preheat grill to 400 F.
- Remove filets from marinade and set aside. Do not discard marinade.
- Add marinade from the bag/dish to a small saucepan. Whisk in cornstarch to the marinade in the saucepan and heat over medium-high heat for a few minutes. Just enough to warm it through.1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
- Place filets on grill flesh side down, skin side up. Cook for 15 minutes then turn over, skin side down and brush with remaining marinade. Cook another 10 minutes.
Expert Tips & FAQs
- Store any leftover lemon salmon in an air-tight container or tightly wrapped with aluminum foil kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
The recipes on this blog are tested with a conventional gas oven and gas stovetop. It’s important to note that some ovens, especially as they age, can cook and bake inconsistently. Using an inexpensive oven thermometer can assure you that your oven is truly heating to the proper temperature. If you use a toaster oven or countertop oven, please keep in mind that they may not distribute heat the same as a conventional full sized oven and you may need to adjust your cooking/baking times. In the case of recipes made with a pressure cooker, air fryer, slow cooker, or other appliance, a link to the appliances we use is listed within each respective recipe. For baking recipes where measurements are given by weight, please note that results may not be the same if cups are used instead, and we can’t guarantee success with that method.
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