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Tender Grilled Salmon

Yield: 6 Servings
Prep Time: 2 hours 5 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 13 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ pounds salmon fillets, preferably skinless
  • Lemon pepper seasoning, to taste
  • ⅓ cup soy sauce
  • ⅓ cup brown sugar
  • ⅓ cup water or low-sodium chicken broth
  • ¼ cup oil, like vegetable, canola, or olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 2-3 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes, optional

Instructions 

  • Season salmon fillets on both sides with lemon pepper.
  • In a bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, water (or broth), oil, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes (if using) until sugar is dissolved.
  • Place the salmon in a large ziploc bag or shallow dish and pour the marinade over the top, coating the salmon evenly. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.
  • Preheat grill to medium heat.
  • Clean the grates well and lightly coat in oil. Grill the salmon (discarding excess marinade) for 5 to 7 minutes per side, depending on thickness, until the salmon flakes easily with a fork and the flesh looks opaque. Plan on about 10-14 minutes total cooking time for every inch of thickness (and add about 10 minutes for each additional inch). I find it's easiest to flip on the grill using a large, flat, metal spatula vs tongs so the salmon doesn't fall apart.
  • Alternately, the salmon can be baked (or grilled in foil). After marinating, wrap each salmon fillet in a foil packet (I like to drizzle a tablespoon or so of marinade over the top before sealing the packet).
  • Grill for about 15 minutes or bake in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes (again, exact time will depend on the thickness of the salmon).

Notes

Original Recipe: this recipe was originally posted way back in 2008. It still remains one of my favorite salmon recipes ever. Over the years, I've altered a bit to include the garlic powder (or fresh garlic) in the marinade (instead of sprinkling garlic powder over the salmon fillets), but you could continue doing it the old way. No prob.
Salt: I've also found I don't need/like the extra salt originally called for in the recipe, but if you do, continue to season the fillets with salt before adding the marinade.