Best Salmon Marinades for Grilling, Baking, and Pan-frying

These six easy salmon marinades are quick to make and add tons of incredible flavor and character to your salmon without overpowering the delicate palate of this soft, pink fish. Pan sear, bake, grill or cook in your air fryer!

Salmon

Salmon. It’s tasty, with a wonderful texture, and it’s versatile enough to suit a variety of cooking methods and cuisines. This meaty, powerful fish has been a staple of recipes all over the world for centuries now. If you want to take your salmon game to the next level, however, the answer is surprisingly simple: marinades! Here are our favorites marinades: lemon garlic marinade, chili lime garlic marinade, Asian salmon marinade, sweet and spicy marinade, honey mustard marinade and herby Italian marinade.

Salmon Marinades

It’s pretty easy to zest salmon up with these healthy, tasty salmon recipes.

We love these salmon marinades because they’re all made with fresh, simple ingredients. This is much better for you than most store bought marinades and sauces, which tend to be high in sugar and preservatives.

We chose these salmon marinades because it’s easy to work with the ingredients, knowing exactly what’s in the salmon recipe, and they’re pretty budget friendly too. Grab yourself a nice large salmon fillet on sale and add it to your next marinade recipe. Simply add the salmon to the marinade, throw it in the fridge (or freezer) and cook it later according to your own preferred method.

Salmon Marinade Tips and Tricks

• If you’re using a larger salmon fillet, we highly recommend slicing it into smaller portions before adding to the marinade. You can do this pretty much as soon as you get home from the store. Simply use a couple of freezer bags to portion out your salmon, divide up the salmon, place the salmon in the bags with your marinade ingredients, and seal. You can keep these handy bags in the fridge or freezer.
• ❗ Marinades work best when given some time to settle into the fish. 30 minutes is enough time to marinate salmon. We don't recommend marinating salmon more than 60 minutes or overnight . Marinade will start break down salmon and it will get mushy. Be wary that, because the marinade has been in contact with raw fish, it’s a cross contamination risk. That means you can’t reuse a marinade. You can always add it to your salmon while it’s cooking, but you’ll need to discard any leftover marinade when you’re done.
• Ziploc freezer bags are absolutely amazing for freezing your salmon. When you add ingredients to the freezer bags, it’s easy to add some clips, which can help the bag to stand up on its own, avoiding spillage. The other option is to marinate the salmon in a glass container.
• If you’re using frozen salmon, it’s always best to take it out of the freezer and put it into the fridge overnight. This allows the salmon to thaw slowly and evenly. You can speed this up by placing the salmon bag - not the salmon itself - in a shallow bowl of water.
• There are plenty of ways to cook marinated salmon. Frying, baking, and the air fryer are all time honored classic methods of salmon preparation.

Is it Safe to Marinate Salmon Overnight?

We recommend to marinate salmon up to 60 minutes. Acidic marinades will break down your fish and make it very mushy. USDA food safety regulations recommend that you keep raw fish in the fridge for up to 1-2 days without marinade. If you want to keep it for longer, you should freeze it instead.

How to Cook Salmon

You can always serve your salmon on a bed of roasted veggies like Roasted Asparagus or Roasted Potatoes, Mashed Potatoes and Steamed Jasmine Rice, add it to pasta, grill it, or air fry it. The choice is yours! Here are our recommendations for cooking salmon in a variety of ways.

How to Pan Sear Salmon

• Start by heating some oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Once your pan is hot and the oil is glistening, add your salmon, skin side up. Let it cook for 3-4 minutes before flipping, so the skin side is facing down. You can pour any leftover marinade over the salmon at this point, cooking for a further 3-5 minutes. Keep a close eye on the clock and your salmon to avoid overcooking. Use an instant read meat thermometer to guarantee best results.
• Once your salmon is cooked, the sides of the salmon should have just turned white to indicate that the salmon is cooked. Using a fork, test if the salmon flakes easily. If it isn’t, and the inside of the salmon is still translucent, the fish is undercooked.

How to Bake Salmon at 400F

First, preheat your oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place your salmon skin side down on the baking sheet. Bake the fish for 12-15 minutes, or until you can easily flake the salmon with a fork. Smaller salmon fillets don’t need as much time to cook.

How to Grill Salmon

Preheat grill for medium heat. Brush grill grate with oil lightly. Place salmon, skin side up, on the preheated grill. Cook for 5 minutes, then flip. Cook further for 5 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

How to Cook Salmon in Air Fryer

• Preheat your air fryer to 400° F| 200°C.
• Place the salmon in the air fryer and cook for 7-9 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fillet. Check for desired doneness with a fork. It it is not done, cook for another 1-2 minutes.

How Do You Know When Salmon is Done?

The safest internal temperature for salmon - as well as all other types of fish and shellfish - is 145 F. This is the internal temperature of the fish that you should get when testing the fish upon removal from your heat source. We recommend using an instant read meat or food thermometer and poking it into the thickest part of the fillet. Be sure to check our ultimate Temperature Guide to Cook Salmon.

Delicious Salmon Dinner Recipes

Miso Glazed Salmon

Creamy Dill Sauce For Salmon

Pineapple Salmon

Air Fryer Salmon Burgers

Bang Bang Salmon

Teriyaki Salmon

Pesto Butter Salmon

Baked Salmon and Asparagus in Foil

How Long to Marinate Salmon

If you make this recipe be sure to leave a comment or give this recipe a rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐! I will be happy to hear from you!

Print Recipe

Easy Salmon Marinades

These six easy salmon marinades are quick to make and add tons of incredible flavor and character to your salmon without overpowering the delicate palate of this soft, pink fish. Pan sear, bake, grill or cook in your air fryer!

Author: chefjar

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time12 minutes mins

Servings: 1

Calories: 439kcal

Ingredients

Garlic Lemon Marinade:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• ¼ cup lemon juice about 1 freshly squeezed lemon
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Chili Lime Garlic Marinade:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ cup lime juice about 1 freshly squeezed lemon
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
• ¼ teaspoon cumin powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

Honey Mustard Marinade:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce or to taste
• 1 garlic clove minced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Sweet and Spicy Marinade:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha Asian Chile sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste

Herby Italian Marinade:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes or to taste
• Salt and pepper or to taste

Asian Salmon Marinade:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger minced
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro finely chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
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Instructions

• Combine all marinade ingredients in a zip log bag.  Add salmon , seal the bag and shake. Place in the fridge for 30-60 minutes. 

Baking Salmon:

• Preheat your oven to 400° F| 200°C. Grease or line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place salmon fillet, skin side down, on the baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until is opaque and flaky when pulled apart with a fork.

Pan Searing Salmon:

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the salmon fillet so that skin side is facing up. Cook, without moving, until golden, about 4 minutes. Then flip the fillet and reduce the heat to medium. Cook further for 3-5 minutes, or until your desired doneness. Transfer to a plate and serve. 

Grilling Salmon:

• Preheat grill for medium heat. Brush grill grate with oil lightly. Place salmon, skin side up, on the preheated grill. Cook for 5 minutes, then flip. Cook further for 5 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Air Frying:

• Preheat your air fryer to 400° F| 200°C.
• Place the salmon in the air fryer and cook for 7-9 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fillet. Check for desired doneness with a fork. It it is not done, cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Notes

If you’re using a larger salmon fillet, we highly recommend slicing it into smaller portions before adding to the marinade. You can do this pretty much as soon as you get home from the store. Simply use a couple of freezer bags to portion out your salmon, divide up the salmon, place the salmon in the bags with your marinade ingredients, and seal. You can keep these handy bags in the fridge or freezer.

❗ Marinades work best when given some time to settle into the fish. 30 minutes is enough time to marinate salmon. We don't recommend marinating salmon more than 60 minutes or overnight . Marinade will start break down salmon and it will get mushy. Be wary that, because the marinade has been in contact with raw fish, it’s a cross contamination risk. That means you can’t reuse a marinade. You can always add it to your salmon while it’s cooking, but you’ll need to discard any leftover marinade when you’re done.

The nutrition information provided is an average per serving. It will vary based on which marinade you plan to use, the fish you use, and the ingredients you use. 

Nutrition

Calories: 439kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 75mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g

Course: Seafood recipes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: how to cook salmon at 400, how to cook salmon in air fryer, how to grill salmon, how to pan sear salmon, marinade for salmon, salmon marinades

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