The Best Salmon Marinade requires just a handful of ingredients to bring out the best flavor in your salmon. It’s the best marinade for salmon whether you are making grilled salmon or oven-baked.
This salmon marinade can be used with the two most common cooking methods for salmon: baking and grilling. Baking is a super easy method for cooking salmon that locks in flavor and helps cook salmon evenly. Grilling adds a lot of additional flavor to salmon which is a natural benefit of cooking over an open flame. No matter which method you use, this marinade is going to take your salmon over the top with flavor!
This marinade is an orange-honey-ginger based sauce. Each ingredient is important and offers something different to create the best tasting salmon. Soy provides seasoning on our fish rather than salt. Salmon always needs an acid, and orange is the perfect complimenting flavor. The honey works to balance out the acidity. Garlic and ginger add a complexity of flavor, with a touch of red pepper flakes for a little bit of heat. It’s the best salmon marinade for perfect salmon every time.
Spice Level in The Best Salmon Marinade:
The red pepper flakes in this recipe give it a nice warmth, without much heat. You can increase or decrease the amount of red pepper flakes according to your own spice tolerance and taste preferences.
Skillet Cooking Instructions:
Salmon is a forgiving fish that is easy to cook. Salmon is most commonly baked or grilled, though you can also cook it on the stovetop in a pan. This method works best for salmon portions and not large salmon filets. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Place the salmon skin-side down (if there is skin) and cook for 4 to 6 minutes, until golden brown. Flip and continue cooking for 4 to 6 minutes until salmon flakes easily with a fork.
Baking Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Season your salmon with desired seasonings. Wrap in aluminum foil. Place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until salmon easily flakes with a fork. The aluminum foil will trap in steam and help cook your fish evenly.
Grilling Instructions:
To grill salmon, preheat an outdoor grill to approximately 400 degrees. Place your salmon onto aluminum foil or a pre-soaked cedar grilling plank. Close the grill, and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, or until fish easily flakes with a fork.
Storage and Reheating Instructions:
Salmon is always best served fresh. If you have any leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in an oven preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit until warmed through.
If you like this recipe you may be interested in these other delicious salmon recipes:
I like crispy skin on my salmon, so will do skin-on salmon and pan fry. Should be delicious!!
Do you flip the salmon over when you pan fry?
Yes, flip half way through.
Can I use sugar in place of honey if I don’t have honey
Yes it can.
Let me start by saying thank you for sharing this amazing recipe! I first noticed this recipe on Facebook and the salmon was cooked in a frying pan. Is there any way you can post the instructions for that?
5 minutes per side in a skillet, give or take. It depends on the thickness of the salmon.
I first saw this recipe on face book and the picture of the Salmon there looks almost like it has been caramelized in a fry pan or broiled a little in the oven. Is it an actual picture of this recipe? I would like to know how to get that result! Please let me know!
The video on Facebook had a pan grilled salmon. This one photographed here was baked. It shows the versatility of the recipe.
Thanks! I will try it that way. It looks so delicious!
When you pan fry, do you cook both sides of the fish?
Yes. 5 minutes per side.
Do you use any oil in skillet. Such as Olive Oil and how much
No, I don’t.
Just broil it for 2 to 3 minutes. Cutting cooking time to compensate
I sure hope this recipe works! It SOUNDS good!
I grew up on Sockeye salmon,(on the Fraser River in British Columbia, Canada) and in case you don’t know, one CAN overdose on salmon! Eating it three times a week for years the same old way, I couldn’t even LOOK at salmon for years without gagging!!!
LOL!! Coulda shoulda changed the recipes. So sorry about that!!
I might have gotten burnt out eating sockeye, but we had king in Alaska and I still can’t get enough. Of course, we have more than one recipe. My dad ships it to Texas for me every year because IM SPOILED!
King had always been my favorite. We have a cabin in Alaska… I always look forward to fishing up there.
I have found for baking salmon, uncovered 325 for 18-20 min. is perfect
Depends on the thickness of the filet, but 13 to 15 minutes is probably more reasonable so it doesn’t dry out.
I wrapped the salmon with wax paper better then aluminum
awesome! I did a whole fresh squeezed orange, and also added 3 scallion onions. I baked a ~2lb salmon filet and added oyster mushrooms to the marinade to bake in the same dish. wonderful over pureed sweet potato to cut the saltiness of the soy sauce.
Kelly, you’re a girl after my own heart!lol
SKIP THE SOY SAUSE AND USE COCONUT AMIOS. TASTES EXACTLY THE SAME AND DON’T HAVE TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT THE “ESTROGEN EFFECTS” OR SALT OF SOY.
What are coconut amios, and where do you buy them?
aminos
Thanks for the tip! I’ve been looking for something to replace the high sodium content of Soy sauce! The low salt version, just doesn’t taste the same.
There are no “estrogen effects” in soy. On of the most widely distributed food myths around.
But a good substitution for the salt for sure!
Awesome! I was just wondering how that would work.
Organic soy sauce is much less salty
This looks delicious! Could asparagus be added in the same foil packets?!
You certainly could!
Would this work for chicken?
Should work!
It should. Good ingredients for chicken
I do not see why it would not work. I know I am going to try it on chicken and pork. You never know until you try it.