Grilled Salmon

By Ali Slagle

Published Aug. 1, 2024

Grilled Salmon
Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Greg Lofts.
Total Time
35 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(176)
Comments
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For grilled salmon with crisp skin, tender flesh and nothing stuck to the grates, coat the skin with mayonnaise, an insulator that mitigates sticking, then cook the fish skin-side down the whole time. Skipping the flip allows the heat to rise up and gently cook the delicate fish, and as a bonus, creates really crispy skin. This method also works for other firm fish fillets such as red snapper, halibut or sea bass; just be sure to adjust the cook time so that the internal temperature hits 130 degrees (the minimum internal temperature for the salmon is 120 degrees).

Featured in: The Key to Great Grilled Salmon? Do Less.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 4(6- to 8-ounce) skin-on salmon fillets
  • Salt
  • Mayonnaise
Ingredient Substitution Guide
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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat a grill to medium. Pat the salmon dry and sprinkle all over with salt. Arrange the salmon skin-side up on a plate. Coat the skin with a thin layer of mayonnaise — less than 1 teaspoon per fillet. You should still be able to see the skin through the mayonnaise.

  2. Step 2

    Clean the grates with a grill brush. (No need to grease the grates.) Place the salmon skin-side down on the grill. Cover the grill and cook until the skin is crisp and the fish is opaque, 6 to 8 minutes. (An internal thermometer should read at least 120 degrees; thinner fillets will take less time than thicker ones.) Use a fish spatula to carefully transfer the salmon to plates, skin-side up.

Ratings

5 out of 5
176 user ratings
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Comments

Michael Napa

For years I’ve cooked salmon on the Weber with no problems — putting it on foil, away from a mound of coals on the opposite side, and adding soaked wood chips to smoke it. Before cooking, rubbed with a brown sugar, salt and pepper mixture. If you need grill marks, flip it over at the end. Salmon is a delicious maple brown, and best (for us) slightly underdone. Clean the grill with a wire brush and wipe with an oil drizzled paper towel. Lighter slightly cooled Pinot Noir is perfect with it.

Gus LaGasse

I don't really care for the skin, and I have found that laying the filet skin-side-down on a very hot grill saves the mess and bother of removing it with a knife. Within three or four minutes, you can slide any type of spatula between the meat and the skin. [Just be sure to season the top of the filet before turning.] After a few more minutes you will have a beautiful piece of fish and a crispy skin, side by side. I would caution against using a wire brush to clean the grill.

Veronica Allmaras

I live in Alaska, and we all grill a lot of salmon up here. Everyone I know grills it on a sheet of aluminum foil, and never worry about the skin sticking on the grill.

Alex

We've decided this is going into weekly rotation on our grill day. We grill over charcoal and it's phenomenal. Make it per recipe and you'll be thrilled with the results. Serve with a lemon wedge and finish with extra salt!

Stephanie

I don’t eat fish, but cooked for hubby and said it was great… no taste of mayo… he was surprised

Cindy

Cooked as directed. Easy and Delicious!

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