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The Best Grilled Salmon

grilled salmon with crispy skin and tender, flaky flesh using a quick lemon-garlic Dijon marinade. The salmon is grilled skin-side down first for grill-mark texture, then briefly flipped to finish at your preferred doneness.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
marinating 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 430
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Salmon marinade and grilling
  • 4 salmon fillets skin-on
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 clove garlic minced
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 0.25 tsp salt to taste
  • 0.25 tsp pepper to taste
Serving
  • 0.25 fresh dill for serving
  • 0.5 lemon wedges for serving

Equipment

  • 1 grill

Method
 

Make the marinade
  1. Mix olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper until combined and smooth.
Marinate the salmon
  1. Brush the salmon with the marinade, coating the flesh and keeping the skin-side intact for crisping. Let sit for 15 minutes (resting cue: marinade clings and the surface looks glossy).
Grill
  1. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat and oil the grates well so the skin doesn’t stick (visual cue: grates look lightly slick, not dry).
  2. Place the salmon skin-side down on the grill carefully. Grill for 6-8 minutes skin-side down without moving to build crispy skin and clear grill marks (visual cue: edges turn opaque).
  3. Carefully flip the salmon and grill for 2-3 minutes until cooked to desired doneness (visual cue: flesh flakes easily and looks just-set in the center).
Serve
  1. Serve immediately with fresh dill and lemon wedges to brighten the flavor (visual cue: dill scattered on top and lemon wedges at the side).

Notes

Pro tip: keep the salmon skin-side down and don’t move it during the first grill period—this is what helps the skin crisp and release cleanly. Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container for up to 2 days; reheat gently in a skillet or oven to avoid drying. Freezing is not recommended for best texture. If you want a lighter option, swap half the olive oil for olive oil spray while still brushing the surface evenly.