Our recipe for Marinated Salmon packs a huge flavor punch but is so simple to make. A quick 2 hour marinade of white wine, lemon and garlic flavors make for a salmon marinade that everyone loves!
Salmon Marinade Ingredients
This is such a fresh salmon marinade. The ingredients come together for restaurant quality flavors. What I love about marinating salmon is because salmon is such a fleshy protein, it doesn’t take long to soak up the rich flavors of the marinade. All you really need is to marinate it for about 2 hours max!
- White Wine: Just a splash. Too much and the acid will semi cook the salmon.
- Lemon Zest: We use just the zest to capture the flavor of the lemon, but less acidic than the lemon juice itself
- Dijon Mustard: Stone ground, creamy or whole will work, whatever you have on hand.
- Olive Oil: This helps the flavors ‘stick’ to the fish, and provides a little richness from the fat.
- Garlic: Fresh minced, jarred, or even granulated would work too.
- Chopped Fresh Herbs: I used Dill, but chef’s choice. Rosemary, tarragon, thyme, or parsley, or even a combination of them would be great.
- Salt and Pepper: Just a pinch of both.
How to Marinate Salmon
Fish can only really be marinated for short periods of time, if it sits too long, the fish will get mushy from the acid breaking down the proteins. This is also why we try to limit the amount of acid in the marinade- it will semi cook the fish, which we don’t want.
I like to whisk the marinade right in the plastic bag in which I’ll place the fish to save a dish from clean up! You can also make the marinade in a casserole dish. I recommend placing a piece of plastic wrap right over the top of the marinated fish to almost create a seal, which will help the flavor of the marinade seep into the fish even further.
How to Cook Marinated Salmon
Baked Marinated Salmon: Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place salmon on a foil lined sheet pan (sprayed with nonstick). Bake for 15 minutes, or until salmon reaches 135-140 degrees fahrenheit at its thickest point. Remove from oven, and allow to come up to temperature on the counter. Salmon is fully cooked once it reaches 145 degrees fahrenheit. We talk more about this baking method here, and why it works so well!
Air Fryer Marinated Salmon: Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Spray air fryer basket with nonstick spray. Air Fry salmon for 10-15 minutes, or until salmon reaches 135-140 fahrenheit. Remove from Air Fryer and place onto platter, allowing salmon to rest & come up to temperature of 145 degrees fahrenheit.
Grilled Marinated Salmon: Make sure grill is clean by brushing grates beforehand, this will help the salmon to not stick (the olive oil in the marinade will help as well). Preheat grill to 450-500 degrees. Place salmon directly on grill, and close lid. Do not touch. Cook for 7-12 minutes, or until salmon reaches 135-140 degrees at its thickest point (salmon will release easily from grill once close to done). Remove from heat, and allow to come up to temperature on platter.
That’s it! Easy flavorful salmon, made any time of the year with a few different cooking methods and one delicious marinade.
If you like this recipe, here’s a few more salmon recipes we love!
- Miso Glazed Salmon
- Fresh and Easy Salmon Burgers
- Baked Salmon with Lemon Dill Sauce
- Pecan Crusted Salmon
- Grilled Salmon Burgers with Avocado Salsa
Looking for recipes to serve with salmon? Here’s a few we think you will enjoy.
- Oven Roasted Corn on the Cob
- Baked White Rice
- Greek Rice with Lemon and Feta
- Caesar Pasta Salad
- Fresh Corn and Avocado Salad
Cheers to easy recipes with loads of flavor- Kathi and Rachel
Marinated Salmon
Ingredients
- 1 1 lb salmon filet
- 3 tbsp white wine (dry works best. I used a Chardonnay.)
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp garlic (paste is ideal, but fresh minced or granulated will work as well.)
- 1 tbsp fresh chopped dill (other herbs will work as well, chef's choice. Rosemary, tarragon, or thyme are ideal).
Instructions
- Combine marinade ingredients to large plastic sealable bag. 'Mush' around until fully combined.
- Add salmon to bag, remove air. and ensure salmon is fully covered in marinade. Marinate for 2-6 hours.
- Cook as desired (see methods below). Salmon is fully cooked at 145 degrees fahrenheit using all methods. Baking Instructions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place salmon on a foil lined sheet pan (sprayed with nonstick). Bake for 15 minutes, or until salmon reaches 135-140 degrees fahrenheit at its thickest point. Remove from oven, and allow to come up to temperature on the counter. Salmon is fully cooked once it reaches 145 degrees fahrenheit. We talk more about this baking method here, and why it works so well!Air Fryer Instructions: Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Spray air fryer basket with nonstick spray. Air Fry salmon for 10-15 minutes, or until salmon reaches 135-140 fahrenheit. Remove from Air Fryer and place onto platter, allowing salmon to rest & come up to temperature of 145 degrees fahrenheit. Grill: Make sure grill is clean by brushing grates beforehand, this will help the salmon to not stick (the olive oil in the marinade will help as well). Preheat grill to 450-500 degrees. Place salmon directly on grill, and close lid. Do not touch. Cook for 7-12 minutes, or until salmon reaches 135-140 degrees at its thickest point (salmon will release easily from grill once close to done). Remove from heat, and allow to come up to temperature on platter.
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