Fresh ginger and orange make the natural salmon flavor shine in this amazing Honey Glazed Grilled Salmon. Easy enough for a weeknight dinner; fancy enough for a celebration!
This post may contain affiliate links, but don’t worry – they won’t bite.
You just can’t beat the taste of freshly grilled salmon! We eat it regularly at our house, and this amazing grilled Honey Glazed Salmon, marinated with fresh ginger and orange, is one of our all-time favorite salmon recipes.
We like to serve this Grilled Honey Glazed Salmon with a fresh green salad and a light side. Pair it with our Carrot-Ginger Dressing and Cranberry-Orange Couscous for perfect a combination!
The prep for this Honey Glazed Salmon is super easy! Just mix up the marinade and let your salmon fillet soak in it for at least an hour (and up to 24), then throw it on the grill. If you prep the night before, you can have an elegant meal on the table in just 20 minutes!
Tips for Buying Salmon
- Fresh salmon should be firm, and have a deep “salmon” color.
- Salmon meat should have a slight sheen and appear somewhat translucent. It should spring back when touched.
- Cuts should be smooth, without obvious gaps. (Gaps and separations in the muscle fibers are a sign of old fish.)
- Packages should be airtight, with no visible liquid.
- Salmon’s fish odor should be mild, fresh, and pleasant. If it smells “fishy,” keep looking.
- Whenever possible, choose wild caught salmon over farmed salmon. The health benefits of wild-caught salmon are well-documented.
Grill Tips for Perfect Honey Glazed Salmon
- Keep salmon refrigerated until ready to cook.
- Keep salmon skin intact while grilling. The skin will help it stay together and keep the salmon meat from curling on the grill.
- Grill fish 3-5 inches from heat, 4-6 minutes per ½ thickness.
- If you must turn your salmon while grilling, do so only once. (Fillets under 3/4-inch do not need to be flipped on a closed barbecue.)
- Place salmon fillets on a barbecue grill mat for easier, cleaner grilling.
Honey Glazed Grilled Salmon with Ginger & Orange
Ingredients
- 1½ pound salmon fillet About ¾-1" inch thick
Honey Orange Ginger Marinade
- ¾ ounce fresh ginger peeled & chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- ⅓ cup light soy sauce or tamari
- ⅓ cup orange juice freshly squeezed if possible
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 green onion finely chopped
Instructions
- Gather and prep marinade ingredients.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together chopped fresh ginger, minced garlic, soy sauce, orange juice, honey, and chopped green onion.
- Lay salmon fillet in large dish or tray.
- Pour Honey-Ginger Orange marinade over salmon.
- Turn salmon over so skin side is facing up and exposed meat is immersed in marinade.
- Cover, refrigerate, and allow to marinate at least 1 hour, and up to 24 hours.
- When you are ready to cook the salmon, preheat barbecue (or stovetop grill) to medium. Remove the salmon from marinade and place the salmon on the grill mat. Reserve leftover marinade.Cover the barbecue and allow to cook for 4-6 minutes per ½-inch of thickness, or until the internal temperature reaches 125°F [52°C]. If you are using a grill mat, you should not need to flip the salmon unless it thicker than the suggested 3/4-inch. NOTE: If you are using a stovetop grill, you will need to flip the salmon halfway through.
- Remove salmon from grill and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
- While salmon is resting, strain leftover marinade into a small skillet. Bring marinade to a boil in over medium-high heat. Reduce liquid by about half, and remove from heat. I like to throw a tablespoon of butter into the sauce at this point, but it's not required.
- Serve salmon on a bed of fresh greens and top with marinade reduction.
Notes
Nutrition
Properly cooked salmon will look a couple of shades lighter, and will flake easily. The USDA recommends a minimum internal temperature of 145°F [62.7°C] for cooked salmon, which should be measured at the thickest part of the fillet.
It is important to note, however, that salmon continues to cook after it is removed from the heat. For this reason, we usually use an instant-read thermometer to check for doneness, and aim to remove salmon from the grill when it reaches an internal temperature of 125°F [52°C]. We then cover it and allow it to rest for 10 minutes or so before serving.
Why use a Grill Mat?
(A grill mat is not required to make this recipe, but if you use one, you will find that the process is a whole lot easier.)
If you’ve never used a barbecue grill mat, you need to give it a try! Grill mats make grilling fragile things (like fish) a snap, and smaller items won’t fall through the grate. The first time we used one, I was honestly amazed at how well it worked, without losing any of that great grill appeal we all love.
Salmon Safety
- Raw salmon should be stored in the coldest part of your refrigerator, for up to 2 days.
- Serve cooked salmon immediately. Any leftovers should be refrigerated within 1 hour.
- Leftovers should be eaten within 2 days.
If you love fresh fish, be sure to check out our recipes for Spicy Pan-fried Rockfish, Grilled Halibut over Greens, Korean-style Pan-Fried Fish {Saengsun Jun}, and Pan-Seared Sturgeon!
THANK YOU so much for being a faithful reader and supporter
of The Good Hearted Woman. 🌻 Be sure to PIN this post!
