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!
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.
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!
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Tips for Buying Fresh 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 ¾-inch do not need to be flipped on a closed barbecue.)
Place salmon fillets on a barbecue grill mat for easier, cleaner grilling.
How to Make Honey Glazed Grilled Salmon - Step-by-Step
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 and pour the prepared 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].
Grill mat: You should not need to flip the salmon unless it thicker than the suggested ¾-inch.
Stovetop grill: you will need to flip the salmon halfway through.
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.
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 the strained marinade to a boil in over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until the liquid is reduced by half. Remove sauce from heat and add one tablespoon of butter, allowing it to melt into the sauce.
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.
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 ¾-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
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
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.
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!
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!
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Mimi says
Salmon is legit my favourite thing to eat, I love it paired with ginger but I've never tried to use orange too, I'll have to see how it goes, it sounds amazing!
Renée ♥ says
Salmon is my favorite protein too, no question! If you love the ginger-salmon, you are going LOVE this. We were amazed by how well the orange brought everything together.
Jen says
Love this marinade, chocked full of flavor and easy to find ingredients.
Elaine says
The salmon recipe to fight for! The images look absolutely inviting, and the recipe seems easy to follow. Just perfect!
Jessica Formicola says
I am in love with that ginger and orange flavor combo! I can't wait to make this for dinner this week!
Sharon says
The glaze on this with honey and citrus makes the perfect topping for grilled salmon. One of my favorite salmon recipes.
Amanda Martin says
YUM grilled salmon is a favorite in my family for special dinners! I bet that glaze is delicious.
Pam says
Great looking recipe! We are big time grillers around here, but would you believe I didn't know about grill mats? Thanks for that. I'm ordering one now.
Renée says
We felt the same way about the grill mats! How did we not know?!?!
Sarah Althouse says
Oh yum I've never tried making a citrus salmon!