In just a few minutes, you can whip up this sweet and spicy sauce to make the most delicious maple glazed salmon. Cooked on the grill and bursting with flavor, you'll love this easy, quick, and tasty grilled salmon! Ready in just 25 minutes!
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✔️ Quick Recipe Overview
Why This Is The Best Maple Glazed Salmon: Healthy, delicious, and quick to make, each bite is bursting with flavor...we're talking the perfect weeknight dinner!
How Long It Takes: 25 minutes from start to finish!
Equipment You'll Need: Grill
This maple glazed salmon couldn't be any easier to make! Just like this Mexican flank steak recipe, it only takes a few simple ingredients to make every bite perfectly seasoned. We love salmon and make it all the time for dinner. What makes this recipe so great is the glaze is quick and easy to prepare and uses ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.
And there is no marinating involved. The glaze gets basted on before you grill it, which thickens and intensifies the flavor as it cooks. A healthy dinner recipe that is incredibly simple, it's the perfect main dish for salmon lovers. This is the best salmon recipe!
ℹ️ Why This Recipe Works
1. It's easy, quick to make, and beyond delicious!
2. Simplicity - this salmon maple recipe requires few ingredients and is the perfect balance between both sweet and savory.
3. While we use this sweet and spicy glaze on salmon in this recipe, it's also delicious on ribs, pork chops, and grilled chicken. With just one easy glaze, you can make so many different recipes!
🐟 Types of Salmon
This maple glazed salmon will taste amazing regardless of what type of salmon you use. In my easy to make Salmon with Cucumber Salad recipe, I dive into the details around two of the most popular types of salmon. The most common is Atlantic salmon. It's typically farm raised and easy to find at your local grocery store. It's very mild tasting and has a pale, pinkish color.
Wild caught salmon, typically referred to as Sockeye salmon, is more red in color. It's full of robust flavor and has a firmer texture when cooked. It's the second fattiest type of salmon and tends to be smaller and sold as a fillet. It tends to cost more than Atlantic salmon because it's only available fresh from late spring to September.
🛒 Ingredients You'll Need
This recipe only calls for a handful of ingredients. The base of the glaze is made with pure maple syrup. It's a natural source of sugar and pairs really well with the natural saltiness of the fish. Make sure you use pure maple syrup. It comes directly from maple sap and doesn't contain any additional sugars or additives.
I also include canned chipotles in adobo sauce to add a bit of subtle spice. For even more flavor, I add cinnamon, clove, smoked paprika, garlic, and salt. The apple cider vinegar balances the saltiness in the glaze while adding a bit of sweetness. It also adds layers of flavors you can taste in every bite.
📋 Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
Learning how to make maple glazed salmon is simple! You can either grill it on foil with cooking spray or on a cedar plank. Both methods work well, but if you use a cedar plank, it's important to soak it in water for at least three hours before grilling.
Expert Tip! To work against physics, put something heavy on the plank to keep it submerged. I find a glass filled with water works well.
About 30 minutes before you plan to grill, take the fish out of the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature for more even cooking. To make the salmon glaze, chop the chipotle pepper and then stir together the chipotle pepper with some adobo sauce, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, cinnamon, cloves, smoked paprika, garlic, and salt.
Brush the salmon liberally with the glaze and then you're ready to grill!
Heat the grill on the high setting until it's nice and hot, around 400°F. Turn the heat down to medium, about 325°F-350°F, and then place the fish on the grill and close the lid.
Expert Tip! Make sure to turn down the heat. First of all, you don't want to overcook it. Second, if you're using a cedar plank, the high flames could light up the wood even with the soaking!
After about 9-12 minutes, the salmon should be flaky and ready to enjoy. Before serving, add a little chopped fresh parsley to give it a nice pop of color and fork the salmon directly off the skin for a family-style presentation.
🌡️ How To Check For Doneness
And as a general rule, for ¾-inch thick filet it will take 6 to 8 minutes to cook until done. For 1-inch filets, it'll take between 7 to 9 minutes. For thicker filetts, it will take 9-12 minutes. You can also use an instant read thermometer to check for doneness. According to the FDA, when the internal temperature reads 145°, it's done. However, 125°F is the preferred temperature by many salmon lovers.
Salmon turns lighter in color as it cooks and it should appear a pink opaque color when fully done. You can also double check by flaking the fish with a fork. If it easily separates and isn't still raw, it's finished cooking.
🙋🏼 Frequently Asked Questions
No, you don't need to remove the skin before cooking it unless you want to. The skin contains a lot of healthy fat and grilling it with the skin on helps keep the moisture in during the cooking process.
If you prefer it skinless, use a pair of needle-nose pliers to remove any bones that may still be present. Use a chef or boning knife, make a cut between the flesh and skin, about 1-inch. Hold the knife at a slight downward angle and using a slow sawing motion, remove the fish from the skin.
Yes! Not only is it delicious, but it's full of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals. If you are going to eat this skin, make sure it's cooked. Don't eat it raw.
💭 Expert Tips
- For a tangier version of this glaze for grilled salmon, add a little more apple cider vinegar or even add orange peel for a citrusy kick.
- It's actually easier to leave the skin on and then remove it once the fish has finished cooking.
- The best way to reheat grilled salmon is in the oven at a low temperature. This reheating method helps ensure it doesn't dry out. To reheat, place the fish on a baking sheet and cook at 275°F for about 10-12 minutes or until heated all the way through. This reheating method also reduces the smell you get when you reheat salmon in the microwave.
- Leftovers will keep for 3-4 days if stored in an airtight container. Wrapping it in saran wrap and then storing it in the airtight container also helps keep it moist.
🥘 Side Dishes For Pairing
This cranberry wild rice is made in the Instant Pot and pairs amazingly well with this maple glazed salmon. Sweet and savory, it's a mixture of brown and wild rice that is pressure cooked in a citrus vinaigrette with flavors that are so delicious...people can't resist! And you can never go wrong with these roasted green beans and mushrooms. They are topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and deliciously coated with balsamic vinegar for a delicious depth of flavor. Try topping this refreshing orange walnut salad with this maple salmon. You will be amazed at the flavor!
🍽️ More Recipes You'll Love!
Along with this maple glazed salmon, here are a few recipes I especially love right now. These Ahi nachos with wasabi crema offer a fancy twist on your typical nachos recipe and are perfect for game day. And I love this Spicy herbed avocado dip with its creamy texture and mild flavor. The avocado is the perfect canvas for so many other dips. And this S'mores ice cream is loaded with rich chocolate flavor, toasted marshmallows, and crushed graham crackers. It's the perfect any time of year sweet treat!
Did you know I have even more easy salmon recipes? If you love an easy salmon recipe that is super simple to make, check out this pistachio salmon. And this dill sauce for salmon is absolutely amazing! You will love every bite of this recipe!
Grilled Maple Glazed Salmon
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. salmon
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 ½ Tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon adobo sauce
- 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- If using a cedar plank to grill, submerge in a container at least three hours before cooking. Fill a glass with water and place it on top of the plank to keep it submerged.
- About 30 minutes before you plan to grill, take the salmon out of the refrigerator.
- While the salmon comes to temperature, stir together the chipotle pepper, garlic clove, pure maple syrup, adobo sauce, apple cider vinegar, cinnamon, cloves, smoked paprika, and salt.
- Liberally brush the glaze onto the salmon. Place on the cedar plank or foil with cooking spray.
- Heat the grill on the high setting until it's nice and hot, around 400°F. Turn the heat down to medium, about 350°F, and then place the salmon on the grill and close the lid.
- Grill for about 9-12 minutes or until the internal temperature is to your liking, ranging anywhere between 125°F and 145°F.
- When done, remove from grill. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.
Notes
- Make sure you turn down the heat. First of all, you don't want to overcook it. Second, if you're using a cedar plank, the high flames could light up the wood even with the soaking!
- For a tangier version, add a little more apple cider vinegar or even add orange peel for a citrusy kick.
- It's actually easier to leave the skin on and then remove it once the fish has finished cooking.
- The best way to reheat it is in the oven at a low temperature. This reheating method helps ensure it doesn't dry out. To reheat, place the salmon on a baking sheet and cook at 275°F for about 10-12 minutes or until heated all the way through. This reheating method also reduces the smell you get when you reheat salmon in the microwave.
- Leftovers will keep for 3-4 days if stored in an airtight container. Wrapping it in saran wrap and then storing it in the airtight container also helps keep it moist.
Nutrition
Update Notes: This post was originally published in September 2018, but was re-published with updated step-by-step instructions, pictures, and tips in June 2022.
Jacque Hastert
I am drooling over this salmon dish. It sounds simply amazing!
Holly
I love this recipe! Chipotle peppers and maple syrup are such a delicious flavor combination! I can't wait to try it!
Julie
This looks soooo good -- I love the sweet-spicy combination. Chipotles in adobo sauce makes everything better!
Sri Mallya
This recipe looks so delicious and flavorful. Great pics too. Will soon try your recipe.YUM!