Grilled Salmon with Garlic Lime Butter
Grilled Salmon with garlic lime butter is flaky, juicy, and cooked to perfection with crispy salmon skin. Brushing on the flavored butter makes each bite irresistible.
We’re sharing our best tips for cooking salmon on the grill so it doesn’t stick. Watch the video tutorial and see why we are so obsessed with this salmon recipe.
Grilled Salmon Video
Watch Natasha make this amazing salmon on the grill and learn all of our best tips and tricks for easy flipping and preventing salmon from sticking to the grill. Grilled salmon is quick and easy to make, and infused amazing flavor. That flavored butter is so good, we even used it on Grilled Corn on the Cob.
Your family and dinner guests will be humming over this salmon recipe. It’s sure to become your go-to salmon recipe for grilling season.
Grilled Salmon Recipe:
Break out the BBQ for this Grilled Salmon with Garlic Lime Butter and eat like you’re on vacation! Cooking salmon on the grill adds incredible smoky tones to salmon and the flavored butter takes it over the top with fresh summer flavor.
This grilled salmon recipe is easy-easy-easy. It marinates while you preheat your grill and cooks super fast.
Ingredients for Grilled Salmon and Garlic Lime Butter:
No need to go to a million different stores on a wild goose chase for any oddball ingredients for this recipe! Simple yet flavorful is the motto here! Just grab a few basic ingredients and you’ll be ready to get grilling.
- Unsalted butter
- Garlic smashed (NOT PRESSED)
- Lime juice plus lime wedges to serve
- Fresh dill
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 2 lb Salmon filet (SKIN-ON)
Tools for Grilled Salmon:
This recipe is simple and does not require any fancy equipment. Here are the tools we use to make it easier and safer to grill salmon.
- A long pair of Tongs to flip salmon
- A grilling spatula (or heatproof spatula)
- An oven mitt (for safety!)
- Saucepan and silicone brush to apply butter
How to Make Garlic Lime Butter:
This amazing flavored butter is used to marinate, baste, and then brush the salmon once it’s off the grill.
1. In a saucepan, melt butter and add smashed garlic, salt, and black pepper. Simmer 1 minute until fragrant then add chopped dill and lime juice and immediately remove from heat.
Cook’s Tip: Smashing the garlic infuses great garlic flavor into the butter sauce without burning on the grill.
How to Grill Salmon:
1. Spoon 1/3 of the sauce over the salmon then brush it on to distribute. Let salmon rest and marinate while preheating the grill.
2. Preheat grill to medium/high (350˚F-400˚F) and oil the grates. Place salmon onto grill, skin-side-up. Cover and grill over medium/high for 3 minutes.
3. Loosen salmon with a spatula if needed, then carefully flip over and brush the tops with 1/3 of the garlic-lime butter then cover and cook another 2-3 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 140˚F then transfer to a platter (it will rise to 145˚F while it rests).
4. Transfer to a platter and drizzle with 1/3 sauce reserved in the saucepan (if the butter sauce hardens, heat on the stove just until melted). Garnish with fresh dill and serve with lime wedges to squeeze over the top.
How to Keep Salmon from Sticking to the Grill:
Do yourself a favor and oil the grates! It’s a quick step that will make grilling and flipping salmon so much easier. Oil the grates after preheating. To oil the grill, dip a folded paper towel in a high heat cooking oil (it should not be dripping with oil). Use tongs to hold the oiled paper towel and rub over the hot grates. This also works great when making Grilled Salmon Skewers.
Salmon Grilling Tips:
- When grilling salmon, be sure to buy skin-on salmon fillets. Salmon is very tender and flaky and the skin helps keep it together on the grill without falling through the grates.
- The butter in this recipe makes the salmon juicy and rich in flavor – don’t worry about the amount as some of it is lost on the grill.
- When flipping salmon, wear an oven mitt and start with the filets at the back in case of flare-ups.
How Long Do You Grill Salmon?
So you know how long to cook salmon on the grill, we created this salmon grilling chart. The ideal internal doneness temperature is 145˚F. We take it off the grill about five degrees early since the temperature will continue to rise as the salmon rests off the grill. If you see white beads forming on the salmon, that means it is overcooking.
Follow these salmon grilling guidelines for cooking over medium heat (350˚F):
- 1″ thick fillets = 3 minutes per side
- 3/4″ thick fillets = 2-3 minutes per side
- 1/2″ thick fillets = 2 minutes per side
What to Serve with Grilled Salmon:
In just 30 minutes or less, you’ll have dinner on the table for a simple weeknight meal everyone will enjoy. Serve it with Grilled Vegetables, and Creamy Mashed Potatoes or Fluffy White Rice to complete the meal.
If you need more menu inspiration, explore all of our Side Dish Recipes.
Grilled Salmon Recipe with Garlic Lime Butter
Ingredients
Method
- In a sauce pan, melt 1/2 cup butter over medium heat. Smash 4 garlic cloves with the flat side of a knife and add to saucepan with 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Simmer 1 min or until fragrant. Add chopped dill and 2 Tbsp lime juice then immediately remove from heat.
- Arrange salmon fillets on a platter skin-side-down and spoon on 1/3 of butter sauce and brush over the tops. Let salmon marinate while preheating grill.
- Preheat grill to medium heat (350˚F to 400˚F). Oil the hot grates. Place salmon onto preheated grill, skin-side-up. Cover and grill over medium (350˚F) heat undisturbed, about 3 minutes on the first side.
- Carefully flip salmon over (it helps to have a spatula to loosen it and tongs to flip it over), brush on 1/3 of butter sauce then cover and cook another 2 minutes (or according to salmon grilling chart), until internal temperature reaches 140˚F (the temperature will continue to rise to an ideal 145˚F internal temperature off the grill).
- Transfer salmon to a platter and drizzle with remaining 1/3 of sauce in saucepan (if butter has hardened, heat on the stovetop just until melted). Garnish with fresh dill and serve with lime wedges to squeeze over salmon.
Notes
1″ thick fillets = 3 minutes per side
3/4″ thick fillets = 2-3 minutes per side
1/2″ thick fillets = 2 minutes per side
