
Free: Healthy Freezer Meals Recipe Ebook
Get It NowThis post may contain affiliate links, which help keep this content free. (Full disclosure)
This is my go-to healthy and easy salmon marinade recipe, and once you try it, I bet it will be yours, too. It’s my best salmon marinade for grilled salmon, but I also love it for baked or seared salmon as well. It’s slightly sweet, slightly savory, majorly flavorful, and super simple.
Oh, and this marinade can go beyond salmon, too. It pairs well with almost all kinds of flaky fish, or you can even use it for baked pork chops instead of the pork chop marinade I usually use.
Salmon Marinade Ingredients
- Olive oil – I chose extra virgin olive oil for flavor, but avocado oil is suitable here too.
- Lemon juice – The acid helps to tenderize the salmon, plus the tang of citrus pairs very well with fish.
- Maple syrup – I use Wholesome Yum Keto Maple Syrup, which is naturally sweetened, sugar-free, and tastes just like real maple syrup. But you can use regular too if that works for you.
- Fresh herbs – I used dill and parsley, as these summer herbs work well on fish. Look for bright, leafy herbs that aren’t turning yellow. Dark green will have the most flavor. You could use dried herbs in a pinch (1/3 the amount of fresh), but for salmon fresh herbs work best.
- Garlic – Use fresh minced garlic, or jarred to save a few minutes.
- Sea salt – Salt helps the marinade penetrate into the fish.
- Black pepper

How To Make Salmon Marinade
This homemade salmon marinade recipe is beyond simple: simply mix all the ingredients together!

How To Use Salmon Marinade
Once the grilled salmon marinade is mixed together, transfer it to a large zip lock bag or baking dish, add the salmon, and move it around to coat in marinade.
TIP: Marinate salmon for 30 minutes ideally. An hour is the max. After that, the acid in the lemon will start “cooking” the salmon (like a ceviche), so you don’t want to marinate it too long or it will get mushy.
Then it’s time to cook. I love this marinade for grilled salmon, but you can also use it for pan seared or baked salmon.

Storage Instructions
You can definitely mix together the marinade a day or two in advance, but wait to marinate the fish until 30 minutes before cooking.
How long can you marinate salmon?
30 minutes is the ideal time to marinate salmon, but you can go up to 60 minutes. The marinade will start to break down the fish, and if you marinate it for longer than an hour, it will start to get mushy.
Can you freeze salmon in marinade?
No, you don’t want to freeze the salmon in the marinade, as it will surpass the 60 minute time limit. The acid will break down the salmon even if it’s frozen.

What To Serve With Salmon
Serve this salmon marinade recipe with a light side:
- Vegetables – Vegetable recipes like roasted asparagus, roasted cauliflower, and broccoli stir fry all pair well with salmon.
- Salads – Try salad recipes like spring mix salad, kale crunch salad, or Israeli salad.
- Sauces – Sauce recipes like hollandaise, pesto, or lemon butter sauce are all great on salmon.
Easy Salmon Marinade Recipe
Best Salmon Marinade Recipe (Grill Or Oven!)
The BEST salmon marinade recipe, made with 6 simple ingredients! Use this healthy, easy salmon marinade for baked, pan seared, or grilled salmon.
Recipe Video
Tap on the image below to watch the video.Like this video? Subscribe to my YouTube cooking channel for healthy recipes weekly! (Click the bell icon to be notified when I post a new video.)
Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.
Salmon Marinade
Salmon To Use With Salmon Marinade
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
-
Whisk together all marinade ingredients in a small bowl.
-
Pour the marinade into a gallon zip lock freezer bag. Add the salmon fillets, seal the bag, and massage to coat well.
-
Marinate for 30 minutes, no longer than 1 hour.
-
Cook salmon on the grill like this, or you can also bake or pan sear it.
Last Step: Leave A Rating!
Share your recipe picture by tagging @wholesomeyum and hashtag it #wholesomeyum on Instagram, or in our Facebook support group, too – I’d love to see it!
Recipe Notes
Serving size: 6 oz salmon, marinated and cooked
Nutrition info makes the following assumptions:
- Using Wholesome Yum Keto Maple Syrup. Sugar and carbs will be higher if you use regular.
- Only 1/4 of the marinade is included in the nutrition calculation, as a lot is discarded after marinating the salmon.
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
Want to save this recipe?
Create a free account to save your favorite recipes!
Sign Up To Save Recipes© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead. 🙂

19 Comments
CC
0It might be a good recipe but what about the cooking instruction??
Too many ads and distractions on this site.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi CC, You can find those instructions in the recipe card, which is right above where you left this comment. Ads keep the Wholesome Yum website running and allow me to develop recipes that readers like you can access absolutely free. However, you may be interested in Wholesome Yum Plus, which includes an ad-free version of the website, along with other perks.
Terry Franks
0This is a very tasty marinade. Personally, I found it a bit too sweet, but that is a personal preference. I will definitely make it again but reduce the maple syrup by half. Thank your this!
Arlene Medina
0Thank you
Gloria J.
0You failed to mention how long to bake the salmon… a very important aspect.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Gloria, The recipe on this page is for the marinade, and after that the salmon can be baked, grilled, or pan seared, all of which have different cook times. You can find those on the posts for baked salmon, grilled salmon, or pan seared salmon. Hope this helps!
Cheryl Pluim
0This marinade made our grilled salmon delicious last night. I added more garlic because we love it. The herbs were so flavorful. Yum!
Mary Beth Leeming
0Delicious!!!
Katie
0How much of each ingredient?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Katie, You can find the list of ingredients and their measurements on the recipe card.
Amy L Huntley
0This is the best marinade ever! The flavor was perfection!
Katie
0This pairs with the salmon so nicely! We love having this as our go-to.
Rachel Ellington-Spade
0This was superb! Do not substitute the herbs. Superb!
Kristyn
0Salmon is my favorite fish & it can be hard trying to find marinades that are good. I don’t need to look any further! This one was perfect!!
Natalie
0Wow…so good! I can’t imagine salmon without this! It was simple to make & adds so much flavor!
Scarlet
0This marinade was so good. I love the flavors of the fresh dill and parsley.
Jane V
0Thank you for this! Always looking to try news recipes for our salmon.
Jaclyn
0A delicious way to prepare salmon!
Natalie
0This was so delicious.