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The Best Salmon Marinade

The best salmon marinade with soy sauce, garlic, honey, ginger, lemon, and black pepper for sweet-savory caramelized flavor. Marinate briefly, then grill, bake, or pan-sear until the salmon flakes at 145°F.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
marinating 30 minutes
Total Time 47 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Calories: 650
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Marinade
  • 0.25 cup soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 3 garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper
  • 2 lb salmon fillets

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Mix the marinade
  1. Whisk together soy sauce, honey, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, and black pepper in a bowl or resealable bag until evenly combined.
  2. Transfer salmon fillets to the bag and turn to coat evenly, making sure each piece is well covered with marinade.
Marinate the salmon
  1. Let the salmon marinate 20–30 minutes at room temperature for best timing, turning once if needed for even coverage.
  2. For longer flavor, refrigerate up to 4 hours, and avoid marinating longer because the acid can start to break down the fish.
Cook and finish
  1. Remove salmon from the marinade, letting excess drip off, and reserve extra marinade for basting if desired.
  2. Grill, bake, or pan-sear the salmon until it flakes easily and reaches an internal temperature of 145°F, basting with reserved marinade partway through cooking.
  3. Serve warm, spooning any extra pan juices over the salmon before eating.

Notes

Pro tip: reserve the marinade you want to use for basting right after mixing, so you can keep it separate from raw fish drippings. Refrigerate leftover cooked salmon in an airtight container for 3 days; freeze cooked salmon for up to 2 months (marinade itself does not freeze well). For a lighter option, swap honey for a sugar-free honey-style syrup with similar sweetness.