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Here’s how to make grilled salmon in foil: the easiest way to grill salmon! These tips make a perfectly moist and seasoned fillet.

Grilled Salmon in Foil
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Want to know the easiest, no-fail way to grill salmon? Make Grilled Salmon in Foil! We love a good crispy-on-the-outside charred fish, so we were a little skeptical at first. But this method results in one delightfully moist, perfectly seasoned fillet of salmon! It tastes completely irresistible, and the best part? It could not be easier. No nervously flipping the fish and worrying about sticking to the grill grates. Place it right in the foil and go!

How to grill salmon in foil: some tips!

All you need to know for this one: what grill temperature for salmon, and how long to grill salmon in foil? 6 minutes with the foil closed, then 1 to 5 minutes with the foil open. Here are the pointers, or jump to the recipe below for all the specifics:

  • Preheat the grill to medium high: that’s 375 to 450 degrees.
  • Place the salmon on foil. Brush it with olive oil and season it (more on that below). Close the packet and seal it up.
  • Grill 6 minutes with the foil packet closed. Then open the foil packet and grill 1 to 5 more minutes with the foil open, until the salmon is tender and pink or the internal temperature reads 125 to 130F at the thickest part.

That’s it! Spritz the salmon with lemon and serve. No flipping, no babying required.

Grilled salmon in foil

What to expect from grilled salmon in foil (vs on the grates)

Making grilled salmon in foil is by far the easiest method for grilling fish out there. There are a few tradeoffs with Classic Grilled Salmon or Grilled Marinated Salmon, where you grill the fish right on the grates. Here’s what to expect:

  • Classic grilled salmon comes out with a crispy top and charred flavor. If you love a crispy top to your salmon, you’ll want to use this method instead. Cook it right on the grill grates, then flip and finish cooking.
  • Grilled salmon in foil comes out perfectly moist. The top does not crisp up here, and you won’t get as much charred grill flavor because the foil acts as a barrier. But this method is extremely easy and the fish comes out incredibly tender and delicious!

The difference is almost like the difference between a pan seared salmon and a poached salmon. Cooking in foil makes things moist instead of crispy, but it’s incredibly easy. You’ll see the same interplay between our crispy grilled potatoes vs grilled potatoes in foil, or this charred grilled corn vs grilled corn in foil.

Best ways to season grilled salmon

There are so many ways to season salmon! This recipe has a basic seasoning but it’s incredibly delicious and perfectly salted. Here are a few pointers to note about seasoning salmon:

  • Use ½ teaspoon kosher salt for every 1 pound salmon. Use a little less if you’re using a seasoning blend with added salt.
  • Garlic powder, onion powder and cumin add just a hint of complexity (see below).
  • Spritzing with lemon is a must! You can also top with fresh chopped herbs.
  • Or, try our Magic Seafood Seasoning. This Salmon Seasoning has incredible flavor, and you can mix up a big batch in advance.
Grilled Salmon in Foil

Grill the lemon wedges if you’d like

Want to step up this recipe a bit? It’s not necessary, but we also grilled the lemon wedges right along with the salmon! It doesn’t change the flavor too much, but the charred look on the lemon wedges does add a little bit of fun to the recipe.

That’s it! All you need to know about grilled salmon in foil. We hope you love it: let us know what you think in the comments below!

What to serve with grilled salmon in foil

There are so many great sides to pair with grilled salmon in foil: and since your grill is fired up, why not use it too? Here are a few of our top grilled sides and a few more salad options for a perfect summer dinner:

More grilled fish recipes

The grill is perfect for seafood in the summer! Here are some top-rated grilled fish recipes:

This recipe is…

Gluten-free, dairy-free and pescatarian.

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Grilled Salmon in Foil

Grilled Salmon in Foil


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5 from 2 reviews

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
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Description

Here’s how to make grilled salmon in foil: the easiest way to grill salmon! These tips make a perfectly moist and seasoned fillet.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 1/2 pounds or 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, wild caught if possible
  • Olive oil, for brushing
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon each garlic powder, onion powder, cumin
  • 8 lemon wedges
  • Fresh herbs, for garnish (oregano, chives, basil, parsley, tarragon, etc)

Instructions

  1. Preheat: Preheat a grill to medium-high heat (375 to 450 degrees).
  2. Place the salmon in foil: Place a large sheet of aluminum foil on a baking sheet and brush it with olive oil. Pat each piece of salmon dry and place it on the foil. Sprinkle the salmon with the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and cumin (add a few grinds of black pepper if you like). Close the foil and seal it around the salmon.
  3. Grill: Place the packet directly on the grill grates and cook for 6 minutes. Then carefully open the packet and release the steam. Cook additional 1 to 5 minutes, depending on thickness, until just tender and pink at the center (the internal temperature should read between 125 to 130F when a food thermometer is inserted in the thickest part of the salmon).
  4. Optional: Meanwhile, grill the lemon wedges directly on the grill grates, cut side down, until blackened. (This doesn’t affect flavor too much, but gives a nice charred look to the lemons.)
  5. Serve: Generously spritz the cooked salmon with the lemon. Top with fresh herbs and serve. Leftovers keep up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
  • Category: Main dish
  • Method: Grilled
  • Cuisine: Seafood
  • Diet: Gluten Free

About the authors

Sonja & Alex

Hi, we’re Alex and Sonja Overhiser, married cookbook authors, food bloggers, and recipe developers. We founded A Couple Cooks to share fresh, seasonal recipes and the joy of cooking! Our recipes are made by two real people and work every time.

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5 Comments

  1. Rita M. Reali says:

    I made this last night. Well, to be more precise, I used your cooking technique. I put parchment atop the foil and lightly buttered it. Then I laid the salmon atop that and added salt & freshly cracked pepper. I wanted a lighter taste than onion, garlic and cumin, so I opted for citrus. Unfortunately, we were out of both lemon and lime juice, which necessitated plan B: orange marmalade! I added cilantro to mine (hubby despises the stuff). Put the sealed packets on a 400-degree grill. Five minutes later, I opened ’em up, cooked ’em another five minutes and they were PERFECT! The cat wouldn’t leave me alone ’til I gave him a good chunk of my salmon (spoiled boy, that Gabriel). I’ll definitely be making this again!






  2. Debra Peck says:

    I made the grilled salmon tonight. Everyone loved it. Thank you for another great recipe. You are my favorite bloggers. I cook salmon every week at least once. It’s my favorite food. Keep up the great posts. πŸ‘πŸ½πŸ˜Š






    1. Sonja Overhiser says:

      Thank you so much for the kind comments! We are thrilled to know that you enjoy our recipes. :) So glad everyone enjoyed the salmon — that makes our day!

  3. Sunny says:

    The salmon recipe sounds wonderful and very easy. Since I don’t have a grill, how would I prepare it in the oven?