Honey Glazed Salmon
- By Amy Dong
- Updated Sep. 26, 2024
This Honey Glazed Salmon is a zesty, sweet, and savory dish that’s full of flavor. It’s a super easy, delicious way to enjoy healthy salmon. Bonus: Learn what to look for when buying salmon.
In This Article
- Video: Watch Us Make This Recipe
- Why This Recipe Stands Out
- Key Recipe Ingredients
- Substitutions And Variations
- Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
- How To Prep Ahead
- Tips for Buying Salmon
- What To Serve With Honey Glazed Salmon
- Commonly Asked Questions
- Did you make this?
- Honey Glazed Salmon Recipe
- More to Cook and Eat
This post may contain affiliate links, at no additional cost to you.
Video: Watch Us Make This Recipe
Why This Recipe Stands Out
This Honey Glazed Salmon is the perfect combination of sweet and savory and one of our favorite 30-minute meals. Here’s why we love this recipe:
- Simple Ingredients: This easy salmon recipe involves simple ingredients that are easily accessible and perhaps are already in your pantry, like our Easy Perfect Mahi Mahi.
- Savory, Tangy, and Sweet: The glaze is perfectly balanced, adding just the right amount of sweetness and tang to the grilled salmon. Also try this Miso Glazed Salmon.
- Easy Grilling Technique: We use a simple grilling technique that anyone can master, whether you’re using an outdoor grill or an indoor grill pan.
- Healthy: Salmon is packed with Omega-3 fatty acids and is one of the healthiest foods you can eat.
- Easy Entertaining: As with most of our easy fish and seafood recipes, this recipe results in restaurant-quality flavor.
Key Recipe Ingredients
- Salmon – Salmon is a great source of high-quality protein, vitamins, and minerals. Make sure to buy fillets that are about 1-inch thick throughout for the best results.
- Honey – We use pure honey for our glaze. It adds a touch of sweetness that perfectly complements the savory flavor of the salmon.
- Lime – Both the zest and juice of a lime are used in the glaze. They add a refreshing, citrus note that cuts through the richness of the salmon.
- Cornstarch – This is used to thicken the glaze, helping it to adhere to the salmon and form a beautiful coating.
Substitutions And Variations
Here are our favorite substitutions and variations:
- Adjust Spiciness: The sriracha in this recipe is what gives it a little extra kick. Feel free to kick it up even more, if you like the heat. On the other hand, you can tone it down if you prefer it milder.
- Different Herbs: We love a good sprinkle of chopped green onions, just like we do in our Baked Salmon with Ginger Soy Marinade. Feel free to use chopped cilantro, or parsley, or even basil.
Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
- Whisk together all glaze ingredients until cornstarch is fully dissolved. Simmer the sauce until it thickens.
- Pat the salmon fillets dry and season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Grease and heat the grill. Grill the salmon for 2-3 minutes on each side.
- Serve the salmon immediately with the warm honey-lime glaze. Garnish as desired.
For full list of ingredients and instructions, see recipe card below.
How To Prep Ahead
Take a look at our favorite prep ahead tips and strategies:
- Glaze: You can make the glaze in advance. Whisk all the glaze ingredients together in a saucepan and simmer until thickened. Let it cool, then store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to use it, gently reheat the glaze on the stove.
- Salmon: If you like to season the salmon ahead of time, go for it! Sprinkle the salmon fillets with salt and pepper. Cover and keep in fridge for several hours or overnight, until ready to grill.
Tips for Buying Salmon
Salmon is typically readily available in various forms, including fresh, frozen, farmed, and wild. Although they all sport the Salmon name tag, various forms of salmon can differ quite a bit in terms of flavor and texture profiles.
Most notably, wild salmon tends to have more of a firm and dense texture than farm-raised salmon. Wild salmon typically has a deep, vibrant pink hue that looks (and is) leaner than farmed varieties.
Farmed salmon is generally softer and fattier, which leads to a more tender and buttery texture. The soft pink color of farmed salmon contains more white stripes. Whether you opt for wild vs. farmed salmon is completely up to you; just keep in mind that there will be an obvious texture difference between the two choices.
Both fresh and frozen salmon are fantastic; don’t be afraid to buy high quality frozen salmon fillets, as long as the fillets are individually vacuum sealed and flash frozen (label should indicate.) If you opt for fresh salmon from the seafood counter, be sure it doesn’t have a strong fishy smell.
We recommend buying center-cut salmon fillets of similar thickness, allowing for more even cooking throughout. Whether it contains skin on bottom side doesn’t matter; there is no need to skin it, as the skin will easily separate after cooking.
What To Serve With Honey Glazed Salmon
Rice or Pasta
- This Honey Glazed Salmon is amazing with Easy Rice Pilaf with Mushrooms!
- You can also serve it with Fluffy Jasmine Rice or this Perfect Instant Pot Brown Rice for a healthy, hearty choice.
- Skillet Pasta Primavera is delicious and pairs beautifully with the flavors in this dish.
Veggies and Salads
- Serve this honey glazed salmon with some Easy Roasted Vegetables for a healthy, well-rounded meal.
- A simple green salad will also work beautifully with the salmon. Consider this Kale Brussel Sprouts Salad or an Easy Chopped Greek Salad.
- If you want to stick to the honey-glazed flavors, you’ll love our 15-Minute Honey Glazed Carrots.
Commonly Asked Questions
We recommend using fresh, wild-caught salmon fillets for this recipe. Look for fillets that are about 6-8 ounces each and have a consistent 1-inch thickness throughout. This will ensure even cooking and a beautiful presentation.
The salmon is cooked when it turns opaque and easily flakes with a fork. Be careful not to overcook it, as that can make it dry. We recommend grilling it for about 2-3 minutes per side over medium-high heat.
Honey glazed salmon can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Make sure to store it in an airtight container to maintain its freshness and flavor.
Did you make this?
Please give us a rating and comment below. We love hearing from you!
Honey Glazed Salmon
Ingredients
For the Glaze:
- 5 TB pure honey
- zest of 1 lime
- 2 TB fresh lime juice
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp Sriracha, or more if you like
For the Salmon:
- 4 fillets salmon, 6-8 oz each, 1-inch thickness throughout
- kosher salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- chopped cilantro , optional, or sliced green onions for garnish
Instructions
- In a small heavy saucepan, whisk together all glaze ingredients until cornstarch is fully dissolved. Even a tiny bit of undissolved cornstarch will result in a clumpy glaze.
- Turn heat on to medium high. Continue whisking and simmering until sauce is thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and cover; keep warm.
- Use paper towels to pat dry salmon fillets. Sprinkle a light layer of kosher salt and black pepper on both sides of salmon fillets.
- Grease and heat outdoor grill or indoor cast iron grill pan, until oil is smoking. Grill salmon about 2-3 min per side over medium-high heat, or just until cooked through; don't over cook.
- Serve salmon immediately with warm honey-lime glaze. Garnish with chopped cilantro or green onions, if desired.
Notes
- We recommend buying center-cut salmon fillets of similar thickness, allowing for more even cooking throughout. Whether it contains skin on the bottom side doesn’t matter; there is no need to skin it, as the skin will easily separate after cooking.
- Thoroughly towel-dry the salmon before grilling to avoid steaming and ensure a nice, grilled texture. Excess moisture can prevent the glaze from sticking and caramelizing properly.
- The key to tender salmon is removing it from heat as soon as it’s barely cooked through, as it will continue to cook a bit after removing from heat.
- Actual cook time depends on the temperature of your fish prior to cooking, the temperature of the grill, and the thickness of the fillets.
- For more details on buying/cooking salmon, see original article.
Nutrition (per serving)
More to Cook and Eat
- Teriyaki Salmon – This is hands-down our favorite easy peasy salmon recipe ever.
- Curried Salmon Salad – Great by itself or in sandwiches. Croissants, ciabatta, and subs go perfectly with this salmon salad.
- Mahi Mahi with Mango Avocado Salsa. Fresh, scrumptious, and healthy to boot. Someone, make me this for dinner every night, please???
- White Fish with Lemon Butter Sauce – Tender, flaky white fish with a refreshing lemon-butter sauce…so, so good.