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Home - Dinner

Published: May 14, 2020 · Modified: Dec 9, 2022 by Amanda Powell · This post may contain affiliate links.

Grilled Jerk Salmon

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Celebrate the warm weather with this flavor-packed jerk salmon recipe! This salmon is light, bursting with flavor, and great as a main or added to your favorite summer salad.


grilled salmon on plate

One of my go-to recipes for the family is jerk salmon. I've been making it for years. It's one recipe that even people who don't like fish will eat. I love how it is light, better for you, and so incredibly flavorful.

I usually do it as a dry rub, but this time I turned it into a marinade.


oil being drizzled into marinade cup

What is jerk salmon

This dish salmon coated in Jamaican jerk seasoning. Typically, jerk seasoning is used to make delicious, moist, and flavor-packed chicken. Here, we take the same principles and apply it to salmon. It is not traditional, but a wonderful way to make a light meal perfect for the warm weather.

The seasoning is a mix of spicy, sweet, and a little aromatic. Typically, I use a dry seasoning, but this time, I decided to go for a thicker marinade to infuse the jerk seasoning throughout the fish.


raw salmon being coated in marinade

Ingredients in jerk marinade

My original jerk marinade was a simple one, but over time and lots of tweaking, I found my perfect combination.

  • Brown sugar - This adds warm sweetness to the blend.
  • Onion powder - One of the foundations of good flavor and a staple.
  • Garlic powder - Another foundation flavor.
  • Oregano - Adds an earthy aromatic flavor.
  • Thyme - Adds an earthy, lemony, and peppery note.
  • Cumin - Adds earthy nuttiness.
  • Paprika - Adds subtle sweetness and smokiness.
  • Allspice - Brings spiciness and aroma with slight sweet and peppery notes.
  • Nutmeg - Brings warmth and sweet aromatic notes.
  • Cinnamon - Creates a sweet spiciness.
  • Cayenne - Brings a nice warm heat.
  • Salt & pepper - To enhance the spices
  • Oil - This brings the marinade together.
  • Lime - Adds a bright citrus flavor and balances the sweetness of the brown sugar.
grilled salmon on the grill

Why this recipe works

This recipe is great because it takes only minutes to make. It is just a matter of mixing the marinade together and slathering it onto the fish. You can marinade the fish for a few minutes or even half an hour or longer. Even if you decide to cook the salmon immediately, you will have an incredibly flavorful dish.

Your salmon will have a nice caramelized coating of seasoning on the outside which helps trap in the moisture. ​What is better than a juicy, flaky salmon filet with your meal?


close up of grilled salmon on plate

What to serve with jerk salmon

We love to serve our salmon in a lot of different ways. We will have it as our main with lots of roasted vegetables, and a grain like quinoa or brown rice. Other times I will serve it on top of a salad. You can also shred the fish and load up tacos. There is really no limit as to what you can do with your fish!


close up of forkful of grilled salmon

Grilling tips

Lightly grease the grill grate. This will help prevent sticking.

Because of the brown sugar, the outside will caramelize quickly. I recommend not placing the salmon on direct heat. Since the fish darkens quickly, you should check the fish not by the color, but by carefully checking flakiness.

When the fish is finished it should be opaque and very flaky. Be careful to not cut the middle of the fish as it will release all the juices and leave you with a dried-out fish.

Storage tips

You can store fully cooled salmon in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. You cannot freeze the cooked fish.

To reheat, you can use the microwave, or place in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes at 300F. 

close up of inside the grilled jerk salmon

If you try this recipe, please tag me on instagram! Be sure to also follow me on Facebook, and sign up to my newsletter so you never miss out on another tasty treat!

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Recipe Card

close up of piece of salmon on fork

Grilled Jerk Salmon

Amanda Powell
A juicy jerk salmon that will be the best part about your summer grilling
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 25 minutes mins
Cook Time 18 minutes mins
Total Time 43 minutes mins
Course dinner
Cuisine American
Servings 4 fillets
Calories 662 kcal
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ½ tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • ¼ teaspoon allspice
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ⅓ cup Mazola Corn Oil
  • 1 ½ tablespoons lime juice
  • salt to taste
  • pepper to taste
  • 4 salmon fillets
Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions
 

  • Clean your grill and preheat.
  • Mix together all the ingredients for the marinade except for the Mazola Corn Oil and the lime juice in a small bowl.
  • Add the Mazola Corn Oil and lime juice into the bowl and stir well. If the mixture is too thick to coat the fish, you can add water, as needed.
  • Coat the salmon fillets top and bottom with the marinade. Set aside for your desired amount of time (note, you can cook the fish immediately, but you should not marinate the fish for longer than 2 hours. If you are marinating the fish for longer, do not preheat your grill until you are ready to grill).
  • Prepare your grill grate and place your salmon on the grill.
  • Grill for about 5 - 6 minutes per side, or until opaque and flaky. Allow it to rest for a few minutes.
  • Serve hot!

Notes

I recommend multiplying the dry seasoning for the jerk marinade and storing it so you can create your marinade whenever you want!

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 662kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 51gFat: 46gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 35gCholesterol: 143mgSodium: 288mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4g
Keyword barbecue, grilling, jerk, salmon
Tried this recipe?Tag me on Instagram! @acookienameddesire #acookienameddesire

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About Amanda Powell

Baker, photographer, and sometimes world traveler behind A Cookie Named Desire. Obsessed with helping people live life sweetly with delicious food to share with the special people in your life and creating lasting memories.

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Hey, I'm Amanda!

I am the baker and photographer behind A Cookie Named Desire. I'm a cookbook author, food science nerd, world traveler (sometimes) with a major weakness for cookies and cheese.

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