• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About Me
    • Contact
  • Recipes
    • Recipes Visual Index
    • How to Make Ice Cream without an Ice Cream Maker
    • Kitchen Cheat Sheet
    • Kitchen & Pantry Essentials
  • Services
    • Contact
  • eBook Store

A Cookie Named Desire

menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Services
  • eBook Store
  • Store
    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home - Dinner

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

    Grilled Jerk Salmon

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    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!

    Related recipes

    • A flaky barbecue grilled salmon
      Cedar Plank Grilled Barbecue Salmon
    • Grilled salmon tacos with a refreshing avocado mango salsa. If you only make one thing on the grill this summer, it has to be this.
      Salmon Tacos with Avocado Mango Salsa
    • easy grilled swordfish with pineapple salsa
      Grilled Swordfish with Pineapple Salsa
    • A fun and flavorful jerk shrimp salad that will transport you to an island vacation with a single bite. This easy salad recipe is light in calories but packed with flavor.
      Jerk Shrimp Salad

    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 mins
    Cook Time 18 mins
    Total Time 43 mins
    Course dinner
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4 fillets
    Calories 662 kcal

    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

    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

    More Dinner Recipes

    • twice baked sweet potato topped with streusel on white plate
      Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes with Streusel
    • close up of lemon chicken in pan
      Creamy Lemon Chicken
    • turkey meatballs coated in sauce in cast iron pan
      Turkey Meatballs
    • step by step process tutorial collage
      Chicken Broccoli Pizza

    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.

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Connect With Me!

    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    headshot of author with a cow

    Hi, I'm Amanda! I am the baker and photographer behind A Cookie Named Desire. I'm a world traveler (sometimes) with a major weakness for cookies and cheese. While I'm mostly self-taught, I recently received a degree in Food Science!

    More about me →

    Reader Favorites

    • S'mores Stuffed Cookies
      S'mores Cookies Recipe
    • homemade cookies scattered out on baking sheet
      Milano Cookies Recipe
    • cookies piled together on rack
      Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • avocado chocolate peanut butter smoothie in a glass
      Avocado Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie
    • Making salt water taffy at home is actually easier than you think
      How to Make Salt Water Taffy
    • finished jelly donut shots on a tray
      Jelly Donut Shot

    Spring Favorites

    • close up inside of cake
      Strawberry Upside Down Cake
    • fallen chocolate cake with slices being pulled out
      Fallen Chocolate Cake
    • 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies stacked with bite eaten from one cookie
      3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
    • edible brownie batter in bowl topped with fudge sauce and sprinkles
      Edible Brownie Batter

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Accessibility

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Services
    • About Me

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.