Quick Broiled Salmon

The best way to get dinner on the table…fast? Broiled salmon! It’s flaky and full of savory flavor, and it takes only 10 minutes to cook.

Here’s a new secret that’s revolutionized our dinners. One of the best ways to cook salmon is broiled! Do away with your old baked salmon recipes. With broiled salmon, you don’t even need to preheat your oven! Let it come to room temp, then broil it for 7 to 10 minutes until cooked through. Easy as that! While it broils, we highly recommend making up our lemon caper sauce. It makes the fish sing with tangy and briny flavor! Alex and I exchanged glances of surprise when we first tasted this fish: it was so flaky and moist, we couldn’t stop eating it. Here’s how to make the best broiled salmon around!

Broiler basics to know!

If you only read one thing in this article, read this part! Here are a few things to know about broiling before you start:

• Broilers vary, so watch the cook time carefully! A thermometer is helpful. The exact timing for this broiled salmon depends on your specific broiler and the thickness of the fish. It will be different every time: so watch closely! A food thermometer is nice for judging whether it’s done.
• Most broilers are about 3 to 5 inches from the heating element. If yours is closer, take care and watch the salmon during the cook time.
• Do you need to preheat a broiler? Yes and no. You don’t need to preheat it, but turn it on about 5 minutes before you want to cook. This gives it time to heat up!

How to broil salmon salmon: basic steps

There are just a few steps to understand about broiled salmon before you start. You can skip to the recipe below if you like, but here’s some of the why behind the what:

• Brine the salmon (or let it come to room temp). The first step is optional but it makes the best crispy on the outside, moist on the inside piece of salmon without white stuff (see below). Place the salmon in a salt water solution for 15 minutes; this also allows the salmon to come to room temperature. Even if you don’t brine it, let the salmon come to room temperature before broiling it. Don’t cook it cold because it runs the risk of not cooking through.
• Pat it dry and season. All you need is olive oil, salt and pepper.
• The time to broil will depend on the thickness (watch closely). The timing on when it’s done depends on the thickness of the piece of salmon and your broiler, so use your best judgement. It should be just tender and pink at the center. Estimate 4 to 5 minutes for very thin salmon or 7 to 10 minutes for 1-inch thick salmon. It’s helpful to use a food thermometer: it should be about 130 degrees Fahrenheit.

Serve with lemon caper sauce

This broiled salmon tastes great on its own, with just a few spritzes of lemon juice. But our favorite way to serve it? With Lemon Caper Sauce! This sauce is full of incredible rich, savory and briny flavor: you’ll find it makes any type of baked fish irresistible.

Trust us: capers are some sort of kitchen magic. Capers are a berry of the caper bush that’s native to the Mediterranean. They’re round and dark green gray, about the size of a peppercorn. You’ll find them in Italian and Mediterranean recipes. Capers taste tangy, briny and salty, and add an irresistibly savory flavor to any dish. You can find them in long, thin jars by the condiments and olives in the grocery store.

Sauce variations for broiled salmon!

Of course, if you’re not into the lemon caper sauce idea…there are so many more! Here are our top sauces to serve with salmon:

• Pesto. Try Pesto Salmon. Or drizzle it with bright green basil sauce.
• Miso. This Miso Salmon that’s brushed with savory miso glaze is to die for!
• Dill sauce. This lemon dill sauce is creamy and tangy. Go to Lemon Dill Salmon.
• Chimichurri. Herby and bright chimichurri is a natural fit.
• Teriyaki. This homemade teriyaki is pretty dreamy. Go to Teriyaki Salmon.
• Bourbon glaze. Make up a jar of sweet and savory bourbon glaze for your fish.
• Cilantro lime sauce. This zingy cilantro lime ranch or cilantro dressing are perfect for fish.

What type of salmon to buy

There are lots of options when it comes to salmon at the grocery store! If you’re looking for a great piece of salmon, here are some pointers:

• Buy wild caught salmon. Fish that is wild caught in your country is usually a sustainable choice. There are also quality options in well-regulated farms; see Seafood Watch Consumer Guide.
• Coho is a good choice. We tend to like Coho salmon for its mild flavor: it’s a good middle of the road option in terms of price. Of course, King salmon is incredible but it’s on the expensive end. Avoid Atlantic salmon as it is typically farmed salmon.
• Make sure to buy skin on. You’ll need skin-on salmon for this recipe.

A few sides that go with broiled salmon

Looking for side dishes for broiled salmon? It’s one of our go-to’s for a quick and easy healthy dinner. Here are a few ideas that work for easy weeknights, and then some for entertaining:

• Easy Arugula Salad A quick and easy salad that’s elegant…and no dressing required.
• Perfectly Seasoned Quinoa Whip up a pot of quinoa with herbs.
• Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower, Baked Zucchini, Crispy Brussels Sprouts or Brussels Sprouts with Maple Glaze Your oven is free, so why not try these stunners?
• Try tender and sweet Roasted Peppers or Roasted Peppers and Onions, or easy Sauteed Peppers or Sauteed Peppers & Onions.
• Perfect Sauteed Cabbage or Peas with Lemon Super fast, super delicious.

This broiled salmon recipe is…

Pescatarian, gluten-free and dairy-free (without the lemon butter sauce).

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More easy salmon recipes

Outside of this broiled salmon, here are a few more easy salmon recipes we make on the regular:

• Blackened Salmon or Cajun Salmon Blackened salmon is the ultimate salmon recipe: fast, easy and seasoned to perfection!
• Form it into tasty Classic Salmon Burgers with remoulade, or Easy Salmon Cakes with tartar sauce!
• Pistachio Crusted Salmon or Maple Glazed Salmon These recipes come together in minutes and taste like restaurant quality.
• Make zingy Lemon Garlic Salmon with lemon butter sauce
• Miso Salmon The savory miso glaze is the perfect accent for this broiled fish and makes an easy dinner.
• Easy Pan Seared Salmon Here’s how to make pan seared salmon at home! It’s a favorite easy way to cook fish in a flash, and the flavor is unbeatable.
• Easy Oven Baked Salmon or Sheet Pan Salmon and Asparagus Comes out perfectly tender and flaky!