This Easy BBQ Salmon with Avocado Salsa is the perfect summer dinner idea and takes only 10 minutes to cook on the grill!
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Ingredients in BBQ salmon
Here's what you need to make this BBQ salmon – full ingredient amounts are at the bottom of this post. Most of the ingredients needed are for the salsa and you can make some easy substitutions to boot!
- sockeye salmon filets
- olive oil, brown sugar, salt & pepper to season the salmon with
- avocado
- red & yellow pepper
- red onion
- lime
- cilantro
- chili flakes
How to make salmon on the BBQ
It's super easy to grill salmon. You basically throw it on for 10 minutes and that's it! Here's how to do it:
- Preheat BBQ to med-high heat.
- Brush salmon with a little bit of olive oil and brown sugar. Season with salt and pepper then put the fish on the grill skin-side down for 10-12 min.
- Meanwhile, mix together the salsa.
- Remove salmon from the grill and add salsa overtop. Serve on its own or with a side dish and enjoy!
Ingredient substitutions
You can make many substitutions with this recipe. Here are some ideas:
- Salmon: I use wild sockeye salmon with this recipe but you can use regular salmon instead. The salsa is also delicious with trout, tilapia or tuna!
- Brown sugar: This helps bring some caramelization to the salmon as it cooks on the grill and is totally optional. Feel free to leave it out if you'd like.
- Avocado salsa: Here's where you can really make a lot of substitutions. Feel free to leave out the avocado and bell peppers and just use tomatoes to make a regular salsa, or try subbing in a fruit like pineapple or mango for a fun twist. As long as you keep the lime juice, cilantro and salt, you're good to use any fruit/veggie.
Farmed vs sockeye salmon
There's a big difference between farmed salmon and sockeye salmon. First of all, sockeye salmon is wild-caught fish. If you eat a lot of salmon, you'll probably notice right away that sockeye salmon is a drastically different colour – it's a bright, orangey red as opposed to the pink colour you may see in other varieties of farmed salmon.
Typically sockeye salmon is free from antibiotics (unlike farmed salmon where there are no guarantees), and their bright red colour comes from the diet that they eat in the ocean, primarily small crustaceans.
Farmed salmon, on the other hand, are fed a canola, grain and sometimes soy-based diet that strips the flesh of the natural red or pink hue. However, there are other factors to watch out for whenever you eat wild-caught fish: they usually contain higher levels of mercury, so you may only want to indulge a couple times a month.
What temp should salmon be cooked?
Salmon should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees F, but you can usually tell salmon is done when it flakes easily. It cooks super quickly, so you're looking at a total of 10 minutes on the grill or in the oven.
Do you have to flip salmon on the grill?
You do not have to flip salmon on the grill! Make sure to grill it skin side down for 10 minutes and when it starts to easily flake, transfer to a plate and serve. Easy peasy!
What to serve with grilled salmon
I serve this grilled salmon recipe with the avocado salsa and usually with some rice or potatoes on the side. You can always get the potatoes grilling while you prep the salmon and salsa, or have some rice going in a rice cooker while you're doing your prep.
What should I season salmon with?
I used a combination of olive oil, brown sugar, salt & pepper as my seasoning for this salmon, but you can just use olive oil and salt and pepper. I have a whole bunch of salmon marinades listed here if you'd like to learn some more ways to season salmon.
Storing and reheating
You can store leftover salmon for 2-3 days in the fridge, although I think it tastes best fresh and don't prefer to eat leftover salmon. The leftovers always taste extra fishy to me and just aren't the same. If you're going to reheat, I suggest sprinkling some water overtop so the salmon doesn't dry out, then add the avocado salsa again fresh.
More delicious seafood recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on meal prepping this BBQ salmon
- Use these Ziploc bag holders for easy marinating
- Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months
Easy BBQ Salmon with Avocado Salsa
Ingredients
- 4 frozen or fresh sockeye salmon filets
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- Salt & pepper to taste
Avocado salsa
- 1 avocado diced
- 1 red pepper diced
- 1 yellow pepper diced
- 1 small red onion diced
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1/4 cup cilantro basil or parsley, chopped (I highly recommend the cilantro!)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp red chili flakes
Instructions
- Preheat BBQ to med-high heat.
- Brush salmon with a little bit of olive oil, then brown sugar. Season with salt and pepper then put on the grill skin-side down for 10-12 min, watching carefully so it doesn't overcook.
- Meanwhile, mix together the salsa.
- Remove salmon from the grill and add salsa overtop. Serve alongside brown rice or BBQ potatoes and enjoy!
Nutrition
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Wendy says
I tried in vain to open your other salmon recipes. Its as if Lobelaw has taken control of your site! Yikes! Everytime I click on anything it takes me straight to some Lobelaw Ontario contest? Just thought you should be aware.
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Wendy – I did a contest with Loblaws a couple of years ago when they sponsored this post (see the disclaimer at the top). I have some new salmon recipes coming out soon though so will maybe update the links when that post comes out 🙂
Wendy says
Thanks!!! Can’t wait to try them!