Grilled Salmon with Garlic Lime Butter
This grilled salmon with garlic lime butter is the BEST grilled salmon recipe you’ll ever try! The crips and flaky texture mixed with the garlic lime butter is simply irresistible. The garlic lime butter is so good, we even used it on Grilled Corn on the Cob too! Just wait until you see why we are so obsessed with this salmon recipe.
In just 30 minutes or less, you’ll have dinner on the table for a simple weeknight meal everyone will enjoy. Serve it with a few sides like Marinated Mini Sweet Pepper, and Cheese Mashed Potato Pancakes to make the meal whole.
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Grilled Salmon with Garlic Lime Butter
Break out the BBQ for this Grilled Salmon with Garlic Lime Butter and eat like you’re on vacation! Grilling adds incredible smoky tones to salmon and the flavored butter takes it over the top with fresh summer flavor.
Your dinner guests will be humming over this salmon recipe. It will become your go-to for grilling season and you’ll make it again and again!
This grilled salmon recipe is easy-easy-easy with just 15 minutes of marinating time. It’s quick and incredibly flavorful since you’ll use more of that sauce while it is sizzling on the grill, and then drizzle the reserved sauce just before serving which gives it unbelievable flavor!
Ingredients for Grilled Salmon with Garlic Lime Butter:
No need to go to a million different stores on a wild goose chase for any oddball ingredients for this recipe! Simple yet flavorful is the motto here! Just grab a few basic ingredients and you’ll be ready to get grilling your salmon.
- Unsalted butter
- Garlic smashed (NOT PRESSED)
- Lime juice plus lime wedges to serve
- Dill chopped
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
- Salmon filet skin-on
How to Make Grilled Salmon with Garlic Lime Butter
1. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Smash garlic cloves with the flat of a large knife until squashed and add them to the melted butter along with salt and black pepper. Simmer until fragrant. Add chopped dill and lime juice and remove from heat.
Transfer half of the sauce to a small bowl. Reserve and set aside remaining sauce in the pan.
2. Arrange salmon fillets on a platter skin-side-down and brush tops with 1/4 of the sauce from the bowl. Let salmon marinate in the refrigerator while the grill is preheating.
3. Preheat grill to medium/high. Brush the hot grill clean and oil the grates. Place salmon onto preheated grill, skin-side-down. Cover and grill over medium/high for a few minutes.
4. Carefully flip salmon over (it helps to have a spatula to loosen it and tongs to flip it over), cover and cook another 2 minutes. Flip again and (while wearing the oven mitt and starting with the filets at the back), brush tops with 1/4 of remaining sauce from the bowl. Cover and continue grilling just until salmon is flaky and cooked through (another minute, or according to grilling chart below depending on salmon thickness).
5. Remove salmon from the grill and drizzle with sauce reserved in the saucepan (if butter has hardened, heat just until melted). Garnish with fresh dill and serve with lime wedges so your dinner guests can squeeze on some fresh juice to serve. So ridiculously good.
Salmon Grilling Tips:
When grilling salmon, be sure to buy skin-on salmon fillets. Salmon is very tender and flaky and the skin helps keep it together on the grill without falling through the grates.
The butter in this recipe makes the salmon juicy and rich in flavor. Don’t worry about the amount because most of it gets burnt off while grilling but all of the flavor is still there my friends. WINNING!
How to oil grill grates: wear an oven mitt for safety and using long tongs, dip a folded paper towel in oil, then rub down the grates.
How Long Do You Grill Salmon?
So you know how long to cook salmon on the grill, we created this salmon grilling chart. Follow these salmon grilling guidelines for med/high heat (350˚F):
- 1″ thick fillets = 3 minutes per side
- 3/4″ thick fillets = 2-3 minutes per side
- 1/2″ thick fillets = 2 minutes per side
Like Salmon? Try Our Top Salmon Recipes!
Don’t get stuck in a salmon rut, there’s so much you can do with it meaning the recipe options are endless! Get started on the options now by trying some of my all-time favorite salmon recipes. Each one is even better than the next!
Baked Salmon – with homemade garlic and dijon sauce
Salmon and Asparagus – A great one pan meal
Smoked Salmon Spread – Ideal way to impress a hungry crowd
Grilled Salmon Skewers – The perfect party food
Avocado Salmon Salad – Excellent with lemon dill dressing
Grilled Salmon with Garlic Lime Butter
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup 8 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 cloves garlic smashed (NOT PRESSED)
- 2 Tbsp lime juice (from 1 lime) plus lime wedges to serve
- 2 Tbsp dill chopped, plus more to garnish
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 lbs salmon filet skin-on, cut into 6 (6-oz each) portions
Instructions
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In a small sauce pan, melt 1/2 cup butter over medium heat. Smash 4 garlic cloves with the flat of a large knife and add to melted butter along with 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Simmer 2 mins or until fragrant. Add chopped dill and 2 Tbsp lime juice then remove from heat. Transfer half of sauce to a small bowl. Reserve and set aside remaining sauce in the pan - you will use this for serving.
-
Arrange salmon fillets on a platter skin-side-down and brush tops with 1/4 of the sauce from the bowl. Let salmon marinate in refrigerator 15 mins while grill preheats.
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Preheat grill to medium/high (350˚F). Brush the hot grill clean and oil the grates**. Place salmon onto preheated grill, skin-side-down. Cover and grill over medium/high (350˚F) heat undisturbed, about 2 minutes on the first side.
-
Carefully flip salmon over (it helps to have a spatula to loosen it and tongs to flip it over), cover and cook another 2 minutes. Flip again and (while wearing the oven mitt and starting with the filets at the back), brush tops with 1/4 of remaining sauce from the bowl. Cover and continue grilling just until salmon is flaky and cooked through (another minute, or according to grilling chart below depending on salmon thickness).
-
Remove salmon from grill and drizzle with sauce reserved in saucepan (if butter has hardened, heat just until melted). Garnish with fresh dill and serve with lime wedges to squeeze over salmon if desired.
Recipe Notes
**How to oil grill grates: wear oven mitt for safety and using long tongs, dip folded paper towel in oil, then rub over grates.
***Salmon Grilling Chart for med/high heat (350˚F):
1″ thick fillets = 3 minutes per side
3/4″ thick fillets = 2-3 minutes per side
1/2″ thick fillets = 2 minutes per side
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
My entire family really enjoyed this salmon. My 2-year old was surprised by the taste at first (must have been the fresh lime that excited her taste buds) but she enjoyed it also! That is just the best feeling when your kids happily eat something you make and especially when salmon is full of brain and heart boosting Omega 3 fatty acids. YES!!
natashaskitchen
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Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
nice food i loved it
I’m so happy you are enjoying that! Thank yoU!
Just made this salmon tonight and everyone absolutely LOVED it!!! Thank you for the amazing recipe!
That’s so great Miriam! I’m happy you all enjoyed that!
This looks amazing!!! Can I use lemon instead of lime? If so same amount?
Hi Natasha, yes lemon would still work well here 🙂
I love it so much. Mouthwatering food.
I totally agree Ellie! 🙂 Thanks for sharing your excellent review!
I love it so much. Mouthwatering food. Its the bright color of salmon. Cant wait to try it….
It is so easy to make and so delicious too! Please let me know what you think!
Why unsalted butter. Just healthier or does it affect taste?
Hi Mark, I always purchase unsalted butter for cooking and baking so I can control how much salt goes into the recipe. You can absolutely use salted butter but you probably want to cut back on the salt in the recipe if you do that.
just love the recipe… awesome
I’m glad you like it Lena! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I made this today and it was to die for! So so flavorful and fresh tasting with the lime. I baked it because it didn’t have the time to grill, and it was amazing. Thank you!
You’re welcome Ema! I’m glad to hear you love this recipe! Thanks for sharing your excellent review!
My husband and I recently changed our diet to mostly seafood, and sometimes baked or grilled chicken. I really appreciate this recipe. It looks like it will be divine!!! Can’t wait to get the grill going tomorrow! What sides do you suggest?
Hi Jessica, my favorite thing to serve with salmon is asparagus and here is our go-to recipe. Rice or potatoes would also be very good. It’s really hard to narrow it down wit this one because it pairs well with so many different dishes.
Awesome recipe. I tired it and it was really so great. I have even suggested it to my cook.
I’m happy to hear you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review! 🙂
No grill here, any chance this can be baked in the oven, with a similar outcome?
Hi Sharon, yes you could bake this in the oven instead following these baking instructions.
Can’t wait to try it out! Your other oven baked salmon recipe is my go to recipe when cooking salmon. But will try this out for sure! Actually all I ever do is look at your site for recipe ideas. Never been disappointed! Love them all. Thank you very much for making me a better chef 🙂
Thank YOU Greg for following! Please let me know what you think of this recipe when you decide to try it!
Great! i must commend this meal. would love to add this to my rice in the evening. great recipe natasha.
I hope you love it!
It was classy! You are a good Chef.
Thank you so much!
Hi Natasha,
Just from looking at the pictures i imagine how it smells right from grill, and that is exactly how i prefer to eat salmon.
Trying this recipe tomorrow!
Great pictures, as always! What camera do you use and what lens? Is that same that you use for photographing your children?
Hi Olga! I do love how salmon smells on the grill. It’s tantalizing!! I use a canon 6d and for food I use a 100mm lens. For kids I use a 50mm lens more. 🙂 I have more info on these in the resources section of my blog.
Another great recipe. I wish I could hire you to be my chef. I love your recipes
I’m happy to hear you love them! Thanks for following Vicki and sharing your great review!
OMG, I’m going to eat my laptop, it looks soo delicious!! How did you take that picture with fire without actually burning the salmon? 🙂
Ha ha!! That happens to me all the time late at night when I’m hungrily looking at pictures of food. It was a good catch with the photo – right as the flame shot up between the salmon filets. The flame died down quickly 🙂
This looks so delicious!!
Thank you Sara! 🙂
Your garlic lime butter sounds fantastic! In the past, my fish tastes, how do I say this…?!? Hmmm. Fishy. You know. Not very good! But if you’re 2-year-old eats it, that’s good enough for me because I’m as picky as a 2-year-old.
Yes!! I completely agree!
My mouth is watering for a this – especially that juicy second photo!! I love the combo of lime and dill.
Oh it is so delicious. The flavors work really well together, especially on salmon! Thanks Natalie!