Simple Grilled Salmon fillets. The buttery flavor of salmon shines when flavored with the fresh flavor of butter dill sauce. This is an incredibly easy Summer grilled salmon dinner recipe.
Don’t miss one of our favorite easy salmon recipes. This mustard Maple Syrup Salmon recipe is a perfect combo of sweet and savory.
This recipe was first published July of 2013 and updated August 2021 with step by step photos and instructions.
Grilled Salmon with Butter Dill Sauce is a classic combination. Where ever butter goes, it brings a richness to any food it hangs out with. And dill brings a fresh citrusy grassy layer of flavor that just works so well with salmon.
This combination is most certainly Summer on a plate. I like to serve this meal with a Old Fashioned Potato Salad and simple grilled vegetables.
For dessert? there’s nothing better than Peach and Blueberry Cobbler. Topped with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. Out-of-this-world.
Now that we’ve got this easy summer menu planned, let’s talk about this simple grilled salmon recipe that is simply perfect for dinner on the patio.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Salmon Fillet: A nice fillet of salmon. About ½ pound per person. King, coho, sockeye or Copper River are types of salmon choices.
- Garlic Salt
- Butter: Unsalted. Professionally I use unsalted butter so that I can control the amount of salt in any dish. I recommend that you do too.
- Fresh Dill. Dill is very easy to grow, using fresh is recommended. The baby dill purchased in the plastic packages in the grocery store, I find to be almost flavorless. Or purchase dill at your local farmer’s market.
- Lemon
- Step 1: How to make dill lemon butter: Bring the butter to room temperature. Chop the fresh dill as small as you can.
- Step 2: In a small bowl, and using a fork, mix the softened butter with the fresh dill until well combined.
- Step 3: Prepare a charcoal grill, or heat your gas grill to 500 degrees. Clean and oil the grates of the grill. I also like to brush the top of the salmon fillets with olive oil. Season fillets with garlic salt, salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon. Sprinkle some of the fresh dill on top if you’d like. Turn the heat down to 350 degrees and place the salmon skin side down on the sizzling grates. Keep the lid down, checking on the salmon every few minutes.
What Temperature is Grilled Salmon Done?
- Cook 15-20 minutes without turning. Check doneness after 15 minutes by pressing on the top of the salmon with a fork. Once the salmon separates easily, then it’s done.
- If you’d like to test the salmon temperature with a meat thermometer, it should be cooked to 145 degrees.
- PRO TIP if you start see albumin seeping out of the flakes of fish, that means the salmon is done. Albumin is the white protein that exists in the raw salmon fillet. When the salmon starts to cook, the albumin becomes semi-solid and turns white. It’s also an indicator that the salmon is cooked.
Why Grill Salmon With The Skin Down?
Grilling salmon is actually very easy. But do you leave the skin on? Yes! When you grill salmon, keep that skin on.
It provides a safety layer between the flesh and the hot grill. And it makes it much easier to slide a spatula under the salmon skin to remove once its cooked. Easy!
Do You Have To Flip Salmon On The Grill?
You can, but you don’t have to. And I don’t. Again, the skin acts as a barrier between the heat and the flesh of the salmon. I simply cook the salmon skin side down keeping the lid of the grill closed.
If you want those beautiful grill marks, flip the salmon the last couple of minutes of cooking. If your grill is well seasoned, the salmon shouldn’t stick to the grates.
Where Can I Find Quality Salmon?
Navigating the challenges of purchasing top-notch seafood in the land-locked state of Colorado has always been a quest. And when it is available, it comes with a premium price tag. Enter Sitka Seafood Market who elevates the seafood purchasing experience. They source sustainable seafood from pristine waters. Blast frozen at the peak of freshness, delivered straight to your doorstep to insure superior quality and freshness. Check out their program and get in on the catch.
Disclaimer: I must disclose that I have received free product from Sitka Seafood Market. However, my opinions about the quality of their seafood are my own. If you order from Sitka Salmon, I receive a small commission without any additional cost to you.
To Serve
To Serve: Place cooked salmon fillets on a plate and immediately place a generous dollop of the dill lemon butter on top. Scatter some of the grilled vegetables around the grilled salmon and dig in.
Recipe for Simple Grilled Salmon with Butter Dill Sauce
Fresh grilled vegetables are a beautiful side for this simple grilled salmon recipe. You’ll find instructions in the recipe card below.
I hope you give this simple grilled salmon with butter dill sauce a try, and if you do, please come back and give the recipe a star rating, and leave a comment about your experience with the recipe.
And if you have a favorite easy grilled salmon recipe, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.
More Easy Salmon Fillet Recipes
- Peach Jam Glazed Salmon
- Lemon Lime Salmon with Lemon Butter
- Spice Rubbed Salmon with Cilantro Lime Butter
- Grilled Teriyaki Salmon
And if you’re looking for more seafood recipes, don’t miss my Seafood Category, nor the most popular recipe Heavenly Halibut.
Simple Grilled Salmon Fillets with Dill Lemon Butter
Ingredients
- 2 Salmon Fillets ½ pound per person
- ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
- ½ lemon juiced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Tablespoons butter room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon fresh dill chopped
Instructions
- Bring butter to room temperature. In a small bowl, combine softened butter with dill.
- Spray grill with cooking spray or rub the grates with oil.
- Light grill and preheat to 500 degrees and then turn down to 350
- Season fillets with onion powder, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. And coarse ground fresh cracked pepper is good here.
- Place fillets on hot grill, skin side down. Cook 20 minutes without turning. Check doneness after 15 minutes by pressing on the top of the salmon with a fork. Once the salmon separates easily, then it's done.
- Transfer the salmon to plates and top with a healthy dollop of the dill butter.
- Grilled vegetables are a simple side for this grilled salmon dinner.
Notes
- Cook 15-20 minutes without turning. Check doneness after 15 minutes by pressing on the top of the salmon with a fork. Once the salmon separates easily, then it’s done.
- If you’d like to test the salmon temperature with a meat thermometer, it should be cooked to 145 degrees.
- PRO TIP if you start see albumin seeping out of the flakes of fish, that means the salmon is done. Albumin is the white protein that exists in the raw salmon fillet. When the salmon starts to cook, the albumin becomes semi-solid and turns white.
- Slice zucchini and summer squash about a quarter of an inch thick. Slice them on an angle.
- Clean and trimmed green onions.
- Thick sliced some red onion.
- Half a few mini bell peppers.
- In a large bowl, toss them all with some olive oil. Season them lightly with salt and pepper and let the smoky flavors from grill do the rest.
- Put them on the grill at the same time as the salmon. Carefully turn them several times, watched them closely so they didn’t burn and make sure you have some lovely grill marks. Easy!
Nutrition
Simple Grilled Salmon with Butter Dill Sauce …It’s What’s for Dinner
Why Trust These Recipes? Lea Ann Brown has lived, worked and played in Colorado for 45 years. She has immersed herself in the Colorado Culinary space, is a Culinary School Graduate and publishes her Colorado food Blog, Cooking On The Ranch.
Our Food City just started carrying Copper River salmon. It’s pricey but looks wonderful. I’m buying some this week.
I hope you at least take ONE bite.
I didn’t realize they HAD wild caught until my friend told me about it last week. I’ll have to pay more attention.
Wonderful post! The salmon looks amazing with all that fresh dill and I love the cooking tips since we are doing it all outside these days. The photos are just stunning! Love the vibrant colors. The shot of the friends in the car made me cry for some reason. It’s hard when good friends move away. :-/
This move has been hard on us. They only lived a couple blocks away and were like family. I’ve been a big girl, cheerful and upbeat, but am very sad to see them leave. dammit! 🙂
I am loving the salmon recipes that you do each week, Lea Ann! I’ve pinned this. That Swedish Cucumber Salad looks great as well. Who am I kidding? It all looks great!
Thank you Julie. I’m having fun with it, and have jotted down so many ideas for going forward.
The last photo of the salmon on a fork makes me want to jump right in. Salmon eating fools, well we are too. Love salmon and love how yours turned out on the grill.
Sam
Thank you Sam, I thought about putting that photo first.
I had some grilled salmon tonight!
So easy.
The salmon looks delicious but the dog looks precious.
I’m gonna miss that dog….. ok and the rest of em too! 🙂
They were out of the fresh wild caught salmon when I was shopping at Costco the other day. I was pretty disappointed. I also like to buy several packages, portion them out and freeze them. They are really good. How is your summer going, Lea Ann?
let’s see, I was there on Wednesday. We shop at the one on Santa Fe. My Summer is going great Kirsten. Busy at work, but enjoying the garden, the long walks with the dogs and of course the blogging. 🙂