Easy Grilled Traeger Salmon Recipe with Marinade
This Traeger salmon recipe is super simple to put together for an easy summer time meal. It is marinated in a healthier teriyaki inspired sauce using real honey and grilled to perfection.
Salmon is an easy summertime meal that tastes even better with a bit of smoky flavor. Here’s how to cook salmon on a Traeger Pellet Grill — but can also be easily adapted to any smoker grill.
This post has been updated from its original publish date of May 23, 2020 from my other site. It has been updated to provide better photos, additional helpful information, and step by step instructions.
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What you’ll love about this recipe:
- KID FRIENDLY – Our kids are big fans of salmon…or fish in general. And this is definite favorite easy recipe in our home!
- HEALTHY – Salmon is a fatty fish that’s high in omega-3 fatty acids which makes it an excellent healthy dish! Here, we’ll show you how to cook it on a smoker grill.
- SUMMER FAVORITE – This Traeger salmon recipe is a family favorite during the warmer summer months. But is good year round too! It’ll become your go-to salmon recipe of the summer!
Why use a Traeger Smoker for this recipe? It gives the salmon a nice smokey flavor from the real wood burning pellets. Traeger is what my family uses and loves, but of course you can use your favorite pellet grill!
You’ll be left with a perfectly tender fish and a deliciously mild smoke flavor. And you won’t have to worry about uneven charred pieces from a regular outdoor grill, gas grill, or fire grill.
Pair it with your favorite summer time side dish like this easy pasta salad or our favorite Mediterranean farro salad for a quick family meal.
For an air fryer version of this recipe, check out our Ninja Foodi Salmon with Marinade Recipe.
Quick & Easy
Favorite Sides Recipes
Ingredients
The marinade for this salmon recipe is simple and is inspired by a teriyaki glaze sauce. It marinates to give slightly sweet and flavorful salmon fillets.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1 pound of fresh salmon fillets, divided into 4-5 piece portions (wild-caught salmon is the best option)
- salt
- ginger powder
- garlic powder
- coconut aminos
- honey — can substitute for maple syrup if desired
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list in the recipe card below.
Instructions
Let’s begin by making the marinade for this salmon recipe. In a large glass bowl, whisk together the following:
- salt
- ginger powder
- garlic powder
- coconut aminos
- honey
Readers have shared that they’ve been able to substitute the coconut aminos with soy sauce and still had great results. I have not tried using soy sauce myself, but it is worth a try if you’d prefer to use it instead of coconut aminos.
Add the salmon pieces to the large bowl or to a large plastic zip bag to marinate for about 20-30 minutes in the refrigerator.
You will want to make sure that all of the salmon portions are fully submerged so if the bowl is not shallow enough to do that, you’ll want to make sure you’re using a large bag or something similar to marinate the salmon completely.
While the salmon is marinating, you’ll want to preheat the Traeger grill. To do this, preheat the Traeger temperature to 350 degrees F with the lid closed for about 15-20 minutes.
After marinating, add the salmon to the preheated Traeger grill and cook for about 25-30 minutes or until cooked through.
The salmon can be added directly to the clean grill grate.
Before adding the salmon to the grates, you can brush with a little bit of oil to help prevent sticking. But generally we haven’t found this necessary. However, if you’re worried about the skin sticking, use parchment paper or a baking sheet if desired.
If your salmon has skin on it, you’ll add them to the grill grates salmon skin-side down.
Salmon is cooked when opaque, flaky, and the internal temperature reads 145 degrees. You can test this with an instant read thermometer by testing in the thickest part of the salmon.
Where to buy good quality salmon?
Our family has been ordering from Vital Choice for many years. They are such good high quality, sustainable, wild and not farmed seafood. Plus they use ethical sourcing and practice excellent environmental shipping standards.
They have many types of salmon with great flavor available, from wild Alaskan king salmon, sockeye salmon, to wild white fish and shellfish too. We prefer a wild caught fish vs farm-raised salmon that you can find at local grocery stores.
This is a brand that I highly recommend for quality seafood.
How to store and serve leftovers
Generally, I would recommend only cooking enough seafood that your family would enjoy fresh, and not storing leftovers whenever possible. However, if you have leftover salmon, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 2-3 days.
I don’t recommend reheating salmon in a microwave. Instead, serve the pre-cooked salmon cold over a fresh salad – it’s so good for lunch!
If you prefer to heat the salmon, you could warm it in a baking dish in the oven for a few minutes until warmed through. Be careful not to overcook the salmon or it will be too dry.
More favorite recipes
Salmon is one of our family favorites — especially during grilling season! Here are a few more of our favorite summer pairings that we think you’ll love too!
Or try one of these favorite easy Traeger recipes: Traeger smoked breakfast skillet or our flavorful Traeger smoked meatloaf.
FAQ (frequently asked questions)
Smoking or cook the salmon anywhere from 275-350 degrees until the internal temperature of the salmon, measured in the thickest part, reaches 145 degrees F.
Cook for about 25-30 minutes. Or until salmon is cooked through. The salmon is ready when it is flaky and the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees.
want more recipes?
Check out the recipe index where you can discover more homemade recipes from my homestead!
Simple Traeger Grilled Salmon Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound salmon divided into 4-5 piece portions
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ginger powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 4 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon honey
Instructions
- Whisk the salt, ginger powder, garlic powder, coconut aminos, and honey until all of the ingredients are well combined and honey is dissolved.
- Using either a large glass bowl or large plastic bag, pour over salmon portions and seal. Allow to marinade for about 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
- While the salmon is marinating, preheat the Traeger Grill to 350 degrees with the lid closed for about 15 minutes.
- Remove the salmon portions from the marinade and place directly on grill skin side down. If you prefer an easier clean up, use parchment paper.
- Cook for about 25-30 minutes. Or until salmon is cooked through. The salmon is ready when it is flaky and the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees.
- Serve immediately with your favorite side dishes.
