This grilled salmon with mustard sauce combines a handful of ingredients for a tangy, fresh taste. It's ready in less than 30 minutes making it a great choice for a summer meal!
Looking for more delicious fish recipes? Why not try my Grilled Sea Bass with Watermelon Salsa or these Grilled Fish Tacos?
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This recipe is adapted from something a friend cooked for dinner one summer night several years ago. I absolutely loved the combo of mustard sauce with the salmon so I decided to recreate my own version and it's been a regular in my summer meal rotation ever since.
In California, you are able to grill all year long, which is one of the reasons grilling is such a popular method of cooking. I spent a lot of time around a grill when I was a kid and mastered grilling on my own at a pretty early age, yet I was always a little intimidated by cooking fish on the grill, which was unfortunate because I happen to LOVE fish and seafood!!
So one day I decided I needed to master cooking fish on the grill. If you love fish and seafood, you should know that grilling fish is really not that difficult, you just need a little practice and some good tips!
Contents:
A summer al fresco dinner for two
Outdoor dinners are a quintessential summer ritual and an easy grilled meal is an ideal way to take advantage of warmer temperatures. Recipes like this one that are quick and easy with minimal clean-up are ideal for busy weeknights.
This go-to meal uses simple ingredients, many of which you may already have on hand, and is super satisfying, making it the perfect addition to your outdoor dinner table. Read on to learn more about how to make this Grilled Salmon with Mustard Sauce or jump straight to the recipe to start cooking!
Recipe Ingredients + Substitutions
The full list of ingredients and quantities can be found in the recipe card below.
- Salmon filets: You need two salmon filets for this recipe. They should be about 6 ounces each. Choose salmon filets that have the skin on.
- Whole grain mustard: This mellows out the dijon a bit but still adds excellent flavor to the salmon.
- Fresh tarragon leaves: You could use dried tarragon in a pinch but reduce the amount significantly if you make that substitution. The tarragon is a great complement to the salmon and mustard.
- Fresh parsley: Look for flat-leaf or Italian parsley to get the right flavor.
- Spices: sea salt, ground black pepper
- Pantry staples: Olive oil, honey, dijon mustard
Pro tips for grilling salmon
- Preheat the grill! Don't skip the pre-heating step as you need nice hot grill grates to keep the fish from sticking to the grill. You want the temperature to be about 425°F before you put the fish on the grill.
- Oil the grill. Since this recipe uses a sauce on the fish, you want to oil the grill grates too. Just a light coating of oil on the cold grates will help the fish to release more easily. Using an oil with a higher smoke point is your best option. I'd recommend avocado or grapeseed oil.
- Don't flip the fish too early. Fish is more likely to stick to the grill if you flip it too early so most of the cooking is done with the skin side down.
How to make this recipe
I love this dish because there is very little prep and the grill does most of the work. It's ready in less than 30 minutes, making it an ideal everyday dinner.
Step 1 | Make the sauce. Add both types of mustard and the remaining sauce ingredients to a small bowl and mix well.
Step 2 | Brush the salmon with sauce. Place the salmon on a plate and brush the skin side with oil. Flip and brush the other side generously with the mustard sauce.
Step 3 | Grill the salmon. Place the salmon on the grill skin side down, close the grill lid and let it cook for 6-7 minutes. Don't disturb the salmon or open the cover until it's time to flip it. Carefully flip the salmon and let it cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Step 4 | Serve. Remove the salmon from the grill, let it rest for a few minutes, top it with some chopped parsley and lemon juice and serve.
Frequently asked questions
No. If you really don't want to worry about it sticking to the grill you can leave it skin side down the entire time but you won't get nice grill marks on the top if you do that.
Grilled fish should be cooked to 145°F but like other meats, there is some carry-over cooking once it's removed from the grill so you'll want to remove it from the grill when the internal temperature reaches 125°-130°F. Let it rest for a few minutes before serving.
What you'll need for this recipe
Gas grill - I grew up around Weber Grills so I've always been partial to them. I prefer gas over charcoal as I think they are easier to use and clean up is easier. A grill that has a built-in temperature gauge makes grilling a little easier.
Small glass bowls with lid – I love these little bowls from Crate & Barrel. They are perfect for mixing up things like sauces. They also have lids so if you need to store something you don’t need to pull out the plastic wrap, just grab a lid and put the bowl in the refrigerator.
Fish Spatula – While you can use a regular spatula, if you decide you enjoy grilling fish this is a kitchen tool that can be worth the investment. It's designed to be more flexible than a regular spatula so you can easily get underneath the fish to flip it over.
Serving Suggestions
Just about any side dish will go with this grilled salmon. I'd recommend pairing it with this Tuscan White Bean Salad or these Caprese Salad Stacks for an easy summer meal.
More recipes for the grill
If you are looking for other great summer grilling recipes, check out these ideas:
If you haven't done it before, give grilling fish a try - I'd love to hear how it goes!!
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Grilled Salmon with Tarragon Mustard Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- dash of ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon leaves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon Italian parsley leaves, chopped
- 2 (6 ounce) salmon filets
Instructions
- Prepare the grill. Lightly brush a cold grill grate with oil, then preheat to medium-high heat - about 425°F.
- Mix the sauce. Mix the mustards, oil and honey in a small bowl. Add pepper, tarragon and parsley, stir well.
- Prepare the salmon. Brush the skin side of the salmon with oil. Flip the filets and generously brush the non-skin side with the mustard sauce.
- Grill the salmon. Place the filets on the grill, skin side down. Close the cover and let the fish grill for 6-7 minutes. Using a large, flat spatula carefully flip the filets over, being sure to slide the spatula below the skin so you don't leave it on the grill. Close the cover again and grill for an additional 2-3 minutes, until the skin has started to crisp and the spatula easily slides underneath. The internal temperature should be about 130-135° when you remove it from the grill. After carefully remove the salmon from the grill and let it rest for about 3 minutes.
- Serve immediately. Garnish with freshly squeezed lemon and chopped tarragon if desired.
This post was originally published in a June 2018. It was updated in August 2023 with some new information and photos. A few minor changes were made to the original recipe.
Platter Talk
This salmon looks prepared and grilled to perfection. Congrats on a fabulous piece.
Christie
I have a huge selection of mustard in my fridge. What a great way to use some and enjoy a delicious dinner.
Lucy @ Bake Play Smile
We LOVE salmon in our house and this is a greta new recipe. Pinning!
Miranda
WOW! I love this recipe! I've used it before and everyone really enjoyed it. I'm definitely planning on making it again and just wanted to say thank you for posting it!
FoodieGirlChicago
Thanks Miranda! I'm so glad you all enjoyed it!
Jennifer Tammy
OMG this sounds amazing. We just bought some fresh salmon for tomorrow night so I'm going to make some of the mustard sauce for the grown-ups!
Urban Foodie Kitchen
Thanks Jennifer - I hope you enjoy it!
Carl Nelson
This was great! The sauce would be good on chicken too.
Urban Foodie Kitchen
Great idea Carl!