How to Broil Salmon

This easy seafood tutorial will show you how to broil salmon (with or without the skin). Plus, check out our tips for marinades and toppings.

Do you want more salmon in your life?

As much as I enjoy eating salmon, I also realize that cooking fish can seem intimidating. Especially at first.

Happily, it doesn’t have to be.

Broiling salmon is one of my absolute favorite methods to cook salmon. It also happens to be one of the easiest.

I actually think that broiling salmon is even easier than baking salmon! It’s faster and less likely to dry out the fish.

This tutorial will walk you through how to broil salmon, plus give you a few easy recipe ideas.

Looking for more seafood cooking basics? Learn (even more) ways to cook salmon, how to pan-sear fish, learn about the difference between wild and farmed salmon, the difference between smoked salmon and lox and how to grill fish.

Why Broil Salmon?

Your oven’s broiler provides a lot of concentrated heat!

A broiler works similarly to a grill. It’s an easy way to cook fish quickly without drying it out.

It’s also an easy way to cook without a lot of added fats, since you only need a little bit of oil.

How to Broil Salmon: The Basics

Start by patting your salmon dry and seasoning it with a pinch of salt.

Brush an oven-safe pan or a baking sheet with oil. I like to use this Lodge 12″ carbon steel skillet.

Place the salmon in the pan and brush the salmon with oil.

Slide the pan under your oven’s broiler and cook for six to eight minutes per one-inch thickness, or until the salmon is opaque and easily flakes apart.

The exact cook time will depend on the type of salmon used, how thick the fillet is, how close your oven rack is to the broiler, and how hot your oven broiler is.

I like to check on my salmon a minute or two before I think it should be finished to avoid accidentally over-cooking it.

Easy Seasoning Options

Want to add some seasoning to your broiled salmon?

Top the salmon with lemon slices and then broil it! Your salmon will have a little more of a citrus flavor.

One of my favorite seasoning options is to top the salmon with compound butter after cooking, like I do in this herb butter salmon.

Want more butter ideas? Try making basil butter, chive butter or mushroom butter.

How to Broil Marinated Salmon

To add extra flavor to your salmon, add a marinade!

Simply marinade the salmon in a sauce for about 15 minutes before cooking. Brush off the sauce and broil the fish.

While the fish cooks, simmer the marinade. Finally, brush the marinade on the cooked salmon.

Our favorite marinated and broiled salmon recipes include teriyaki salmon, sweet chili salmon and honey bourbon salmon.

Will the Salmon Skin Be Crispy?

Probably not.

I generally discard the skin when I broil salmon.

For the crispiest salmon skin, try pan-searing the salmon or making air fryer salmon.