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This Bourbon Salmon recipe will help you elevate the flavor of your fish, and it’s simple to make with just 4 ingredients! Fire up your grill to enjoy flaky, moist, and delicious a marinated fish dinner with sweet and smoky flavors.

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Bourbon marinated salmon fillet on a plate with white rice and broccoli, accompanied by a fork.

Using a Bourbon Marinade for Salmon

Fish and seafood dishes are so simple to grill, and grilled salmon is one of my family’s favorites! Using salmon marinades is a great way to add flavor and help to keep the fish moist.

Kick off the grilling season with this fantastic bourbon salmon recipe! Down below, you’ll find instructions on how to make the marinade, and how long to marinate the fish for.

To make things even easier, there are also instructions on how cook salmon on the grill, and how to transform the marinade into a delicious bourbon glaze for salmon!

Why You’ll Like This Recipe

Healthy, high protein dinner idea. Salmon is full of heart-healthy, Omega-3 fats, and one serving of grilled salmon has a whopping 34 grams of protein!
Perfect for a quick and easy weeknight dinner. The marinade comes together in a snap, and it only takes 8 minutes to cook salmon on a gas grill.
Special enough to serve to dinner guests. The grilled bourbon salmon tastes like an upscale restaurant dish. You’re the only one who will know just how easy it is to make!

If you enjoy grilling out, I also have recipes for grilled chicken drumsticks and balsamic pork kebabs. If it’s too cold to fire up the BBQ, you should try this baked honey balsamic salmon.

Plated serving of marinated fish with sides of steamed broccoli and rice pilaf.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Talk about simple! There are only 3 ingredients in the bourbon salmon marinade! If you like rich, smoky flavors, then you’ll love this recipe.

I like to use it to marinate wild-caught salmon, and often serve it with parsnip fries, sweet potato fries, or a side salad.

avocado oil – It’s best to grill with a high smoke point oil like avocado oil, canola oil, or olive oil.
maple syrup – Be sure to use pure maple syrup. Check the ingredient label because some pancake syrups contain high fructose corn syrup and other unhealthy additives.
bourbon or whiskey – Contrary to popular opinion, not all of the alcohol will burn off during cooking. It depends on how much alcohol per volume the spirit has to begin with, as well as the cooking method. (source) To make this a family friendly recipe, you can use a zero proof bourbon or whiskey.

For a little kick of spicy heat, you can also include a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne powder.

If you want a different flavor altogether, I have plenty of other salmon marinades you can make.

Bourbon marinade ingredients for salmon.

Making the Bourbon Marinade

The marinade for this bourbon salmon recipe is super simple. Just follow these steps and you’ll be ready to grill your fish about 30 minutes.

By the way, this method works for other types of fish and seafood, too. You can use it with my recipes for air fryer shrimp and air fryer tilapia.

Pat the raw salmon fillets dry with a few paper towels. Then, place them into a shallow dish or heavy duty bag zip top bag.
Whisk the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl. Then, pour the marinade over the fish. Be sure to flip the fillets over to fully cover both sides.
Let the salmon marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes. Or, you can transfer it to the fridge in a sealed or covered container and marinate for up to 2 hours.

Unlike beef and beef and pork, fish doesn’t have any fibrous connective tissue to break down. So, the purpose of marinating salmon is to add flavor, not to tenderize it. This is why it only takes about 30 minutes.

In fact, if you marinate fish for too long, it can become mushy.

Bourbon salmon on a plate with cooked broccoli and rice.

Grilling Bourbon Salmon

Preheat the grill. The first thing you’ll want to do is preheat your gas or pellet grill to a medium-high heat of 400°F/204°C.
Brush and oil the hot grill grates. Be sure to use a wire grill brush and a heat-safe silicone basting brush.
Remove salmon fillets from the marinade. To prevent flare-ups, shake off any excess marinade.

Unless you plan to make a bourbon glaze for the salmon, throw the marinade away after removing the fish. Uncooked fish, meat, and poultry contain bacteria that transfer to the marinade. Per USDA recommendations, it is not considered safe to reuse or serve as a dipping sauce unless it is boiled for several minutes first.

Grill the salmon skin side down for 4 minutes, with the hood closed. After 4 minutes, open the hood and use a large fish spatula to flip the fillets over. Continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes.

Tips for Success

To make a bourbon glaze for salmon, place the leftover bourbon marinade in a saucepan over medium-high heat. When it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, then simmer for about 10 minutes, until the liquid reduces and thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Brush it onto the salmon during the fish during the last 3-4 minutes of grilling.
This recipe can be doubled or tripled to marinate additional filets. As written, it yields enough to marinate 2 skin-on salmon fillets.

Alternate Cooking Methods

If you don't have a grill, or it's not quite BBQ weather where you live, you don't need to miss out! This bourbon salmon recipe can be baked in the oven, pan fried, or even air fried.

For oven baked fish, follow the instructions in this Greek-Inspired Mediterranean Salmon.
To make bourbon salmon in an air fryer, use my Air Fryer Tilapia recipe.
For crispy, pan seared salmon, use the cooking instructions in my Zesty Ranch Salmon.

Bourbon-marinated salmon fillet with a flaky texture, served with a side of rice and broccoli on a plate.

Other Easy Grilling Recipes

Bourbon Salmon Recipe

Elevate the flavor of grilled fish with this Bourbon Salmon recipe! The sweet and smoky flavors of the marinade make salmon flaky and moist.

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Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 8

Marinating Time: 30

Total Time: 48

Servings: servings

Author: Madison Wetherill

Ingredients

12 ounces salmon fillets two 6-ounce skin-on fillets
2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
2 tablespoons bourbon or whiskey
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 pinch salt and pepper or more/less to taste, as desired

Instructions

Add marinade ingredients to a small dish, and whisk well to combine.
*You can do this up to a day in advance. Store the marinade covered in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it.

Marinate

Pat the salmon fillets dry with paper towels. Transfer fish to a baking dish or heavy-duty zip top food storage bag.
Pour the marinade over the salmon, then turn the fillets over, to fully coat both sides.
Marinate in the container at room temperature for 30 minutes, or set the covered or sealed container in the refrigerator to marinate for up to 2 hours.
Alternatively, you can seal the bag or container and freeze the salmon in the marinade for up to 4 months.

Grilling

Preheat grill to medium-high heat (about 400°F/204°C). Brush the grill grates with a high smoke point oil like avocado oil.
Remove salmon fillets from the marinade, shaking off any excess (this will help prevent flare ups).
Set fish on grill grates skin side down, and close the hood. Cook for about 3 minutes or until the salmon releases easily from the grates.
Use a large spatula to carefully flip the salmon over, then close the hood again. Continue grilling for another 3-4 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork and is cooked through to an internal temperature of 145℉.
Remove from grill, transfer to plates, and serve while warm. See Notes below to make a bourbon glaze for the salmon.

Notes

Reusing and/or serving marinade as a dipping sauce is not recommended. Uncooked fish, meat, and poultry contain bacteria that transfer to the marinade. Per USDA recommendations, it is not considered safe to reuse for any purpose unless it is boiled first, for several minutes.
To make a bourbon glaze for salmon, it's simple! Just place the leftover marinade in a saucepan over medium-high heat. When it comes to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the liquid reduces and thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Brush it onto the salmon during the fish during the last 3-4 minutes of grilling.
This recipe can be doubled or tripled to marinate additional filets. As written, it yields enough to marinate 2 skin-on salmon fillets.