This simple balsamic salmon marinade has just 3 ingredients, and gets dinner on your table in no time. The salmon comes out with the best texture- so soft and tender on the inside and never over-cooked.
When it comes to salmon, I'm all about serving it up with a delicious sauce. Maple glazed salmon and teriyaki salmon glaze are two of our favorites! This balsamic salmon marinade is another great option that infuses so much flavor into the salmon, but can also be converted into a sauce to drizzle over top.
Salmon can be a little intimidating, but it turns out you need very little time and very few ingredients to turn it into the best meal of the week! This 3-ingredient salmon marinade not only infuses the fish with amazing flavor, but we don't waste a drop... Instead, we simmer and reduce it down to an amazing sauce that goes right back on your baked salmon. Don't forget to preheat the pan, either. This little step gives you the nice sear you'd normally get in the skillet while you enjoy the hands-off nature of oven baking your fish. You're going to want to use this salmon marinade recipe every time now!
With just three simple ingredients, this balsamic salmon marinade is so easy to prepare! Serve it up with a batch of coconut rice and sautéed green beans for the perfect meal.
Reasons You'll ♡ Balsamic Salmon Marinade
- there are just 3 ingredients in the marinade, and it only needs to marinate for 30 minutes
- you can turn the marinade into a sauce to drizzle over the salmon, rice and veggies!
- starting the salmon on high heat, then reducing the temperature helps it cook through perfectly: so soft and tender on the inside and never over-cooked!
Recipe video
See exactly how to cook balsamic salmon by watching the video below! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.
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Salmon Marinade Recipe Ingredients
- salmon- this cooking method works best with salmon fillets, and not thin tail sections. If you have a side of salmon, cut it into even 5 oz portions before marinating. For thin sections of salmon, see how I pan fry them in How to Cook Salmon
- balsamic vinegar- I've used regular grocery store balsamic vinegar, but you could get fancy with flavored balsamic vinegars
- maple syrup- balances the acidity/sharpness of the vinegar. Swap for honey or brown sugar.
- garlic powder- brings a touch of savory to the marinade; swap for 3-4 cloves of fresh minced garlic if you have it
How to Make Marinade for Salmon
1. Shake up marinade- in a ½ pint jar or salad dressing shaker, combine the balsamic vinegar, maple syrup and garlic powder. Shake it up until completely combined.
2. Marinate salmon- Make sure your salmon is cut into equal-sized 5 oz fillets. Arrange in a 9 x 9 inch square baking dish. Pour the marinade evenly over the salmon, then turn the salmon so it is skin side up. Marinate for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven + sheet pan- Heat the oven to 500°F. Line a sturdy baking sheet with foil and place it in the oven to pre-heat as well. Once oven comes to temperature, remove the sheet pan and carefully arrange the salmon on it (skin side down).
4. Reduce heat + bake salmon- Place the sheet pan into the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 275°F. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the salmon reaches 125°F* when checked with an instant read thermometer.
*this is medium-rare, if you prefer your salmon closer to medium doneness, cook to 145°F.
5. (optional) Reduce marinade- While salmon bakes, add the reserved marinade to a pot. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, until it reduces and thickens. Use this to drizzle over the salmon.
Simple Salmon Marinade Recipe Tips
Use a sturdy baking dish
Preheating the baking sheet helps sear the salmon, sealing the juices in. Make sure you use a good quality sheet pan, and avoid glass at all costs (as it runs the risk of shattering at high temperatures). I also prefer a baking sheet over dish as it has great air circulation between salmon fillets, helping them cook through evenly.
I love these baking sheets
Check the temperature
All ovens bake slightly differently, and salmon can vary in thickness and shape. To avoid over or undercooking your salmon, I recommend checking the internal temperature using a digital thermometer.
- medium rare (recommended)- 125°F
- medium- 145°F
Foil makes clean up easier
I normally make this recipe without the foil, just giving the pan a soak and scrub. If you want to make clean up easier, line your pan with foil. Due to the high temperature, parchment paper will not be safe to use for this recipe.
How to Serve Marinade for Salmon
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How to Store Salmon Marinade
- Fridge: Store marinade in an airtight container up to 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator. The salmon itself can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Marinade can be frozen in a bag or jar (leaving room for expansion) for 2-3 months for best taste and texture. Cooked salmon can also be frozen for 2-3 months in an airtight freezer bag.
Simple Salmon Marinade Recipe FAQ's
Unlike chicken, salmon should be marinated for no longer than 2 hours; at this point the acid in the marinade can start to degrade the muscle fibres in the salmon, making it mealy and unappetizing.
No, the balsamic glaze is thickened and sweetened, so you don't want to swap it for regular balsamic vinegar in the marinade. However you can use a bottled balsamic glaze to serve and skip the reducing the sauce step!
Yes- for this recipe. Since we simmer the marinade, it kills any bacteria that could be lurking in there; its essentially the same as if we were to bake it with the salmon in the oven.
I've used Cook's Illustrate's brilliant method: pre-heat the oven to 500°F with your baking dish in the oven (note- you can't use a glass baking pan for this recipe as it runs the risk of shattering). Place the marinated salmon on the pre-heated pan and place in the oven. Immediately reduce to 275°F. This sears the outside of the fish, which helps lock moisture in. It's my favorite way to bake salmon!
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Simple Salmon Marinade Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 20 oz salmon fillets cut into 5 oz portions; see note 1
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup maple syrup note 2
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder note 3
Instructions
- Shake up marinade- in a ½ pint jar or salad dressing shaker, combine the balsamic vinegar, maple syrup and garlic powder. Shake it up until completely combined.
- Marinate salmon- Make sure your salmon is cut into equal-sized 5 oz fillets. Arrange in a 9 x 9 inch square baking dish. Pour the marinade evenly over the salmon, then turn the salmon so it is skin side up. Marinate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven + sheet pan- Heat the oven to 500°F. Line a sturdy baking sheet with foil and place it in the oven to pre-heat as well. Once oven comes to temperature, remove the sheet pan and carefully arrange the salmon on it (skin side down).
- Reduce heat + bake salmon- Place the sheet pan into the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 275°F. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the salmon reaches 125°F*(see note 4) when checked with an instant read thermometer.
- Reduce marinade (optional)- While salmon bakes, add the reserved marinade to a pot. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, until it reduces and thickens. Use this to drizzle over the salmon.
Tips:
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Hi, I'm Annie. With a Bachelor of Science degree, a minor in nutrition and nearly 20 year of both classical training, and self-taught experience, I've spent my career proving that home cooking can be practical, delicious and inspiring. What started in 2013 as one food blog has grown into a full-time business. Today, my husband Clayton and I run five food websites that connect with millions of home cooks every month.
When I'm not in the kitchen or behind the camera, I'm using fueling my love of travel, or chasing down new ideas that keep food fun and fresh.
Andrea says
Will this leftover salmon work in the Asian salmon salad?
Lou says
Quick and easy. Worked great with salmon and boneless/skinless chicken thighs. The reduced marinade sends it over the top. Both meals were cooked on the grill. Used left over chicken thighs for chicken salad.
Michael says
Hey There. I used this recipe for a side of salmon. I tripled the ingredients using minced garlic and marinated for the recommended 30 minutes in a gallon sized freezer bag. Then cooked the side of salmon skin side down for 6 minutes on a gas grill. It was delicious. It came out moist and very favorable. One other change I made was before I put the salmon in the maranade I had brined it for 3 hours in a kosher salt and brown sugar solution to which I also added liquid smoke. Thank You for a great recipe!
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Michael, that sounds delicious, and good idea to brine the salmon before hand. Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a rating and review! We're so glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe!
Terri says
I did try this with a sugar-free maple syrup and it was good. The marinade cooked down well for glazing the salmon after it was done.
Selena says
Hi , will this work with meat like chicken or pork chop?
Denise Bustard says
Hi Selena! Yes, I think it would work well for both. I would increase the marinating time to 2 hours up to 24 hours for both. Hope you enjoy!
Jackie says
Will this work with regular balsamic vinegar? You mention “balsamic vinegar with soy” and I’m not sure what that means. Thank you!
Denise Bustard says
Hi Jackie! Yes, this recipe is made with regular balsamic vinegar. The part where I mentioned 'balsamic vinegar with soy' was where I was giving alternative ingredient options...so I was saying you could swap the balsamic vinegar with soy sauce. Sorry for the confusion!
Phil says
Hi denise,
Is it skin down for both marinate and cooking? also if I replace it with fresh garlic, would you chop it finely or crush it?
Also obvious question but worth checking, you marinate it in the fridge not out?
Cheers
Phil
Denise says
Hi Phil! You can marinate in the fridge or at room temperature (since it's such a short marinating time). When cooking, place the salmon skin side down as it may stick to the pan. I will add these details to the recipe card, thanks for asking! Hope you enjoy 🙂
Kimberly says
I've added ginger to the soy sauce version. I have also done this to Mahi Mahi
Denise says
Hi Kimberly! Could you clarify what you mean by the 'soy sauce version'? Do you mean the maple glazed salmon? Thanks so much!
Mark says
Going to I try this tonight...can you marinate it longer?
Denise says
Hi Mark! Typically fish is not recommended to have a long marinating time as it is so delicate. Since this one is heavy on the acid (balsamic vinegar) I do worry that the texture of the salmon might deteriorate if you marinate longer than 2 hours. But if you give it a try, would you let me know how it goes for you?
Nikki says
This is the only way i will bake salmon anymore!
Denise says
Hi Nikki! Yay, I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know.
Megan says
This was a very nice simple marinade. We enjoyed! 🙂
Denise says
Hi Megan! I'm so happy you enjoyed! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review <3
Denise says
Hi Bonnie, I retested this recipe exactly as written last week, and we loved it...my 5 year old had seconds. Unless you have some constructive feedback about what happened for you with this recipe, I'm going to have to chock your experience up to user error and delete your comment. Thanks.
Denise says
Hi Bonnie, I'm sorry to hear this, but a little surprised. I would love to troubleshoot as this is a personal favorite. Can you tell me what the issue was? How long did you marinate? Why was it inedible? Thanks.
Marilyn says
Definitely make this again
Marilyn
Denise says
I'm so happy to hear this, Marilyn! Thank you so much for your review 🙂