🐟 This Glazed BBQ Salmon Recipe is made with seven simple ingredients in 15 minutes in a single skillet on the stovetop. Smoky and sweet with a little bit of heat, it’s the perfect fuss-free main course for busy weeknights!
Easy BBQ Sauce Salmon Recipe
I make salmon several times a week with recipes like my grilled honey lemon butter salmon, sheet pan Asian salmon and broccoli, and easy teriyaki salmon bowls. However, when I need a quick option that requires minimal fuss and always tastes great, this BBQ sauce salmon is the recipe I turn to.
With a five-star rating, it’s loved by everyone, and for good reason!
- The fish is ready in less than 15 minutes, and you’ll dirty one skillet.
- The glaze is sweet, smoky, and made with a tiny kick of heat, along with brightness from lemon juice that adds a tangy twist.
- My family said the fish was soft and tender and that the glaze just makes the dish. They inhaled it in about 5 minutes flat and asked when I’m making it again!
- I often like to make extras and use leftovers in a cold salad, wrap, or sandwich for a quick, easy lunch.
Ingredients You’ll Need
To make the BBQ salmon on the stove, you’ll need:
- Olive oil
- Salmon filets: I prefer wild-caught salmon, but any kind will work. I look for equal-sized salmon fillets or slice a large piece of salmon into equal pieces for fast, even cooking
- Lemon juice
- Salt and pepper: To amp up the lemon flavor, you can use a lemon pepper seasoning instead of plain black pepper
- Pure maple syrup
- BBQ sauce: I used Sweet Baby Ray’s since it’s easy to find, cheap, sweet, and tangy. However, any kind of bbq sauce will work
- Worcestershire sauce
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Stovetop BBQ Salmon
If you’ve ever been intimidated about how to cook salmon in a skillet, this is a super simple, flavorful, and goofproof method! Here’s how it’s made:
- Sear the fish with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, placing it skin side down in a pan over medium heat.
- Keep the skillet covered until you estimate the salmon is 80 to 90 percent done and the skin has a nice sear. It’s edible and full of nutrients! The exact cooking time will vary depending on the size of your fish.
- Drizzle in maple syrup, bbq sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. There’s no need to whisk the mixture in a small bowl and dirty up another dish!
- Allow the glaze to bubble, thicken, and cook. You’ll know the salmon is done when it reaches an internal temperature between 125°F-130°F at the thickest part when measured with an instant-read thermometer.
- Brush any remaining sauce over the fish, cool at room temperature slightly, and enjoy warm!
Make grilled or baked BBQ salmon
Cover the salmon with the BBQ glaze, and place it on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake in the oven at 375ºF for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the salmon flakes easily with a fork.
You can also cook the fish on an outdoor grill over medium heat. Grease the grill grates, cover the salmon with BBQ sauce, and cook until it flakes easily with a fork.
My Favorite Pairings
Skillet BBQ Salmon
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 salmon fillets, about 6 ounces each with skin on
- juice of 1 small/medium lemon
- salt and pepper, or lemon pepper or a pepper blend, to taste
- about 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- about 3 tablespoons barbeque sauce
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Place olive oil in skillet and heat over medium-high heat.
- When oil is warm, add the salmon to sear it with skin-side up (flesh side down).
- Squeeze the lemon juice over the top
- Evenly sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Cover skillet and cook for about 6 minutes, or until fish has a nice sear and is about 80 to 90 percent done.
- Uncover skillet, lower heat to medium, and squirt in the maple syrup, barbeque sauce, and Worcestershire.
- Cover skillet and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes, or until sauce has thickened some, is bubbly, and salmon is cooked through and done.
- Plate the salmon, top with remaining glaze from skillet if desired, and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Easy Salmon Recipes:
Sheet Pan Salmon and Potatoes — This baked salmon and potatoes recipe is ready in 25 minutes, the lemon butter and Dijon mustard add so much FLAVOR, and it’s made on ONE sheet pan! EASY comfort food for busy weeknights!
Honey Lemon-Glazed Salmon Salad — This Honey Lemon-Glazed Salmon Salad is ready in 15 minutes and can easily be meal prepped. My whole family loves this recipe and said it’s their favorite salmon salad I’ve ever made!
Sheet Pan Garlic Butter Salmon — Juicy salmon at home in 30 minutes that’s EASY and tastes BETTER than from a restaurant! The butter is infused with lemon and garlic and adds so much FLAVOR!
Sheet Pan Honey Lemon Salmon — This baked honey lemon salmon is ready in under 30 minutes! It’s impossible to wind up with dry salmon when making this recipe, it’s just that good!
Easy Salmon and Potato Foil Packets — Juicy, moist salmon that’s loaded with flavor! Ready in 30 minutes, zero cleanup, and a foolproof way to cook salmon and look like a gourmet cook!!
Lemon Dill Salmon with Vegetables in Parchment — Tender salmon with vegetables and it’s so EASY, healthy, ready in 20 minutes, and loaded with bold LEMON and dill flavor! Put it on your dinner rotation!
Honey Dijon Salmon — EASY, ready in 20 minutes, juicy, tender, and so FLAVORFUL from the honey, Dijon, and lemon juice!! If you’re trying to incorporate more fish in your diet, this is THE RECIPE to make!
Chile Lime Salmon with Mango Avocado Salsa — Tender and INCREDIBLE salmon with mango salsa that’s bursting with Mexican FLAVORS to complement the fish! So EASY and ready in 15 minutes!
Love this quick and easy sauce recipe. I use skinless salmon and cook it on a grill pan over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes per side. Delicious! Thanks for the recipe.
Love this quick and easy sauce recipe. I use skinless salmon and cook it on a grill pan over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes per side. Delicious! Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad this is a winner for you and you enjoy the quick and easy sauce and you can do it on your grill pan!
great
Ok, so your narrative says cook skin side up the entire time, yet the picture shows the fish in the pan skin side down…why?
Cook it as I wrote and you’ll be just fine or if you want to experiment with skin up/skin down based on what you know you like and works for you, go for it.
So I too find it odd about cooking it skin up. So I’m salt and peppering the skin??
I cooked this particular recipe initially with the skin side down to sear it, yes. Salt and pepper disperses throughout a dish. Ho
Made this for dinner tonight – super easy, quick, and I’ve never cooked with salmon in my life! I may have used too much olive oil because when I plated the salmon, the oil separated from the BBQ sauce (at least, I think that’s what happened?). It definitely did not look as pretty as yours, but it still tasted delicious :)
Glad it tasted delicious and salmon is a very fatty fish and some are just fattier than others; maybe yours was in that category. Also cooking fish at a too-high temperature can cause it to separate a bit like that. Given your stove/pan, maybe turn the heat down slightly next time. Thanks for trying the recipe!
This was awesome! The salmon was very tender and the sauce was just right! We paired it with a stir fry and roasted potatoes. Delicious!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!