Easy Maple Glazed Salmon

This Easy Maple Glazed Salmon is a quick and easy recipe perfect for weeknight dinners because it’s ready in 20 minutes! This dish is drizzled in a garlic, soy, and syrup marinade for tender flaky salmon.

This post contains affiliate links. Please read my full disclosure here.

Seafood is my thing! So are quick recipes. This is something you can whip up with very little effort and time! Pair it with any of your favorite veggies and sides.

What Type of Salmon to Use/Skin On or Skin Off?

I like to use wild caught salmon. It has a beautiful bright color and a buttery taste. It is the most healthy type to purchase.

Salmon that is sourced from the Atlantic is usually farmed. Farmed means antibiotics and food coloring (to give it a pink color) are used. This adds harmful chemical additives to the fish. So I usually try to look for wild caught salmon.

You will also want to use individual fillets, as opposed to a full plank. Opt for 6-8oz fillets.

When you cook the salmon, keep that skin on: It provides a safety layer between your fish’s flesh and a hot pan or grill. That’s how you get juicy salmon!

I don’t eat the skin on the salmon. How to remove skin from salmon after cooking is really easy. The fish will glide right off the skin! This is a sign of perfectly cooked salmon. Salmon that flakes and glides will taste amazing. You won’t need to remove a thing.

Maple Glaze Ingredients

You want to use quality maple syrup in this recipe. Regular pancake syrup won’t do. I’m using the Maple Syrup from ChocZero because it’s sugar-free and results in a much healthier recipe. What I love most about this syrup is it’s THICK! It isn’t watery at all and it’s perfect for coating salmon.

You will also need soy sauce, garlic powder, and lemon juice.

How to Make Maple Glazed Salmon

Detailed ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe card below.

1. Allow the salmon to come to room temperature. Pat the salmon dry.
2. Drizzle olive oil over the salmon and season the salmon with smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper to taste.
3. Bake, air fry, or pan sear.

How to Tell When Salmon Has Finished Cooking

The color of the salmon will become lighter as it cooks. You can monitor the color of the sides to determine doneness. When the color of the side of the salmon has lightened about 3/4ths of the way up, it’s time to flip (when pan searing). When baking or air frying, at this point, you know the salmon only has a couple of minutes left to cook.

Other Seasonings and Substitutions

• Lemon Pepper Seasoning
• Cajun Seasoning
• Creole Seasoning
• Fresh Lime Juice
• Cilantro
• Ginger
• Mustard

Overcooked Salmon

Overcooked salmon is dry and has little flavor. Fish (along with meat) will continue to cook when you remove it from heat. This is why it’s important to pay attention to how long the fish cooks.

When the fish is done, it will be a translucent pink in the middle. It should also look flaky. You can check out more tips on How to Tell if Salmon is Overcooked here.

How to Store the Salmon/How Long Will it Last in the Fridge

Store the salmon tightly covered in the fridge for 3-4 days.

How to Reheat

In general, I recommend you avoid the microwave when you reheat seafood. Seafood and fish are super delicate and microwaves cook at super high temperatures.

Since the fish is fully cooked, even a few minutes of additional cooking at a high temperature will result in dry overcooked salmon.

I recommend you use the air fryer or oven. If using the oven,  put the fish on a rimmed baking sheet, loosely covered in foil, and warm it a 275 degrees oven for 10-15 minutes, until it reaches an internal temperature of 125°F to 130°F.

If using the air fryer, reheat it on 200 degrees for 5-7 minutes or until warm.

If you use the microwave, be swift! Don’t leave it in too long.

You can follow tons of tips on reheating, and salmon simply will not taste the exact same the next day. It’s best when served fresh. The key to optimizing the taste for leftovers is to avoid overcooking it on the front end, and reheating it without the microwave.

Freezer Tips

You can freeze the salmon, tightly covered or sealed, for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and follow the steps above for reheating.

Recipe Tips

• Dry the salmon thoroughly before coating it in oil. Wet salmon is more likely to stick to the pan (when searing) and in general when cooked with any method will increase the likelihood of overcooked salmon.
• Avoid using salmon cold and straight from the fridge. I like to pull the salmon from the fridge and coat it in olive oil and allow it to rest for 15 minutes. Allow it to come to room temperature prior to cooking.

Pair and Serve This Salmon With These Sides

Air Fryer Green Beans
Air Fryer Asparagus
Air Fryer Mixed Vegetables
Keto Cauliflower Mash

More Salmon and Fish Recipes

Pan-Seared Salmon
Baked Parmesan Salmon
Salmon Fried Rice
Blackened Salmon
Keto Salmon Patties
Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict
Air Fryer Salmon
Grilled Cedar Plank Salmon
Crab Stuffed Salmon
Tuna Poke Bowls
Blackened Fish Tacos
Seafood Stuffed Pasta Shells
Ninja Foodi Grill Salmon