Cooking salmon on cast iron grill pan

Much like other staples in our household, shredded chicken, Big F*ckin’ Salads, and hard cooked eggs, this 6-Minute Crispy Skin Cast Iron Salmon is a weekly mainstay!  Here’s the best part, this Crispy Skin Cast Iron Salmon is ready in six minutes! You heard me – SIX!

If you dare tell me that you don’t have time to make dinner, we will fully get into it. I can promise you that. With delicious, nutrient-dense meals like this, ready in under 10 minutes, there are literally NO excuses. Grab the cast iron skillet, have some high quality, sustainably caught, skin-on salmon on hand, every week, choose some nice organic greens or another fiber-loaded green veggie and BOOM, in under 10 minutes you’ve got dinner. Easy.

Best part, wild caught salmon is an incredible source of quality omega-3 fatty acids. In our household we shoot to eat quality salmon or other omega-3 rich fatty fish, at least 3 times a week, I notice this makes a really big difference in my health, my skin looks better when I am on top of my omega-3 fats and I just feel better. And dang, it is truly so delicious!

As always, I am gonna preach what I always teach and that is quality matters. Seek out a sustainably fished, wild caught salmon. Not only is it better for your health, it’s better for the environment and the earth! Don’t skimp here. And the skin, lots of extra nutrients in there, so not only is it tasty AF, it’s giving you some good stuff, too.

Crispy salmon is the BEST way to eat it. And the best way to make it? This 6 minute salmon recipe! It is so quick and gets your salmon crispy without drying it out!

I am SUCH a meal and recipe repeater- once I find a way to make something it’s hard for me to break the habit. But when something turns out this delicious why switch it up?! I like to change up my seasonings to keep things fresh though!

I use a grill cast iron skillet pan to cook the salmon in and make sure that it is heated before adding the salmon in! You want the pan to be hot or else it will take longer to cook. I also use avocado oil because it has a higher smoke point so it doesn’t break down at high heat.

One key to making this salmon? Making sure you coat the pan in enough oil or else the salmon will stick! I used to worry a lot about adding oil to meals because I counted calories like crazy. But from my personal experience/my own personal research- you need healthy fats! Adding in a little avocado oil is actually a good thing.

I heat my skillet over medium heat, let it get hot, add some avocado oil in to coat the pan, then add my salmon in! I seasoned this salmon with Primal Palate New Bae seasoning but I also love using Trader Joe’s Chili Lime seasoning! Cook for 3 minutes on each side and then serve!

Now that you have your salmon cooked.. what do you do with it?! If I have one suggestion, it would be to layer it on top of toast (I love sweet potato toast!) + layer on allllll the mashed avocado! Seriously you will be in love with this combo, I promise.

This easy grilled salmon is a quick-cooking dinner that takes less than twenty minutes to make and tastes amazing!

I have made this both on our outdoor gas grill and on my grill pan indoors. These pictures show the grill pan (stove top) version. You could also make this on a cast iron skillet.

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I adapted this from Ina Garten. I stuck pretty close to her recipe. The main difference is that I opted for an oil with a higher smoke point – avocado oil. I like doing this when I sear meat to get that char.

I made four large filets, and I had plenty of marinade. I do only apply half of it to the raw fish and let it marinate for about thirty minutes. And I like to marinate mine in a ziplock bag, so that I can easily coat all sides with the mixture.

I reserve the other half of the marinade to use as a sauce to drizzle on top after it is cooked.

Hint: a little goes a long way! You don’t need much. I also topped mine with some diced green onions.

Confession: I rarely do the green onions in real life. I mainly did it for the blog photos. 😎

Serving suggestions: This goes great with a simple salad and a baked potato. If you have an Instant Pot, may I suggest my Instant Pot sweet potatoes? 😋  This is perfect for the warmer weather because it doesn’t heat up the whole kitchen like an oven does!🔥

It would also be really fantastic with my Asian ramen slaw!

Tools Used to Make Easy Grilled Salmon

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• Grill or Grill Pan. A well-seasoned cast iron skillet would work too!
• Measuring spoons for making the marinade
• Whisk and small mixing bowl for making the marinade
• Burger flipper to flip and serve the salmon

Easy Grilled Salmon Recipe

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5 from 1 vote

Easy Grilled Salmon

This easy grilled salmon is a quick-cooking dinner that takes less than twenty minutes to make and tastes amazing! (Grill, grill pan or cast iron skillet)

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian

Keyword grilled salmon recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Marinate 30 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 438 kcal

Author Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 3 Tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
• 6 Tablespoons Avocado oil
• 1/2 teaspoon finely minced garlic
• 4 salmon filets

Instructions

1. Add the dijon mustard, soy sauce, avocado oil and garlic to a small mixing bowl, and whisk to combine.

2. Pour half of the marinade over the raw fish, and reserve the other half for serving.

3. Allow the fish to marinate for 30 minutes.

4. Spray a grill pan with non-stick cooking spray, and allow it to heat over medium high heat for two minutes or so, until it is hot.

5. Place the fish into the pan. I like to do the presentation side down first. If you are using skin-on salmon, put the pink meat-y side down first, and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes. 

6. Flip it over, and cook on the other side for another 4 to 5 minutes. (Note: Cooking time may vary for thickness of the fish. Mine were pretty thin, so I did 4 minutes on each side.)

7. Remove the fish from the pan, and place it on a serving plate, allowing the fish to rest for 10 minutes. The fish will start out raw in the middle, but it will continue cooking (even after it is removed from the heat) as it rests.

8. Drizzle with reserved marinade. Hint: A little goes a long way. (Note: Make sure not to use the marinade that touched the raw fish! That portion should be discarded to avoid contamination.)

9. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

I would estimate that the amount of marinade would be enough for 6 large or 8 small filets. I like to marinate mine in a ziplock bag to make sure all sides get coated.

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