Easy Salmon on the Blackstone Griddle

By Todd Martin August 18, 2024 6 mins read 80 Views

I love smoking salmon, but for an easy weeknight dinner, you can’t beat Salmon on the Blackstone.

You get a nice, even crust on the outside, crispy skin on the bottom, and perfectly cooked fish in the middle. Use our homemade salmon seasoning and pair it with grilled asparagus, and I guarantee this will become a regular on your weeknight rotation.

Easy salmon cooked on the griddle

Salmon is one of the most popular seafood staples in the United States and globally, and for good reason! It’s full of protein, Omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants that make it the perfect, healthy superfood to enjoy any day of the week.

This recipe is quick and easy to make. It only takes 15-20 minutes to whip up, and you will have delicious, flavorful salmon that the whole family will love.

Throw a few slices of lemon on the griddle at the same time, and you will have beautiful charred lemon to add a hit of sweet citrus. Plus, the grilled lemon looks awesome when plating up your final dish.

salmon with lemon on top sitting on cooked asparagus on a grey plate

Ingredients you’ll need

Salmon – This recipe works with any species of salmon, but you should avoid using any type of pre-smoked salmon as it will dry out quickly. I used skin-on fillets but you can use skin-off if you prefer.
Salmon seasoning – While I highly recommend our Salmon Seasoning recipe, you can also use any fish or seafood seasoning in your pantry.
Lemon – Lemon, and fish are a match made in heaven, especially when you char the lemons on the griddle.
Oil – Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point to prevent the salmon from sticking to the griddle. I prefer avocado oil, but you can use canola oil, vegetable oil, or shortening.

Equipment for Blackstone Salmon

Griddle – I used my Camp Chef GRIDIRON 36 for this recipe, but any Blackstone or flat-top cooking surface will work fine as long as it can maintain a medium temperature for at least 15-20 minutes.
Fish spatula – or metal spatula. Fish are delicate, so you need to take some care when flipping them. The spatula that I use is the one that came with my Camp Chef griddle, but any thin metal spatula will work.
Instant-read thermometer – I always recommend using an instant-read thermometer when cooking something as delicate as fish. You want to ensure that you bring your salmon to a safe temperature, but you don’t want to overcook it, as it will start to dry out quickly. I find that around 145°F is the perfect temperature for flaky, juicy salmon.

Filets or whole salmon

You can use a full side of salmon for this recipe, but I prefer cutting it into smaller filets for a few reasons:

Even cooking – a whole filet of salmon won’t be the same thickness throughout, and if you want to ensure the thickest part of the fish is cooked to a safe temperature, you will likely have thinner portions of the fish that end up overcooked.
Easier to handle – you do have to flip the salmon halfway through the cooking process, and it is far easier to get a spatula under a small filet than to try to flip a whole side of salmon at once.
Quick serving – cooking the salmon in individual pieces means that you can go from griddle straight to your plate without having to do any knife work when you’re done cooking.

Skin on or off?

I like to leave the skin on because it creates a barrier between the griddle and the fish during the second half of the cooking process.

It also gives you delicious, crispy fish skin to snack on if that’s your thing. If not, no worries -you can easily remove the skin after it’s cooked and before you put it on your plate.

How to make Blackstone Salmon

1. Prep and season your salmon

Prepping the salmon is just about as easy as it gets.

Salmon has a lot of moisture, so you can sprinkle the seasoning evenly across the surface of your fish in a nice, thin layer, and you’re ready to start cooking.

four filets of raw seasoned salmon on a blue plate

This is also a perfect time to slice your lemon. Start by slicing the lemon in half, then take one half and cut it into circles about ⅛” thick. The remaining half can be left whole, as that will be the portion you use to baste the salmon during cooking.

The smaller circles will be charred and then placed on top of each filet for an extra boost of citrus flavor (plus, they look pretty on the plate).

2. Fire up the griddle

Preheat your griddle to medium heat. If you have a temperature setting, you should aim for about 350°F. Let your griddle fully preheat before adding your salmon.

For this recipe, I used my Camp Chef GRIDIRON 36. It’s the newest griddle in the Camp Chef lineup and is the perfect tool for recipes like this because it maintains a steady temperature without getting too hot.

Once your griddle is preheated, you can lay down a light layer of neutral oil. I use avocado oil, but any neutral oil with a high smoke point will be perfect.

3. Cook

Start by placing your lemon half and slices on the griddle to char.

salmon slices on the griddle with asparagus in the background

After two minutes, remove the half lemon from the griddle and give the smaller circles a flip so they get charred on both sides.

Place the salmon fillets on the griddle. I like to start with the skin side of the salmon facing up to get a nice crust on the top of the fish.

After your salmon has been cooking for 5 minutes, you can flip it over so that the skin side is facing down on the griddle.

salmon fillets cooking on the griddle — You should have a nice, golden-brown crust on the top of your salmon at this point.

Once your salmon is skin-side down, take the charred half lemon and squeeze the juice over the top of each filet. This will help keep the salmon moist and also give it a wonderful citrus flavor.

cooked salmon, with lemon slice on top on the griddle

After you’ve basted the salmon in lemon juice, you can place the smaller pieces of charred lemon on top of each filet.

Let your salmon continue to cook for another 7-10 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145°F in the thickest part of each filet.

I recommend using an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature. I love my Thermoworks Thermapen for things like this because it takes the temperature in under a second and gives me an accurate reading every single time.

Once your salmon reaches 145°F, you can remove it from the griddle, and it’s ready to enjoy.

salmon filets with lemon slices on the top on a wooden board

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