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The Best Salmon Marinade
4.6 from 54 votes

The Best Salmon Marinade

The Best Salmon Marinade blends liquid aminos, rice vinegar, pure maple syrup, avocado oil, and garlic powder to create a balanced marinade for salmon. The mix provides savory, acidic, sweet, and garlicky notes that enhance the flavor of the fish. Marinating salmon before cooking tenderizes the flesh and infuses it with these complementary tastes.

Prep Time
5 mins
Total Time
5 mins
Servings: 2 /3 cup of marinade
Calories: 190 kcal
Course: Condiments
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 4 Tbsp liquid aminos or soy sauce
  • 3 Tbsp rice vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 2 Tbsp avocado oil
  • 1 Tbsp garlic powder

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Add all of the ingredients for the salmon marinade to a small bowl or measuring cup and whisk well until combined. If you own a small blender such as a Magic Bullet or a NutriBullet, feel free to use it to blend the marinade.
  2. Use the marinade on 1 to 2 pounds of salmon. You can easily double, triple, or quadruple the marinade depending on how much fish you’re cooking.
  3. After preparing the salmon marinade, transfer the raw salmon and 1/3 cup of marinade for every one pound of fish to a large zip lock bag. I use a 1-gallon zip lock. If you're making two pounds of fish, you'll use all of the marinade and if you're making one pound of fish, use half of the marinade. Seal the zip lock bag, removing any excess air before sealing.
  4. Transfer the marinated salmon to the refrigerator. How long to marinate salmon is up to how much time you have and how much flavor you're looking for. I find 1 to 3 hours to be the optimal time to marinate salmon. For the best results, marinate salmon for 1 hour or longer. At a bare minimum, marinate salmon for 15 minutes. You can have salmon marinating up to 12 hours, although for the best results, be sure to cook the salmon 12 hours or less after marinating.
  5. Prepare the salmon using your favorite cooking method. See blog post above for grilling, baking searing, air frying, and more!

Notes

  • Use coconut aminos for a soy-free marinade, omitting added maple syrup as it adds sweetness.
  • Substitute apple cider vinegar for rice vinegar and olive or vegetable oil for avocado oil if needed.
  • Brown sugar can replace pure maple syrup if desired.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1/3 cup Calories 190kcal (10%) Carbohydrates 17g (6%) Protein 4g (8%) Fat 14g (22%) Saturated Fat 2g (10%) Polyunsaturated Fat 10g (59%) Sodium 1898mg (79%) Sugar 13g (26%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 2 /3 cup of marinade

Amount Per Serving

Calories 190

% Daily Value*

Serving 1/3 cup
Calories 190kcal 10%
Carbohydrates 17g 6%
Protein 4g 8%
Fat 14g 22%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Polyunsaturated Fat 10g 59%
Sodium 1898mg 79%
Sugar 13g 26%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.