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Chipotle Maple Grilled Salmon is a healthy and easy to make dinner that’s perfect for summer grilling! Smoky, sweet and a little spicy. I love to serve this maple grilled salmon with cilantro lime rice and grilled zucchini.
Let’s get this week started with a simple, healthy dinner. Chipotle Maple Grilled Salmon is the perfect way to get back on track with healthy eating and cooking if you were like me and took a break from it over the weekend.
I’m definitely an 80/20 girl when it comes to eating healthy. I try to keep myself in check during the week, but on the weekend I loosen the strings and enjoy a meal out, a couple cocktails and of course dessert. Life in terms of food, would be pretty boring if we didn’t allow ourselves to indulge occasionally.
I’ve mentioned this before, but grilling salmon is my favorite way to prepare it. There’s something about that open flame and char that really brings out the flavor. When you’re grilling salmon I find it best to use skin-on fillets. This helps keep the it together so you don’t lose half of it in between the grill grates.
As much as I love chicken, I find that salmon leaves me more satisfied and full. The extra fat in salmon isn’t something you should be afraid of, it’s a healthy fat.
The salmon fillets are marinated in a mixture of chipotle chiles, adobo sauce, lime juice, maple syrup, cumin and garlic powder. It only needs about 30 minutes to marinade. Keep in mind salmon doesn’t take long to cook, these fillets only took about 6-8 minutes. If you aren’t a fan of spicy, I recommend making this maple baked salmon as an alternative.
The USDA recommends cooking salmon to 145° F. Many people find that to be overdone, myself included. Cooking the salmon to 130° F. and letting it rest for 5 minutes should give you perfectly medium cooked salmon.
To serve alongside this smoky, sweet and spicy grilled salmon, I made cilantro lime rice and grilled zucchini. For the zucchini all you need is olive oil, salt and pepper and it only takes a minute or two per side to grill.
Sides to Serve with Grilled Salmon
Salads – A few of my favorite salads to serve with grilled salmon are Mexican street corn salad, avocado corn salad, and strawberry watermelon feta salad. The sweet and spicy flavors pair perfectly with them.
Pasta Salad – Pasta salad is a great side to serve with grilled salmon. Try it with this Mexican street corn pasta salad or tomato corn pasta salad.
Rice – Steamed white rice, brown rice or this black beans and rice for something heartier.
More Grilled Salmon Recipes
- Grilled Salmon Tacos with Strawberry Avocado Salsa
- Grilled Salmon with Mango Cucumber Mint Salsa
- Southwest Grilled Salmon with Blueberry Corn Salsa
Chipotle Maple Grilled Salmon
Ingredients
Chipotle Maple Salmon
- 1 chipotle chile finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons adobo sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 lime zested and juiced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 4 4 ounce skin-on wild caught salmon fillets
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients for the salmon in a shallow dish. Whisk to combine. Reserve a small amount of the marinade to brush on during grilling, then place the salmon fillets flesh side down in the marinade. Let them marinate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat and oil the grill grates. Place the salmon flesh side down on the grill. Cook for 3-5 minutes depending on the thickness, then flip over and brush with any reserved marinade. Cook another 3-5 minutes. If using a meat thermometer, remove from the grill when the internal temperature reads 130° F. Let the salmon rest for 5 minutes before serving.
- Serve with the cilantro lime rice, grilled zucchini or a side dish of choice.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Health Benefits of Salmon
- Rich in omega-3 fatty acids. This is something your body can’t create on it’s own and it has to come from a food source. Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to decrease blood pressure, decrease risk factors for certain diseases and reduce inflammation.
- It’s a great source of protein and contains 22-25 grams in a 3.5 ounce serving. Protein is important for bone health, repairing the body after injury and maintaining muscle mass.
- High in B Vitamins. B vitamins are important for turning the food you eat into energy, reducing inflammation and keeping your brain and nervous system functioning at a high level.
Chipotle is my favorite flavor of all time. Love the color on Salmon. Pinning!
Thanks Savita! I’m a big fan of chipotle as well!