Skillet BBQ Salmon — The BBQ glazed salmon is smoky and sweet with a bit of heat and makes this 15-minute recipe just pop! Perfect for busy weeknights!
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Easy BBQ Sauce Salmon Recipe
This BBQ sauce salmon is so easy to make, ready in less than 15 minutes, and you dirty precisely one skillet. My kinda recipe.
The glaze has a tiny kick from the barbeque sauce along with some smokiness, and there’s sweetness from the maple syrup. The lemon juice brightens it and adds a tangy twist, and fish and lemon are a natural pairing.
My family said the fish was soft and tender and that the glaze just makes the dish. They inhaled it in about 5 minutes flat and asked when I’m making it again.
BBQ Salmon Ingredients
To make the BBQ sauce salmon, you’ll need:
- Olive oil
- Salmon fillets
- Lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
- Pure maple syrup
- BBQ sauce
- Worcestershire sauce
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make BBQ Salmon on the Stove
If you’ve ever been intimated about how to cook salmon in a skillet, this is a super simple, flavorful, and goofproof method! Here’s how it’s made:
- Sear the fish in a pan with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
- Keep the skillet covered for about 6 minutes, or until you estimate the salmon is 80 to 90 percent done.
- Drizzle in maple syrup, bbq sauce, and Worcestershire sauce, and allow the glaze to bubble, thicken, and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes.
Tips for Making BBQ Glazed Salmon
For most pan sauces, I don’t bother mixing up the glaze in a separate bowl and instead just squirt it into the pan. One less bowl to wash and it all blends together as it boils and bubbles. No need to dirty measuring spoons, either. Just eyeball it and drizzle from the bottle.
To amp up the lemon flavor, you can use a lemon pepper seasoning instead of plain black pepper.
If you wind up with leftovers, I recommend enjoying it cold in a salad, wrap, or sandwich!
Recipe FAQs
I used Sweet Baby Ray’s since it’s easy to find, cheap, and is sweet and tangy. However, any kind of bbq sauce will work!
You’ll first need to cook the salmon skin-side up, covered, for 6 minutes over medium-high heat. Then, add in the BBQ glaze ingredients, recover the skillet, and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes. In total, skillet salmon should cook for 9 to 11 minutes in a covered skillet.
Yes! If you sear the skin, it gets nice and crispy. Salmon skin is loaded with good-for-you fats and has tons of flavor!
Of course! You’d want to bake the salmon filets at 375ºF for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the salmon flakes easily with a fork.
What to Serve with BBQ Salmon
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Skillet BBQ Salmon
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 salmon fillets, about 6 ounces each with skin on
- juice of 1 small/medium lemon
- salt and pepper, or lemon pepper or a pepper blend, to taste
- about 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- about 3 tablespoons barbeque sauce
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Place olive oil in skillet and heat over medium-high heat.
- When oil is warm, add the salmon to sear it with skin-side up (flesh side down).
- Squeeze the lemon juice over the top
- Evenly sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Cover skillet and cook for about 6 minutes, or until fish has a nice sear and is about 80 to 90 percent done.
- Uncover skillet, lower heat to medium, and squirt in the maple syrup, barbeque sauce, and Worcestershire.
- Cover skillet and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes, or until sauce has thickened some, is bubbly, and salmon is cooked through and done.
- Plate the salmon, top with remaining glaze from skillet if desired, and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I love the look of this of this! It’s great that it cooks up so quick too. Can’t beat that! Pinning :)
thanks for pinning!
Salmon is most definitely my thing, and this looks delicious!
Dinner in 15 minutes? Yes please. Salmon is one of the only fish I like and love it with maple. This looks great.
I’m not much of a fish person either, but this looks so good I would have to try it! I can see why your family loved it and that’s so sweet of you to make it for them even though it isn’t your thing! Definitely the prettiest fish dish I’ve ever seen. :)
Thanks for the compliment and saying it’s the prettiest fish you’ve ever seen!
Salmon is my absolute favourite dinner! And with maple – why didnt I think of this! Thanks for sharing!
Anisa – The Macadame. xx
http://www.creamstop.com
This does look yummy & easy. I really like salmon with a sweet-ish sauce/glaze. And I’d bet that this glaze would be good on some tofu, for the non-salmon eaters. Love the addition of bbq sauce. Pinned! = )
It’s a great glaze on tofu! I love it that way. Thanks for pinning!
I seriously need this salmon. It looks so fantastic Averie and so flavorful!
We absolutely love salmon here and cannot eat enough of it. This looks delicious, Averie. Pinned! :)
Thanks for the pin, Chelsea!
We have loved all of your seafood recipes and this one looks like a must for us–salmon is my favorite! I think I’ll take my cast iron pan out to the grill and keep the smell out of the house. Your parsnip fries and some kind of slaw ought to be perfect with it.
It’s been awhile on some of those…shows just how long you’ve been reading :) And this one is SO easy! I bet the glaze, with fries and SLAW would be so good together!
This was excellent –perfect fish and fries meal!! I think the glaze would be good for chicken too.
Oh thanks for trying this and the field report, Paula! Glad you enjoyed it!
We eat fish a few times a week and Salmon is a favorite at my house. We love the flavors of maple & with a kick of BBQ, oh yum!
Gotta try this one, maple bbq, sounds delish! Love getting new salmon recipes, thanks so much :)
I loved seeing your 15 min dinner today. That makes me happy :)
That is so sweet you make this for your family even though you don’t like it! I’m not a huge salmon fan, but it’s my husbands favorite fish so we have it every once and a while! Love that glaze and your pretty photos! :)
Thanks for saying that about the photos…it was so glare-ey from all the glaze! ha! :)
So, I absolutely adore salmon, and being Canadian, am always partial to anything maple-related. The next time we have fish I am sure this will be happening! :)
I’d love some Canadian homegrown maple syrup right about now!
My hubs and I both love salmon – and I know we’d love this maple bbq flavor combo! Looks awesome.
I eat fish 4-5 times a week. Wood salmon is my favorite so I’m excited to try this twist. My dad won’t say fish and the smell drives home crazy.
If you try it, LMK!
this sounds so delicious! i bet it would be really good if i make my hubby toss it on the grill =)
Yes, make him do the work :)