Maple Glazed Salmon (Three Ways)
This Maple Glazed Salmon is flavored with sugar-free maple syrup, lime juice, and a touch of spicy Sriracha Sauce! And this tasty low-carb salmon recipe can be made on the grill, in the Air Fryer, or in the oven!
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Years ago I made this tasty Maple Glazed Salmon on the grill, and I loved this recipe where the salmon is flavored with a glaze made with sugar-free maple Syrup, lime juice, and spicy Sriracha Sauce. But when I decided to update the photos for this favorite salmon recipe, I thought about how I also love air fryer salmon and oven-roasted salmon, and decided to try this salmon recipe with all three of those cooking methods. And the Maple Glazed Salmon was such a success with every method!
Of course it’s the flavorful maple glaze that makes this recipe so good! And having several options for a cooking method for the maple-lime-Sriracha glazed salmon means you can now make this tasty salmon dinner idea any time of year! And I’m thinking this same type of sweet and spicy glaze would taste great on other types of fish or even chicken as well.
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- skinless salmon pieces
- Olive Oil (affiliate link)
- Szeged Fish Rub (affiliate link), or other fish seasoning
- non-stick grill spray or high smoke point oil if using the grill
- Sugar-Free Maple Syrup (affiliate link)
- fresh-squeezed lime juice, I used my fresh-frozen lime juice
- Sriracha Sauce (affiliate link)
Can you make Maple Glazed Salmon with regular maple syrup?
I know some people are going to want to make this with regular maple syrup instead of the sugar-free maple syrup I used, so I want to talk about that a bit. I suspect (but don’t know for sure) that regular maple syrup will be more likely to burn if you’re cooking the salmon on the grill. If you want to use regular maple syrup I’d start with the grill temperature a little bit lower, and possibly turn the salmon a little sooner than the recipe states. For Air Fryer or oven cooking, I think regular maple syrup will probably be fine, but again I haven’t tried it that way. If anyone tries this with regular maple syrup, please let us know how it works!
Do you have to let the salmon come to room temperature before you cook?
If you cooked the salmon directly out of the fridge, the cold inside part of the salmon pieces may not get done when the outside is cooked. That’s why I recommend you let the salmon come to room temperature before cooking the Maple Glazed Salmon, and letting the glazed salmon sit a few minutes will also help it absorb some of the flavorful glaze.
Which cooking method is the fastest for Maple Glazed Salmon?
Whether you cook this salmon on the grill, in the Air Fryer, or in the oven, all three cooking methods are pretty quick. But once the salmon is ready to cook it will take only about 8-10 minutes on the grill, 7 minutes in a preheated 450F/232C oven, 10 minutes in a 400F/204C oven, or about 6 minutes in the Air Fryer.
How can you tell if Maple Glazed Salmon is done?
How firm salmon should be when it’s done is partly a matter of personal preference. And even the experts don’t agree; the USDA recommends you cook salmon until it measures 145F/62C on an Instant Read Meat Thermometer (affiliate link). But America’s Test Kitchen recommends an internal temperature of 125F/52C. I’m guessing most people would prefer a temperature somewhat between those two numbers. If you don’t have a meat thermometer, the salmon should feel firm (but not hard) to the touch when you press down with a finger.
Is this Maple-Glazed Salmon low in carbs?
With the sugar-free maple syrup we used, this amazing salmon has less than 3 net carbs per serving!
Maple Glazed Salmon on the grill:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Rub thawed salmon with olive oil and fish rub.
- Spray grill with non-stick grill spray or high smoke point oil and heat to high.
- Whisk together Sugar-Free Maple Syrup (affiliate link), lime juice, and Sriracha Sauce (affiliate link) to make the glaze.
- Brush salmon on both sides with glaze and let it come to room temperature.
- To cook, lay salmon on the grill at an angle and immediately turn heat to medium-high.
- After about 4 minutes, check grill marks, and if marks are showing rotate salmon to the opposite angle across the grill.
- Cook 3-4 minutes after you rotate and then carefully flip fish to the other side.
- Cook 1-2 minutes on the other side. Serve hot, with extra glaze to add at the table if desired.
Maple Glazed Salmon in the Air Fryer:
- Rub salmon with olive oil and fish rub, and let it come to room temperature.
- Many air fryers don’t need preheating, but preheat to 400F/204C for a few minutes if needed.
- Whisk together ingredients to make the glaze.
- Brush the salmon liberally on both sides with the glaze, put in Air Fryer basket, and continue to let it come to room temperature as needed.
- Cook salmon about 6 minutes in the Air Fryer, then check for doneness by pressing down on the fish with a finger. It should feel barely firm but not hard when it’s done. You can also check the temperature with an Instant-Read Meat thermometer if desired.
- No need to turn the salmon for Air Fryer cooking.
- Serve hot, with extra glaze to add at the table if desired.
Maple Glazed Salmon in the oven:
- Rub salmon with olive oil and fish rub, and let it come to room temperature.
- Preheat to 400F/204C (or 450F/232C). (You can put the baking dish in the oven to preheat if desired. This will slightly shorten the cooking time.)
- Whisk together ingredients to make the glaze.
- Brush the salmon liberally on both sides with the glaze, put in a baking pan you’ve sprayed with non-stick spray and continue to let fish come to room temperature as needed.
- Put salmon in the oven and roast for 10 minutes for 400F/204C oven temperature, or about 7 minutes for 450F/232C oven temperature.
- No need to turn the salmon for oven-roasted cooking method.
- Serve hot, with extra glaze to add at the table if desired.
Make it a Low-Carb Meal:
Maple Glazed Salmon was so delicious with the Spicy Szechuan Green Beans you see in the photos. It would also be tasty with Garlic-Lover’s Vegetable Stir Fry, Cauliflower Rice with Basil, Parmesan, and Pine Nuts, Barely-Cooked Asparagus with Lemon Mustard Vinaigrette, Easy Grilled Vegetables, or Roasted Asparagus with Garlic.
More Delicious Salmon:
- Salmon with Tomato Olive Relish
- Air Fryer Salmon with Mustard Herb Sauce
- Salmon Foil Packets with Tomatoes and Olives
- Greek Salmon with Tzatziki Sauce
- Slow Cooked Salmon with Butter, Capers, Garlic, and Lemon
Maple Glazed Salmon (Three Ways)
This Maple Glazed Salmon is flavored with sugar-free maple syrup, lime juice, and Sriracha Sauce, and this is perfect for an easy salmon dinner. And you can cook the salmon on the grill, in the Air Fryer, or in the oven, whichever you prefer.
Ingredients
- 2 pieces skinless salmon, about 6 oz. each
- 4 tsp. olive oil, for rubbing salmon
- 1 tsp. Szeged Fish Rub or other fish rub seasoning (see notes)
- non-stick grill spray or high smoke point oil if using the grill
- 2 T sugar-free maple syrup
- 1 T fresh-squeezed lime juice (see notes)
- 1 tsp. Sriracha Sauce (more or less to taste)
Instructions
Maple Glazed Salmon on the Grill:
- Take thawed salmon out of the fridge, rub with olive oil and fish rub, and let it come to room temperature.
- Spray the grill well with non-stick grill spray or a high smoke point oil and heat to high.
- Whisk together the Sugar-Free Maple Syrup (affiliate link), lime juice, and Sriracha Sauce (affiliate link) to make the glaze.
- Brush the salmon liberally on both sides with the glaze and continue to let it come to room temperature as needed.
- To cook, lay salmon on the grill at an angle to grill grates and immediately turn the heat to medium-high.
- After about 4 minutes, check grill marks by lifting a corner of the fish, and if the marks are showing rotate salmon to the opposite angle across the grill.
- Cook 3-4 minutes after you rotate and then carefully flip fish to the other side.
- Cook 1-2 minutes on the other side. Serve hot, with extra glaze to add at the table if desired.
Maple Glazed Salmon in the Air Fryer:
- Rub salmon with olive oil and fish rub, and let it come to room temperature.
- Many air fryers don't need preheating, but preheat to 400F/204C for a few minutes if needed.
- Whisk together ingredients to make the glaze.
- Brush the salmon liberally on both sides with the glaze, put in Air Fryer basket, and continue to let it come to room temperature as needed.
- Cook salmon about 6 minutes in the Air Fryer, then check for doneness by pressing down on the fish with a finger. It should feel barely firm but not hard when it’s done. You can also check the temperature with an Instant-Read Meat thermometer if desired.
- No need to turn the salmon for Air Fryer cooking.
- Serve hot, with extra glaze to add at the table if desired.
Maple Glazed Salmon in the Oven:
- Rub salmon with olive oil and fish rub, and let it come to room temperature.
- Preheat to 400F/204C (or 450F/232C). (You can put the baking dish in the oven to preheat if desired. This will slightly shorten the cooking time.)
- Whisk together ingredients to make the glaze.
- Brush the salmon liberally on both sides with the glaze, put in a baking pan you've sprayed with non-stick spray and continue to let fish come to room temperature as needed.
- Put salmon in the oven and roast for 10 minutes for 400F/204C oven temperature, or about 7 minutes for 400F/204C oven temperature.
- No need to turn the salmon for oven-roasted cooking method.
- Serve hot, with extra glaze to add at the table if desired.
Notes
I used Szeged Fish Rub (affiliate link) which is a product I've been buying for years from Amazon.com. I used my fresh-frozen lime juice.
Recipe adapted from Salmon with Sriracha Sauce and Lime featured in Self Magazine.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 675Total Fat: 30gSaturated Fat: 5.3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 22.7gCholesterol: 108mgSodium: 206mgCarbohydrates: 3.1gFiber: .2gSugar: .6gProtein: 38g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
As long as you use sugar-free maple syrup, everything in this Maple Glazed Salmon would be approved for any type of low-carb eating plan or for all phases of the original South Beach Diet or another low-glycemic diet. (Even with regular maple syrup, the amount of sugar would be minimal, since you’re only eating the glaze that sticks to the fish, but this was delicious with the sugar-free maple syrup.)
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Grilling Recipes, Air Fryer Recipes, or Oven Dinners to find more recipes like this one. Use the Recipes by Diet Type photo index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to Follow Danica's Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe for salmon with maple-lime-sriracha glaze was first posted in 2013. It was last updated with three different cooking methods in 2022 and last updated with more information in 2024.
26 Comments on “Maple Glazed Salmon (Three Ways)”
GERADE HEUTE HATTE ICH LACHS;;;;
DEIN REZEPT HÖRT SICH SEHR GUT AN
wünsche noch einen schönen ABEND
bis bald die BIRGIT aus TIROL
I used Google translate to read your comment that’s in German. Glad you like the sound of the recipe. Fun hearing from someone so far away.
Technically speaking there is no such thing as sugar free maple syrup. You can buy a sugar free maple flavored syrup…..but why? I will just turn the heat down a little and watch it carefully…..I’m sure it is going to wow them tonight.
Some people don’t want even a small amount of sugar. I’d love to hear how it works with regular maple syrup.
This is my absolutely favorite way for salmon. I was wondering though if it would work for in the oven as part of a sheet pan meal. What do you think?
Donna, so glad you have enjoyed it! And I think that is a brilliant idea! Yes, I think it would work. I do have this sheet pan meal with salmon if you want to check it out for the timing. Let me know what you think if you try it!
I could eat that glaze with a spoon, but then again, that salmon with those perfect grill marks looks pretty incredible ~ sharing!
Thanks Sue, I love all these flavors too!
This salmon recipe looks like a meal made in heaven IMO! Shared and will make soon, Kalyn. 🙂
Thanks!
Shirley
Thanks so much Shirley; hope you enjoy!
How does this recipe turn out if you leave the skin on?
Dave I haven't made it that way so I can't say for sure. But I'm guessing it would be more flavorful without the skin, because that will allow the glaze to sink into the fish a bit more. Probably still good though.
I have never prepared salmon with a sweet syrup and I have no idea why. Because it is a fantastic idea! Thanks Kalyn – this is a must try!
Thanks Rosemary; hope you enjoy it as much as I have.
Wow, I sure wish I was having this as my second dinner!
TheClines, very creative; so glad you enjoyed it!
We made this tonight on a charcoal using real maple syrup. Man was it delicious! Because I was worried about it burning, I used a grill pan (like what you would use to cook veggies on the grill) and I left the skin on salmon. I did not flip the fish, and we cooked it on high. The skin stuck to the pan, but I didn't mind that. It was smoky, sweet, and a little spicy. Better than a restaurant! We reserved about half the sauce, and microwaved it, and it became a nice thick sauce to add at the end. Absolutely delicious!
Karen, thanks for sharing that info; very happy to hear it worked with regular maple syrup as I'm sure many people will want to use that.
We tried the glaze tonight on chicken cutlets using Wisconsin maple syrup. My husband got the grill hot, then turned it down to medium. The glaze did not burn. It gave a subtle sweet, spicy flavor to the chicken. Quite tasty!
Sugar free maple syrup is just what the name says. Find it near the maple syrup in most stores.
What is sugar free Maple syrup?
Glad people are liking this. Sarah, I do think agave will work, but you might need to be more careful about it burning; maybe turn a little sooner on the grill.
mmm….can't wait to try this – do you think I could sub Agave for the maple syrup?
I love salmon with a maple glaze and the dash of siracha would be a perk.
So happy to have found your blog and look forward to trying your recipes. Salmon is a staple in our house, but I usually just broil it with a little olive oil and seasonings…. which gets boring. Can't wait to try this — esp since grilling out is our favorite way to go this time of year. Thanks for the tip on using sugar-free… you're right, I would've used regular. 🙂
That sweet-spicy-tart glaze sounds amazing! A trifecta of great flavor.