Best Store-Bought Marinades For Salmon [Full Prep Guide]

Marinating any meat kind is the key to create deliciously grilled dishes. The process is simple, just put the meat in the bag or a covered bowl, then pour the marinade, and let it sit for a few hours. However, with the overwhelming number of marinades available in the market today, there is precisely one that is suited for your meat of choice, let’s say salmon.

The best store-bought marinade for salmon is Yoshida’s Marinade Cooking Sauce. It is perfect for grilling, sauteing, and even baking salmon. It has no preservatives and MSG. Aside from seafood and other types of fish, it is also ideal to use beef, pork, chicken, and vegetables.

Though you may create your marinade style, some people prefer the premade bottle marinades as this can help them save time and money.

Therefore, I have listed some of the top marinades that can be used to spice up your salmon, be it fried or grilled.

But before that, let me teach you some tips on how to marinate salmon on different marinades.

How To Marinate Salmon?

Marinating salmon helps in enhancing the flavor without losing the natural taste of the fish. Unlike red meat, fish is best marinated for less than an hour or less, making it easier to experiment with different flavors.

There are two best marinades, which you can use for salmon, especially if you have enough time to cook in the kitchen.

Otherwise, I’ll give you other lists of the best store-bought marinade for salmon. This list is applicable if you have a limited time to work in the kitchen or you need to cook fast.

Marinating in lemon and olive oil

Marination time: 15-30 mins

Ingredients:

• Salmon fillets
• Lemon or limes
• Olive oil
• Dried thyme

Preparation:

1. Start the preparation 30-60 minutes before you plan to eat. Salmon needs to be marinated for about 15 to 30 minutes. You may start the marinate an hour before you prepare to eat, depending on your cooking style.
2. Place the lemon on a chopping board, and then slice it into half. Squeeze the sliced lemons over the bowl. On the same bowl, pour two tablespoons of olive oil and half a teaspoon of dried thyme. Stir the ingredients until it is well-mixed.
3. Choose a dish that is large enough to fit the salmon fillet. You may use a large ziplock bag to place the salmon.
4. Lay the salmon fillet in the dish that contains the marinade. Turn them side-by-side a few times to make sure each side is marinated.
5. According to some food safety experts, it is not advisable to wash raw salmon and other raw meats before preparing. It is because cooking it overheat is more effective in killing bacteria, and rinsing the meat will more likely spread bacteria into the sink and other areas in the kitchen.
6. Wash your hand with soap and warm water after handling raw meat.
7. Unlike red meat and poultry, fish is prone to develop an unpleasant texture during a prolonged marination process. For an acidic marinade like this one, keep the salmon marinated for no longer than 30 minutes. Flip the salmon once in a while to ensure that both sides of the fish are marinated.
8. After half an hour or less, transfer the fish to another container. Discard any remaining fluid; however, if you want to recycle the left sauce, bring it to a boil to kill harmful bacteria left by the raw meat.
9. Once the salmon is marinated, it can be prepared in different ways.
   Two popular options to cook salmon are grilling by wrapping in a foil or baking it on a foil-lined baking sheet.
   Either way, you must cook it at 200 degrees Celsius (400 degrees Fahrenheit) for around 15 minutes. You will know that the salmon is ready to serve once you can remove flakes from the surface using a fork.

Marinating in soy sauce

Marination Time: 30-60 min

Ingredients:

• Salmon fillets
• Olive oil
• Soy sauce
• Garlic
• Scallions
• Fresh ginger
• Honey
• Sriracha

1. Peel fresh ginger and two cloves of garlic, then chop it along with scallions.
2. Mix the chopped spices with olive oil and soy sauce. Pour the marinade in a zip-locked bag or wide dish, then place the salmon in the marinade.
3. Place it inside the refrigerator for another hour while occasionally flipping the other side of the fillet. If you continue to marinate beyond the recommended time, it may affect the texture of the fish.
   Since the marinade is in contact with the raw fish, it must be discarded right away. Nonetheless, you may bring it to a boil and use it as a sauce.
4. If you like extra coating, you can make a glaze and then brush it onto your salmon for added flavoring. You can create a glaze by mixing honey, soy sauce, and sriracha. Feel free to experiment with the amount until you find the taste that you will like. Remember that the glaze may taste powerful when eaten on its own rather than when eaten with salmon.
5. Cook the salmon.
   Aside from grilling, baking, broiling, and other styles, you may pan-sear the salmon to a temperature of 125 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit (52 to 60 degrees Celsius) on each side.
   Make sure not to overcook it, and you can achieve this by cooking the flesh side briefly for 15 to 30 seconds. You will know if the salmon is okay if it’s opaque yet still mostly juicy.

These are the two typical marinade sauces that you can do if you have all the ingredients available in your kitchen and have all the time to prepare food.

Meanwhile, if you are a busy prepper, then a store-bought marinade is the best for you, as this can save you a lot of time and effort in the preparation.

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Here are 3 Best Store-Bought Marinades For Salmon

Yoshida’s Marinade Cooking Sauce

Free from artificial preservatives and added MSG, the two-pack of Mr Yoshida’s Marinade Cooking Sauce is an all-purpose sauce that can be used as a marinade, flavouring in cooking, grilling, sauteing, and baking.

The sauce contains soy sauce, sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, mirin, garlic, and other spices. However, people who have an allergy to soy must avoid this sauce since it contains soy and wheat. 

Aside from fish, this marinade cooking sauce also pairs well with beef, chicken, and vegetables.

Allegro Hot and Spicy Marinada

Allegro put the flavors of a deep south Cajun country cooking style in a small bottle.

It has that traditional, tangy, French-inspired flavor with a mild yet peppery taste without tasting hot or having a bitter aftertaste.

For intense heat, you may marinate the meat a bit longer, but make sure not too long since it can affect the salmon’s texture.

This marinade adds spice to any dish, making every cut of meat juicier and more flavorful. It is a gluten-free marinade, which is perfect for almost any type of meat.

Aside from salmon, it can also be used in beef, pork, and chicken dishes.

Lawry’s 30 Minute Marinade Lemon Pepper

Fish, like salmon, goes along with something that has a lemon on it to remove the piscine-like smell.

Therefore, Lawry’s 30 Minute Marinade Lemon Pepper is an excellent choice for marinating a fish. It is made from natural flavors like lemon juice, spices, and herbs, including black pepper and rosemary, and many more.

It features a light, tangy taste that transforms a so-so dish into a meal worth remembering.

You only need half an hour to infuse the meat’s flavor since all the flavorings and seasonings are mixed in a bottle. This marinade does not only work on fish but also tastes well with veggies and chicken.

Tips When Marinating Fish

There are two essential tips to keep in mind when marinating fish or shellfish:

Always use an oil-based marinade

You’ll know that your fish is good when it is crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.

To get that crispy texture, you need to brown the fish during cooking perfectly. The problem happens when the meat has too much water in it.

Therefore, it is recommended to avoid water-based marinades and make sure to pat fish fillets with a paper towel before cooking, as this can help absorb water on the skin.

Don’t leave the fish fillet in the marinade for too long

This is the most crucial rule when marinating.

All marinades that include acids like vinegar and citrus juice must be taken cautiously. If you let any seafood sit in an acid bath for too long, it will cook the meat.

When preparing a seafood marinade, make sure to use a small amount of the acidic ingredient and do not leave the marinade for too long.

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