Grilled Chipotle-Orange Salmon is sweet and savory, lightly smoky, and beautifully spiced. With irresistibly caramelized edges, this easy grilled salmon recipe has become a family favorite; I’m certain you’ll love it as much as we do!
Blake’s Sweet & Smoky Grilled Salmon is one of my favorites, but it’s not the only grilled salmon recipe that’s on regular rotation around here. Another recipe I want you to try is this Grilled Chipotle-Orange Salmon. It’s savory, sweet, and smoky, with just a hint of heat to keep things interesting. (I also love this combination in my Grilled Chipotle Orange Turkey Kebabs.)
What Makes This Grilled Orange Salmon So Irresistible
This recipe + the Sweet & Smoky Grilled Salmon that I just mentioned are the recipes that turned our two daughters into salmon lovers. Here’s what makes this grilled salmon recipe a standout:
- The magic of the cedar plank. When we grill salmon, our #1 method is to cook it on a cedar grilling plank. The plank not only imparts a wonderful lightly smoky flavor and aroma into the fish, but it also makes itself useful by providing a pan-like flat surface on the grill grates.
- Smoky, sweet orange. The cedar plank is also fun for the orange slices on the salmon. The grill’s heat infuses the cedar’s smokiness into the citrus. It’s like the best kind of dinner candy – when I’m done eating, all you’ll see are thin, charred orange rinds left on my plate!
- Crispy, caramelized edges. Do you save the very best bites for last? I sure do. The salmon is flavored simply but powerfully, with chipotle, cumin, orange, and brown sugar. And the heat from the grill makes that sugar caramelize and crispify, creating the most awesome edges – those are the bites that I save for last!
Enjoy!
What You’ll Need
This grilled chipotle-orange salmon recipe calls for a couple special pieces of equipment, along with a pretty short ingredients list. Scroll down to the printable recipe card to find the exact ingredient quantities and full recipe instructions.
- Cedar plank – We use a 6″ x 12″ cedar grilling plank.
- Spray bottle of water – We recommend keeping this on hand in case you need to wet the plank, to tame any possible flame-ups.
- Salmon – Purchase a skin-on fillet that’s about 1-inch at the thickest part.
- Oranges – You’ll need the juice and the zest, then you’ll also need orange slices to grill with the salmon and orange wedges for serving.
- Olive oil – Or your cooking oil of choice.
- Brown sugar – For that fantastic caramelization. You can use light or dark.
- Seasonings – Chipotle chili powder, cumin, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper. For those who don’t particularly enjoy the heat of chipotle pepper, the recipe can easily be altered by using less or swapping it for regular chili powder, which isn’t as spicy.
How to Make Grilled Chipotle-Orange Salmon
There’s a little bit of prep work that you’ll need to do in advance, so be sure to keep that in mind with your planning.
- Soak the plank. Two hours before you plan to start grilling, set the cedar plank in a pan of water and weigh it down with something heavy to keep it submerged.
- Prep the salmon. About 30 minutes before grilling, set the plank on a sheet pan and then place the salmon on top. If you need to, trim the ends and tuck the thinnest side of flesh under the fillet to make sure it fits comfortably with a 1/2-inch border on the ends.
- Season with a glaze. Stir together the orange zest and juice, olive oil, chipotle powder, and cumin to create a glaze, then rub or brush this over the salmon. Season with salt and pepper and top with orange slices.
- Prep the grill. Preheat your grill to medium-high heat, or about 435ºF.
- Cook. Set the plank directly onto the grill grates and close the lid. Cook for 20 minutes, then check the salmon. I’ve found that it usually needs 30 to 35 minutes total, but after 20 minutes, I typically check every 3 to 5 minutes for doneness.
- Serve. When the salmon flakes easily, remove the salmon and plank from the grill together and place them on a rimmed baking sheet or platter. Serve the salmon from the plank with orange wedges on the side.
Tips for Perfect Cedar Plank Salmon
If you’ve never grilled salmon on a cedar plank before, here are a few additional pointers to make sure your chipotle-orange salmon turns out perfect.
- No peeking. Keep the grill cover closed, to trap the cedar smoke inside and infuse the salmon (and those glorious orange slices!) with smoky flavor. Only after the initial 20 minutes have elapsed should you start checking on it regularly.
- Keep the plank from burning. The plank will definitely char a bit from the grill flames. If it becomes excessive or it starts burning, squirt water onto the plank (not the salmon). You can also play around with either turning down the heat or moving the plank to less direct heat if needed.
- Don’t flip the salmon. The salmon is cooking via indirect heat in this recipe, which means it takes a bit longer and it also means the salmon does not have to be in direct contact with the heat to cook through. So there’s no need to flip, just cook the salmon with the skin-side down the whole time.
What to Serve With Chipotle-Orange Salmon
I like to serve fresh veggies or a salad with this grilled orange salmon recipe. Whether it’s a simple salad using my homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing or Mom’s Sweet Onion Coleslaw Dressing, you simply cannot go wrong. If you feel like grilling some vegetables, these Grilled Mini Sweet Peppers with Goat Cheese are a family favorite.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Refrigerator: Store leftover grilled chipotle-orange salmon in an airtight container. Refrigerate it for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Wrap leftovers tightly in plastic wrap, then in an airtight freezer-safe container or bag. Store for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- To reheat: Place the salmon in a baking dish, cover loosely with foil, and warm in a 300°F oven for 12–15 minutes, or until just heated through. Or, reheat gently in a covered skillet, with a little oil, set over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side.
More Grilled Seafood Ideas
Grilled Chipotle-Orange Salmon
Yield: 4 servings
Sweet and smoky and beautifully spiced – and so very pretty – this recipe promises to become a grilling season obsession!
Print
Equipment
- 1 cedar grilling plank (we use 6" x 12" size)
- 1 spray bottle of water
Ingredients
- 1¾ pounds salmon fillet, with skin on and about 1" thick at the thickest area of the fillet
- 2 teaspoons finely-zested fresh orange zest (use a microplane zester)
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 6 ¼"-thick orange slices
- 4 orange wedges
Instructions
- 2 hours (or more) prior to grilling: Place cedar grilling plank in a 9'' x 13'' rimmed pan and add enough water to cover the plank by 1". Set a heavy mug or two on top of the plank to keep it submerged. Set aside.
- 30 minutes prior to grilling: Move plank to a large rimmed baking sheet. If needed, cut off ends of salmon fillet to allow about ½" bare space at each end of the plank. Place salmon on plank and, if needed, tuck the thinnest side flesh underneath the fillet a bit, to fit on the plank.
- In a small bowl, stir together orange zest and juice, olive oil, chipotle powder, and cumin. Then rub or brush all of this mixture over the top and sides of the salmon flesh. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to your liking. Top with orange slices.
- Preheat grill to medium-high, about 435° F.
- Once grill is hot, set plank with salmon directly onto the grill grates and shut grill. Cook for 20 minutes without opening the grill lid, to keep the cedar smoke inside the grill. Depending on your grill plank and grill heat, the plank will smoke and smolder, and possibly char and burn. We like to keep a spray bottle of water on hand if the plank wants to char/burn excessively – just give a few squirts to the plank (do not directly spray the salmon) if you need to tame some flame – or turn the heat down a bit – or move the plank to less direct heat.
- Depending on the size and thickness of the salmon, cook for roughly 30-35 minutes total, checking every 3-5 minutes after the initial 20-minute cook time. The salmon is done when the flesh is beautifully caramelized, and flakes easily when you insert a fork into the thickest part of the fillet. We find that it's difficult to over-cook salmon when grilling skin-on fillets, on a cedar plank – our goal is always caramelized flesh that yields delicious smoky flavor; we are rarely concerned about overcooked/dry salmon using this method.
- Use a large grilling spatula to carefully transfer the plank of salmon to a clean rimmed pan or platter, and serve the salmon straight from the plank – this makes for a fuss-free presentation and fun conversation piece at the table. Offer fresh orange wedges on the side, for squeezing over the top of individual portions.
Nutrition Information:
Serving: 1 Calories: 341kcal Carbohydrates: 16g Protein: 26g Fat: 15g Saturated Fat: 3g Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g Cholesterol: 71mg Sodium: 201mg Fiber: 1g Sugar: 9g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Spoonacular. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a comment below. And share a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #afarmgirlsdabbles or tag @farmgirlsdabble!
This post was originally published in 2018, then updated in 2025.
I’ve made this salmon so many times now! It’s truly my favorite recipe ever for salmon (and that’s saying a lot because I eat it 2-3x week!).
I love to hear this, Karen! Thank you so much for coming back here to let me know + rate the recipe. Happy New Year!
So delicious! Prepared the other night and May now be my favorite way to prepare/serve salmon.
So glad you like this, Patricia! Thank you for coming back to let me know! :)
5 Star
Hi Kate – I just had a conversation with my husband about this, as he usually does the grilling for this salmon. He suggested to soak the plank for less time, so it’s a bit drier and will smoke more on the grill. Also, were you cooking it at a high enough temp? Cooking over a wood fire would more than likely bring out some altered instructions from us – we have always used a gas grill for this recipe. As far as the chipotle orange mixture being watery, I would say to use less of the orange juice. I’d never describe it as “watery” when we make it, and I always think there’s a very nice amount of flavor. You could always add a bit more chipotle and cumin if you want those flavors more pronounced. Good luck!!