This is our simple salmon dry rub recipe that takes your fillet from good to amazing! Rub it on then bake, smoke, or make air fryer salmon with dry rub. Adds a ton of flavor, keep mild or make as spicy as you’d like too.
If you love fish with butter and lemon, you’ve gotta try our salmon dry rub instead next time. A sweet and savory mixture that’s easy to mix together, everyone raves about this every time we make it. One of many dry rub recipes on our site.
Dry Rub for Smoked Salmon
We started using this when we shared how to smoke salmon. It was SO popular that we’ve used it time and time again on our grilled salmon, and would be great on any pressure cooker fish recipe.
I don’t buy fish nearly as often as I should. The reason is that I think it’s best fresh, not frozen and defrosted. I mean if that is all I have then okay, but I prefer to buy it and cook it all in the same day when making our baked salmon.
It really doesn’t matter whether you’re going to use your Traeger and smoke it, or throw it into the oven. This dry rub for fish works perfectly every single time. We’ve done it all!!
Of course you can just cook and drizzle one of our salmon sauce recipes on top but this requires nothing further once it’s done. There really isn’t anything beyond this you will need once done.
What seasonings go well with salmon?
You can keep it really simple if you want like we did with our Instant Pot frozen salmon recipe. Olive oil, butter, dill and salt is all we really used and it was great. Fennel, tarragon, parsley, and/or basil are great choices too. BUT if you want bold flavors, use our dry rub recipe here!
Do you leave the skin on salmon?
Yes. If you leave it on you’ll only need to season the flesh side. It provides a barrier between the fish and the heat source so the underside doesn’t get overdone while the top is not cooked enough. Here are the ingredients we used and use on a regular basis. They’re simple and you probably have them in your cupboard right now. That is just how I cook…no weird hard to find stuff necessary.
Should you season salmon before cooking?
I think so! If you want an even stronger bolder taste, add your rub and then wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for a few hours, or overnight, and then make the best baked salmon.
If you wanted to make this spicier you could with red pepper flakes or dried jalapenos. Add little bits at a time as a little goes a long way and with the heat it will intensify the heat too.
Simple Salmon Dry Rub Ingredients
You are going to want to start with light Brown sugar to sweeten it. I haven’t swapped out for a sugar-free substitute but imagine it would work just as well.
And then to create a savory sweet flavor you want to add Salt. I prefer a bit more coarse and larger granules than table salt, and Kosher is my preference.
I don’t add a lot of Chili powder but the measurements below make it a mild heat level. You could easily adjust to more if you wanted it to become more spicy.
Paprika creates a deep flavor that goes well with a filet of fish.
And I like to add some Garlic powder too. Onion powder or granules would be the best substitute if you don’t have this.
How long should dry rub sit on salmon?
Now if you try this and you’re obsessed like us, and many of our followers have been, you can make a big batch. Mix it all together and store it in an empty spice jar container. Then next time you just use as much as you need. You can add it immediately and then bake or let it sit in the fridge for a few hours for a more intense flavor profile. If you want a spicy rub you can add a bit of red pepper flakes into the mix too.
Tips
In a bowl combine the brown sugar, garlic powder, chili powder, salt and paprika. Break up clumps of sugar so it’s smooth and sandlike before adding for best results so everything is mixed together evenly..
If you want a bit of crisp like you see here below you can bake for 10 minutes and then adjust the high heat to broil for the last 2 minutes. That is the way I really love it!!
Serve with side dishes like air fryer vegetables or the best corn on the cob. I do recommend you cover the pan with aluminum foil for easier cleanup. Since the rub has sugar in it, what falls off will get quite dark and hard to scrape off. With foil you just roll it up and throw it away.
Salmon Dry Rub Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Bowl
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
Instructions
- In a bowl mix all ingredients together using back of fork or spoon to break up any hard pieces of brown sugar.
- Place salmon fillet on a cutting board and pour rub on top. Use hands to gently press it on so it doesn't fall off. If you want a more intense flavor cover with plastic wrap and put in fridge for an hour or more before cooking.
- Lay salmon on baking sheet with foil if making in the oven or on a smoker we use a grate. Allow excess to fall off on to the cutting board.
- Cook as you wish
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Other dry rub dinner ideas
Baked pork chops use a similar steak dry rub that we love. A low saturated fat meal that’s tender every time we make it.
Then make our baked brisket recipe with or tri tip dry rub with a killer sauce served on top once it’s done. There is a printable version of this recipe above. Feel free to keep handy or in your recipe folder or just come back so we can “see you” again and again! 😉
The general rule is 3 days. Of course it is best when eaten fresh but there are lots of things you can make with it. You can flake it and throw it into some fried rice. Put it on top of a salad to add protein, or mix it with some mayonnaise and relish instead of tuna on bread for lunch.
What are the measurements for the dry rub?
At the bottom of the post
Do you cover top of pan when cooking!
The baking sheet? No
You didn’t say how much of each on the rub ingredients.
Yes it does at the very bottom inside the printable recipe card.