Grill Salmon
Salmon is one of the tastiest fish on the planet—even grouchy old grizzly bears know this! To bring out the best flavor, a slow grill and a little patience are all you need to achieve perfect grilled salmon! We'll show you a couple different ways, and add a sauce that goes great with salmon.
- Prep time: 2 hours, 10 minutes (active prep: 10 minutes)
- Cook time: 12-16 minutes
- Total time: 2-3 hours
Contents
Ingredients
- 4 to 6 oz (150 to 200 g) salmon fillets for each serving
- marinade for enough salmon to serve 8:
- Garlic powder
- Salt
- Pepper
- Juice of 1 fresh lemon
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) soy sauce
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) water
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
- Optional: blueberry reduction sauce
- 1 bottle (750ml) port
- 1 pint (.5 l) blueberries
Steps
Making Marinated Salmon
- Season the salmon. Blend the dry seasonings—garlic powder, salt, and pepper—in a small bowl, and dust the salmon evenly with that.
- Marinate for a couple hours. Blend the lemon juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and vegetable oil until it is well blended and the sugar is dissolved, and then pour into a large Ziploc plastic bag with the fish.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and no more than 4. Turn occasionally to mix things up.
- Fire up the grill.
- For a charcoal grill, heap the coals to the side so you have a hot area and a warm area. Consider using real wood charcoal, as the briquettes impart a chemical taste to delicate meats.
- For a gas grill, set the temperature to medium heat: 325° F (160° C).
- Lightly brush the grill grate with vegetable oil.
- Place the salmon on the warm part of the grill. Discard the marinade.
- Turn the salmon over after six to eight minutes and allow it to cook on the other side for another six to eight minutes.
- Sear it. Place the salmon on the hottest part of the grill to get grill marks on it—it only takes a minute or so on each side.
- Serve and enjoy!
Making Mayonnaise Salmon
- Fire up the grill. For a charcoal grill, heap the coals to the side so you have a hot area and a warm area. For a gas grill, set the temperature to medium heat: 325° F (160° C).
- Lightly brush the grill grate with vegetable oil.
- Baste the salmon. With a small brush or paper towel, lightly apply mayonnaise onto both sides of the salmon. You may use olive oil, if you prefer.
- Grill it slow. Place the salmon on the warm part of the grill. The mayonnaise keeps the fish from sticking, and will burn off. Before you flip it, coat the visible side of the salmon with more mayonnaise so it will not stick.
- Turn the salmon over after three to five minutes and allow it to cook on the other side for about three minutes.
- Sear it. Place the salmon on the hottest part of the grill to get grill marks on it—it only takes a minute or so on each side.
- Serve and enjoy!
Optional: Blueberry Reduction Sauce
- Do this as the salmon marinates. It takes about an hour to make, mostly unattended.
- Fill medium saucepan with port. Reserve about 1/4 cup port. This will be used near the end.
- Add all but 2 tablespoons of blueberries. These will go in near the end.
- Bring to a simmer. Do not boil. Stir every 10 minutes or so.
- When the sauce has reduced down far enough so it's starting to get thick (about 1 hour), strain the solids from the sauce with a sieve and return the liquid to the saucepan.
- Add the remaining port, and continue reducing until the sauce is thick and syrupy.
- If you still have a while until dinner, you can either remove the sauce from the heat, or add more port if you like.
- About 10 minutes before serving, add in the reserved blueberries.
- Serve over the grilled salmon.
- Options. You can add other flavors to the reduction sauce, too. Some flavors that go well with this sauce include black peppercorns, rosemary, or chocolate. Experiment!
Tips
- The chef usually does a better job if provided with a cold beer or a nice glass of wine.
- Suggested wine pairings:
- Chardonnay: Especially one that lets the fruit come out. Not too oaky
- Pinot Noir: A classic pairing for grilled salmon especially
- Chenin Blanc: Fragrant and a little sweet, a wonderful and often overlooked pairing for salmon
- To add a light smoke flavor to your salmon, you may want to consider Northern White Cedar chips or chunks. For charcoal, toss a handful of chips directly on the coals just before adding the salmon. For gas grills, place chunks on grilling surface. When they start to smoke, add the salmon.
- Salmon goes well with rice pilaf and a green salad.
