Here’s an easy way to cook salmon on the grill without the fish sticking to the grate. Mix your approach with one of our four different marinades to keep things interesting.
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With warmer weather comes grilling season, and one of the easiest foods to cook on a gas or charcoal grill is salmon. However, there is one trick to grilling salmon that will forever change your success at grilling this fish once you learn it.
Use fillets with skin and place the salmon fillets on the hot grill skin side up first (flesh side down)..
The fillets will not flake and fall apart when raw like they do when cooked. So you sear the raw meat side first, just enough to get some good grill marks and a crust of the cooked fish, then gently turn it over and finish cooking at a lower temperature with the skin side down (flesh side up).
This way the skin will hold the fillet together and prevent it from falling apart and falling into the grill while the fish is cooking.
A friend of mine taught me this approach years ago and it makes a world of difference. if you do it differently skin side first? It’s a mess.
Video: How to make grilled salmon
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Grilled salmon
Oil your grill grates well
Also, make sure you coat the cooking grates and fillets well with oil to prevent sticking. Some will likely stick anyway, so you need to be careful when turning the fillets. But a well-oiled hot grill and well-oiled fillets will help.
Best salmon marinade
There are many marinades you can use with salmon; I’ve included four favorites here below. We often just use a simple soy sauce and minced garlic marinade. Sometimes I go a little fancier and add mirin rice wine, ginger and sugar.
Do you have a favorite way to cook grilled salmon? A favorite salmon marinade? If so, please let us know in the comments.
Do you love salmon? Try these recipes!
- Simple salmon foil packets with vegetables
- Grilled salmon with dill butter
- Grilled whole wild salmon with lemon relish
- Salmon Teriyaki Skewers
- Foil-baked salmon with leeks and peppers
Tips for a great salmon marinade
Salmon’s bold, rich flavor and velvety texture make it an ideal addition to flavorful marinades. Salmon pairs particularly well with salty, sweet, sour, and hot flavors like the ones you’ll find in the four marinade options we’ve included with this recipe.
In general, it’s best to marinate salmon either briefly at room temperature while you heat up your grill or oven, or in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours. Especially if you use acidic ingredients in your marinade (e.g. citrus juice, mirin, vinegar), the fish will begin to chemically “cook” if soaked for too long.
How to reheat grilled salmon
The trick to reheating grilled salmon without overcooking and drying it out is to do it slowly at a relatively low temperature. Place your salmon on a rimmed baking sheet and loosely cover with foil. Heat in a 275°F oven for about 15 minutes or until warmed through.
Another option for leftover salmon? Make salmon cakes!
Perfect accompaniment to grilled salmon
- Roasted broccolini with creamy mustard sauce
- Fried potatoes and asparagus with lemon mustard dressing
- Grilled lamb’s lettuce
- Thai noodle salad with peanut sauce
- Mango Avocado Salsa
From the editors of Simply Recipes
Simply grilled salmon
ingredients
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1 1/2 to 3 lb on the skin salmon fillets (about 5 to 8 ounces per person)
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Extra virgin olive oil
Basic marinade:
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3/4 Cup soy sauce (use gluten free soy sauce if cooking gluten free)
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4 cloves garlicchopped
Easy Teriyaki Marinade:
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1 Cup soy sauce (use gluten free soy sauce if cooking gluten free)
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1 inch Button fresh ginger root, grated
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4 to 5 cloves garliccrushed
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2 to 4 tablespoon Brown sugar
Teriyaki Marinade with Mirin:
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1/2 Cup soy sauce (use gluten free soy sauce if cooking gluten free)
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1/4 Cup mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine) or spiced rice vinegar
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1/4 Cup Brown sugar
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2 tablespoon chopped garlic
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2 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
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1/4 Cup chopped green onions
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2 tablespoon vegetable oil
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prize red chilli flakes
Yakitori marinade with sake:
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1/2 Cup sake
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1/2 Cup soy sauce (use gluten free soy sauce if cooking gluten free)
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1/2 Cup mirin
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2 tablespoon Finely grated fresh ginger
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2 cloves garlicchopped
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hyphen red chilli flakes
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1/4 Cup sugar
method
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Make the marinade:
Mix the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl. If sugar is an ingredient in the marinade you are using, stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
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Marinate salmon fillets:
Cut fillets 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide. Place the marinade ingredients in a large casserole dish (or a plate with sides to keep the marinade from running). Brush the salmon fillets with the marinade and then place them in the marinade, flesh side down.
Marinate for 20 minutes for a quick marinade (you can do this at room temperature while you prep the grill) or in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours if you have more time.
Before grilling, remove the fillets from the marinade and discard the marinade. Rub or brush a generous amount of oil on both sides of the fish fillets.
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Prepare the grill:
Prepare the grill for high direct heat (if using a charcoal grill, prepare one side of the grill for high direct heat and the other side with fewer charcoals for indirect heat).
When the grill is hot (you should only be able to place your hand 1 inch above the cooking grates for 1 second), brush the cooking grates with oil. (The best way to do this is to fold a paper towel, dip it in oil and use tongs to rub the folded paper towel over the grill grates.)
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Place the fillets, flesh side down, on the hot grill:
Place the salmon fillets on the grill, flesh side down (skin side up) first, so the fillets get nice grill marks on the hot grill while the fish is still firm. Close the grill lid. Sear the first side for 1 to 3 minutes, depending on how thick the fillets are.
After placing the fish fillets on the grill, do not move them before turning them over. Otherwise they may fall apart.
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Turn fillets over and grill skin-side down:
Look for grill marks on the fish and a small layer of opaque (cooked) fish where the fish is near the grill. Using tongs and, if necessary, a metal spatula, carefully turn the fish on its other side so that the skin side is now on the grill grate.
If using a charcoal grill, the fillets should be placed on the side of the grill farthest from the coals. If you are using a gas grill, simply reduce the flame to medium.
Close the grill lid. Depending on the thickness of the fillets, cook for another 2-5 minutes. The salmon should be just opaque throughout after cooking.
It’s better to undercook the salmon than to overcook it. You can always put the fish back on the grill, but if a good fillet is overcooked, there’s nothing you can do.
Remove from the grill and serve immediately.
CONTINUE READING:
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 507 | calories |
| 30g | Fat |
| 2g | carbohydrates |
| 53g | protein |
