This quick and easy grilled salmon is kissed with lime and chilli pepper, then topped with a cool, refreshing, colorful and absolutely delicious Cucumber Mango Salsa. It’s OK. Have a happy dance – you just won summer!
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Once you’ve mastered the art of cooking salmon or any sizeable fish, you find you can’t go back to pizza for a quick weeknight dinner. Grilling fish is faster, easier and tastier than baking a frozen pizza every day.
The best fish recipe for summer
This recipe is all about the beauty of summer. Pink fish contrasted with the brilliant greens, oranges and soft whites of cucumber, mango and jalapeno pepper. The entire dish is layered with flavor, but both speak well to each other – neither fish nor fruit nor spices dominate the dish.
Grilled salmon is filling and filling, but it won’t weigh you down, and the fresh cucumber mango salsa cools you from the inside out. The salmon season peaks in the summer months, as do cucumbers, peppers and mango. This recipe is a celebration of the season!
What is the best salmon for grilling?
King (chinook), coho, sockeye, keta, and pink salmon make up 95 percent of the wild salmon harvested in the United States. The first four are best for grilling due to the firm texture of the meat.
- Sockeye Salmon and King Salmon have the strongest flavor and the highest oil content.
- Coho and Keta Salmon are both milder in flavor and might be a better choice for introducing newcomers to salmon.
- pink salmon has a mild flavor and soft flesh. It is the cheapest and most readily available variety of salmon. It’s usually sold as canned salmon, but if you can find it fillet feel free to grill it, but be aware it doesn’t hold together very well.
Both pink and keta have lower oil content, which means they should be grilled at a slightly lower temperature than the other varieties listed. Still sear them for this recipe, but for a shorter amount of time, before flipping them over and placing them on the cooler side of the grill.
How to grill salmon: cooking time and technique
Elise Bauer founded Simply Recipes and has an excellent guide to grilling salmon so the fish doesn’t fall apart on your grill. The trick is to cook the fish with the pickling of the salmon fillets flesh side down and skin side to the sky, then turn and finish cooking the fillet. You get great grill marks and your fish stays in one piece.
To make sure this technique works for you:
- Always start with clean, well-oiled cooking grates. Vegetable oil works great here.
- Create a two-zone grill. One side should be hot direct heat and the other side should be cooler indirect heat.
- Brush the skin side with oil and the flesh side with the seasoning. (There is oil in it.)
- Place the salmon, flesh side down, over high heat. Close the lid and cook for one to three minutes.
- Open the lid and, using tongs and a spatula, gently turn the fillets skin-side down and place the fillet on the cooler side of the grill. Cook for an additional 2 to 5 minutes, depending on how thick your fillets are.
- Check out our list of the best grills.
- Keep your grill grates clean with one of our picks for the best grill brushes.
Can I make this recipe if I don’t have a grill?
Yes! Wrap a baking sheet in foil, place the salmon skin-side down on the sheet, and place under your grill for about seven to nine minutes, depending on how thick your fillets are. That’s it!
The salmon is done when it flakes easily and is slightly milky in the center. Once you overcook fish, you can’t really save it. It’s best to err on the side of undercooked. You can always put it back in the oven.
How to Make Cucumber Mango Salsa
Cucumber Mango Salsa is a light, refreshing topping that makes the most of these leafy, elongated beauties.
For this recipe, I combined the sweetness of mango with a little kick of jalapenos. It’s easy to assemble. If you don’t have mangoes lying around, you can use peaches instead. This salsa is absolutely delicious with peaches. It is important to dice the fruit vegetables small – think about the size of an eraser.
Do you love salmon? Try these recipes!
- Salmon Patties are quick and easy!
- Salmon for breakfast? Yes, please! Dutch baby with smoked salmon.
- Baked Salmon in Honey Mustard is ready in 20 minutes!
- Slow Roasted Salmon with a Sweet Chili Glaze!
- Perfectly cooked salmon sous vide
Grilled salmon with cucumber mango salsa
ingredients
- For the salmon:
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4 servings (6 ounces) of salmon with skin
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zest of 1 lime
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juice of 1/2 lime
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1 teaspoon kosher salt
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2 teaspoons olive oil
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1/4 teaspoon ground Aleppo pepper or chili powder
- For the cucumber salsa:
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1 (5- to 6-inch) cucumber
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1 mango
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1/2 cup packaged cilantro
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1/4 cup chopped red onion
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Juice of half a lime
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1 large clove of garlic, chopped
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1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
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1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
method
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Prepare the grill:
Make sure your grill grates are clean. Have grill spatulas, tongs, and a clean platter or platter handy by the side of the grill. Set up a two-zone grilling method where one side of the grill is hotter than the other.
When using gasset burners to medium-high heat on one side and medium-high heat on the other side.
For coalStack the briquettes higher on one side than the other, but make sure there is about 3 inches of space between the briquettes and the cooking grates.
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Prepare the salmon:
In a small bowl, combine the lime zest and juice from half the lime, salt, olive oil, and chili pepper. Brush some oil on the skin side of the salmon. Then spread the lime mixture on the flesh side of the salmon. Make sure the peel is evenly distributed. Place in the fridge while you prepare the salsa.
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Make the salsa:
Peel the cucumber, then cut in half lengthways. You should have two long, crescent-shaped cucumbers. Use a spoon and drag it from one end of the cucumber to the other to remove the seeds. Lay the cucumber flat-side down and cut into thin strips about the width of a pencil, then cut crosswise into small cubes.
For the mango, peel and cut the halves from the center core, cut into thin strips and then cut crosswise into small cubes. Place the cucumber and mango in a medium bowl, then add the cilantro, red onion, juice of the remaining half lime, chopped garlic clove, jalapeño pepper, and salt. Throw to combine.
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Grill salmon:
Using grill tongs, dip a bunch of folded paper towels in vegetable oil. Rub it on the cooking grates, both the hot side and the cooler side. Place the salmon on the hot side of the grill, flesh side down and skin side up. Close the lid and cook the salmon for 1-3 minutes depending on how thick your fillets are.
Lift the lid and, using tongs and a spatula, gently slide the spatula under the salmon while holding it in place with the tongs and place the salmon, skin-side down, on the cooler side of the grill. Grill for 2 to 5 minutes, depending on how thick the fillets are. Salmon should flake easily and be slightly opaque in the center.
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Garnish with salsa and serve:
Transfer the salmon to the clean plate, give the pico a quick stir and spoon a little over each serving.
