Salmon In Barbecue Sauce
Although the combination of barbecue sauce and salmon may sound unfavorable, the results are opposite. In addition to improving the overall look of the dish, the barbecue sauce enhances the taste of the grilled salmon. You can either pour the sauce over the grilled salmon while cooking it or serve it as a dipping sauce at the table. Either way, the sauce will add to the taste of the salmon and make it even more delicious.
When Is Grilled Salmon Done
A common recommendation for fish is that its done when it flakes easily with a fork, but its also easy to overcook it this way. For best results, use a meat thermometer to ensure perfectly cooked salmon and check the internal temperature every couple of minutes after you flip it:
- Medium rare 125 degrees F
- Medium 130 degrees F
- Medium well 140 degrees F
Let the salmon rest for 3-5 minutes before serving, as the internal temperature will rise 3-5 more degrees while resting.
If you dont have a meat thermometer, though, you can use my time estimates above and flake the edge of the fish with a fork to test for doneness.
Helpful Tips For Grilling Salmon Fillets
Weve talked about how to grill salmon steaks, but we also want to give you some pointers to help you make the perfect grilled salmon steak every time:
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Ways To Use Leftover Salmon
When you cook a whole salmon, you will likely have a lot of leftovers. Here are some creative and tasty ways to incorporate salmon into some dishes.
These air fryer tilapia fish tacos are incredible! You can easily replace the tilapia with some of the leftover salmon for your next Taco Tuesday. The jalapeño lime-cilantro slaw is fresh and adds a tangy crunch to your salmon fish tacos.
The possibilities are endless. Here are some other ideas for your next salmon dinner after cooking up a whole salmon.
- Salmon cakes
Cook A Grilled Salmon Steak Successfully Every Time
Grilling salmon isnt tough once youve done it a few times. We hope this guide leads you to learning to cook flavorful, restaurant-quality salmon on the grill every time.
If you want salmon with unbeatable taste and quality, try Wild Caught Salmon from Chicago Steak Company. This delicacy is bred naturally in the wild, sourced from high-quality farms, individually wrapped and vacuum-sealed, and then flash-frozen to deliver to your door. Thaw them out and pop them on the grill for an effortless grilled salmon dinner everyone in the family will love.
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Setting Up Your Grill For Success
Before youre ready to start grilling, you should know how to prepare your grill to cook the very best salmon it can. You can use either a charcoal or gas grill, but its challenging to replicate the smoky flavor you get when you grill salmon on a charcoal grill. Still, its your choice.
Before starting, read this article on the most common grilling mistakes to avoid.
Whatever grill you choose, youll want to prep the grill by making sure the grates are cleaned well from your last grilling adventure. Then, add some olive oil to the grates to prevent sticking. You can even salt and pepper them for seasoning if youd like. Then, fire up the grill and allow it to reach at least 450 degrees for a couple of minutes before putting your salmon on the grates.
Some people choose to cook salmon on a wood plank to both get extra flavor infused into the fish and keep it up off the grates to avoid sticking. This isnt necessary, especially if you season the fish well before cooking and oil your grates and salmon. However, if you have an old grill with worn-down grates that have become nearly impossible to keep clean, it might be best to try a cedar plank salmon or a salmon in foil recipe, both of which well talk more about below.
Salmon Grilling Tips And Techniques
Grilling fish may be challenging, but once you master it, you wont want to cook salmon and other fish any other way. Not only do you get to enjoy smoky, chargrilled flavor you can only get from grilling, you keep the smell and the mess outside.
A clean, lightly oiled grill grate is especially important when grilling fish. Rub the grate with a thin layer of oil and heat the grill to 400° to 500°F. A properly heated grill will help keep the fish from sticking to the grate and falling apart while cooking. Wait for your grill to preheat all the way to your target temperature before loading your salmon.
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Grill Salmon Skin Side Down For Most Of The Time
Grilling salmon skin side down has several benefits. The skin protects the more delicate flesh from the high heat, crisps up better by being direct to the heat for most of the time, and is much easier to flip without sticking.
TIP: Only flip your salmon in the last 1-2 minutes of grilling. It should be 70-80% done before you flip.
Which Side Of Salmon Do You Cook First
When cooking salmon we recommend you place the fillet skin side down into the pan or onto the grill. The BBQ is no exception. Cooking the skin side first helps to ensure that the salmon cooks gently, and doesnât overcook.The skin side of the salmon will take longer to cook than the ânakedâ side. This is because the heat takes longer to penetrate the skin. The skin side is also more forgiving if the temperature of the grill temperature is too high or low. It will protect the fish from burning if the grill is too hot and less likely to stick if the temperature is too low. So cooking the skin side first will allow you time to adjust the temperature of the BBQ.
Cooking the skin side first will allow you to cook the skin to your preferred crispness. For a lovely crispy skin start by patting the skin dry and then rub with oil salt.
Elisa Roche, GoodtoKnow Food Director, points out that âPeople often wrongly assume that salmon without the skin is healthier. However, the skin is useful in keeping the salmon firm and together when cooking.â
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Prep The Fresh Salmon
Remove the salmon from the refrigerator and place the steaks on paper towels. Use another paper towel to dry the top of each steak off. Then, brush each steak with a bit of olive oil or unsalted butter to keep it from sticking on the grill. Now is the time to toss some salt, pepper, and your other choices of seasoning onto both sides of each salmon steak.
Salmon Steak Recipe: How To Make The Perfect Grilled Salmon Steak
Not sure how to grill salmon steaks without ruining them? Dont worry were going to walk you through the process of making salmon on the grill from start to finish. Its not as complicated as you might think, but knowing the best techniques will help you get that perfect grilled salmon look and flavor.
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How To Grill Salmon On A Pellet Grill
Theres no one recipe you should use to grill your salmon, but those tested by us are likely to get you the best results. After your pellet grill has reached optimal temperature, place the salmon skin-side down directly on the grill grates.
Some people like their grilled salmon without grill marks or may choose to brush the fish with a butter sauce before cooking. In these cases, putting the fish on a baking sheet before grilling like in this Garlic Salmon recipe works best. If you dont have a skin to keep the fish together, the baking sheet is a good idea to keep the fish from falling through the grate as it cooks.
How Long To Grill Salmon On A Pellet Grill
Cooking salmon on a pellet grill takes the same time as on other types of grills. The purpose of a pellet smoker is to infuse your food with flavor notes of smoke while you cook it. Smoker pellets, thin rods of condensed hardwood, are used as a source of smoke and fuel in these grills.
A one-inch thick piece of salmon takes around six to eight minutes to cook at 500 degrees on a pellet smoker. The USDA says that the minimum internal temperature of the fish should be at least 145 °F before you consume it. Undercooked seafood has potential health hazards, so never take the risk.
An internal salmon temperature of 145 °F will result in medium to good doneness. If you give grilled salmon a rest period of around three minutes, the carryover heat will compensate for the incomplete browning.
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Grilled Salmon = Easy Grilling
When it comes to grilling, salmon is one of the quickest and easiest proteins to grill as long as you follow a few simple steps.
Our grilled salmon recipe is made flavored with the basics so that you can serve your salmon in many different ways. Try eating it next to your favorite grilled veggies, in a rice bowl, or in a breakfast scramble!
Another Method: Grilled Salmon In Foil
Another great way to prevent sticking to the grill? Make Grill Salmon in Foil! Here are the pros and cons to this method:
- Grilled salmon in foil eliminates the need to flip the fish on the grill.
- The tradeoffs? The top doesnt get crispy like in this method, and the fish doesnt pick up as much of the charred grill flavor. If it seems worth it to you, head to our Grilled Salmon in Foil recipe.
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Free Ultimate Guide To Grilling
Get our FREE, printable e-book with all of the tips, tricks and tutorials youll need to gain confidence behind the grill this summer
Youll learn:
- Exactly how to operate your gas grill + get all of our recommended grilling tools
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- The best way to grill any types of veggie
- And even how to make desserts on the grill
What are you waiting for? Grab your e-book above and enjoy a full summer of delicious grilling!
How Can You Tell If Your Fish Is Done
When you cook with salmon, it can be hard at first to know when it is done. A straightforward way to tell is when you take a fork to it, you will find it flakes very easily.
Some people say at this point it can be overcooked, but it means your fish is well done.
You can also look at the color of the fish. When it starts out the flesh is more of red color in the raw stages, and as it cooks you will find it begins to turn pink throughout. You want to use a knife and look at the center of the fish to see that it is cooked through and is pinker than red in the center.
The guaranteed way is to check with a thermometer and hit that 140-145 degree internal temperature.
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How Long Does It Take To Grill Salmon Without Skin
The actual cooking time depends on the thickness of salmon fillets, regardless of whether theyâre with skin or with skin removed. The general rule goes that you need to cook salmon for six to eight minutes at 450-500 degrees F per inch thickness of the fish. Salmon skin doesnât affect the overall grill time if you follow the time and temperature guidelines for each inch of fish.
What To Serve With Grilled Salmon
Do you have a favorite grilling recipe, or a tip youd like to add? Leave a comment in the section and share below.
This post is sponsored by Weber Grills. As always, thank you for reading and supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. There are affiliate links in this post of which I receive a small commission. All opinions are always my own.
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This Will Eliminate Any Moisture From The Skin Allowing It To Become Crispier Throughout The
How to remove skin from salmon while cooking. Lightly spray a frying pan with an olive oil spray. While some people like to remove the skin before cooking a fillet of salmon, others swear by leaving the skin on and eating it for an additional health benefit. If the skin feels slippery, wrap a piece of paper towel around it to make it more secure.
You should notice even more excess moisture building up on the knife. I had the unpleasant experience of discovering this just a few days ago. Thoroughly dry the skin with paper towels after washing it.
When oven has preheated, place baking dish in oven and set timer for 15 minutes. Figure on losing about 2 oz. Of total weight per pound of fish once skinned.
To get that perfect flakiness, try the fork test. However, there are others who prefer to remove the skin of the salmon before cooking. Flip and season the flesh with salt and pepper and place lemon slices in a row down the centre.
First, note that salmon cooks through at 130 degrees, so its easy to overcook. This is because they dont like it or because they like to make crispy salmon skin. Place the salmon skin flat onto a sheet tray lined with parchment paper.
If you have the large pieces of salmon, start from one corner and move through the entire piece. Use your other hand and a paper towel to remove the skin. Although most fish sellers will skin salmon fillets for you if you ask, its easy to do it yourself.
Can You Grill Frozen Salmon
Grilling frozen salmon is not recommended, as frozen meats and fish do not cook evenly and so you may end up with some raw parts and some overcooked parts.
Its pretty quick and easy to thaw salmon fillets in a bowl of water, or you can do so in the fridge overnight. Do not thaw the salmon in the marinade.
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Our Fav Salmon Marinades & Seasonings
The key to flavorful grilled salmon is of course adding a delicious marinade or seasoning. Our fav and seasonings have three necessary components:
Ready to try one? Here are the best marinades for salmon:
How To Grill Salmon With Skin
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For a delicious but healthy meal, grill up some salmon with the skin on. Make sure the salmon is deboned and cut up evenly before placing it on a well-oiled grill. Cook the meat side first with a sprinkle of salt to prevent it from sticking. Then cook the salmon with the skin down until its pink and flaky. Grilling salmon with crunchy skin isnt complicated at all, so give it a try!
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Using A Fish Basket To Grill Salmon
If you like fish on the grill, consider purchasing a fish grilling basket . These are hinged wire baskets that allow the exterior of the fish to get direct contact with the grill and the fire. Put the fish in the basket, close the latch, and turn the basket to turn the fish.
You can also find a grill accessory called a fish grate, or grilling grate. This lays flat on the grill, and because it is flat, it allows a spatula to slide underneath the fish a lot more cleanly than the wider, rounder grill bars. Because there is more surface area you wont get the same klnd of grill marks, but things wont fall through the grates.
