Tips For Salmon Shopping
For delicious results, we highly recommend using steak and fillet cuts for cooking salmon on the grill. Make sure the salmon skin is still on because this effectively prevents the fish from crumbling to pieces or from sticking on the grill. Its not impossible to grill skinless salmon but it is definitely going to take a lot of hard work to keep the fish from falling to pieces, which becomes more challenging when its time to flip.
Additionally, when youre learning how to BBQ salmon, buying your fish from sustainable sources will be kinder for the environment. Ask your fishmonger for in-season and wild-caught options. There are always several varieties of salmon available either fresh or frozen at your local farmers market or grocery store.
Choose from the following types of salmon:
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King Salmon : high in fat, rich flavor, and big fish.
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Sockeye Salmon : vibrant red color, outstanding flavour, low in fat, leaner meat.
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Chum Salmon : smaller in size, lower in fat content, slightly paler flesh.
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Steelhead Salmon: pinkish to orange flesh color, affordable option.
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Atlantic Salmon: mild in flavor, cheap, farmed.
What Is The 10 Minute Rule For Cooking Fish
Cook fish about 10 minutes per inch, turning it halfway through the cooking time. For example, a 1-inch fish steak should be cooked 5 minutes on each side for a total of 10 minutes. Pieces less than 1/2 inch thick do not have to be turned over.
Important Points To Remember
Remember, preparing the best grilled salmon is easier said than done. Slight carelessness can result in a salmon that is undercooked and not as good as the dish can be. Before you go about cooking a salmon, keep a few essential tips in mind.
- Avoid overcooking the salmon
- Frequent turning will tear the flesh
- Dont forget to purchase salmon with its skin on
Considering the factors mentioned above will help you in ensuring that the salmon is well-cooked and ready for consumption.
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How To Remove The Bones From Salmon Filets
Removing the pin bones prior to cooking salmon is an important step for optimal enjoyment of the fish. The right tool for the job is a pair of fish bone tweezers . If you dont have any, I would highly recommend picking some up. If you are in a pinch , you can totally use a pair of clean needle-nose pliers.
What Temperature Should Salmon Be Cooked At
According to the FDA, salmon should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°. When working with good quality salmon, we tend to check for doneness with a fork rather than a thermometer. Once the salmon easily flakes with fork, its good to go! Just be sure youre checking the thickest part of the fillet.
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Are You Supposed To Flip Salmon On The Grill
Place the salmon skin side down on the grill. There is no need to flip. Unless you have a well seasoned cast iron grill or one of the really cheap portable grills with thin grates, the flesh of the salmon will most likely stick. To avoid the sticking panic cook salmon skin side down and dont flip.
How To Grill Salmon In Foil:
Fire up your grill! Youll want to preheat the grill to medium-high while youre prepping the salmon to save yourself some time.
Gather your salmon fillets. You can use any size you would like, but I find the smaller fillets are easier to manage when removing from the grill.
Place them on a long sheet of foil large enough to fold over the salmon to create an enclosed packet.
Drizzle avocado oil over the fish, then sprinkle it with sea salt and Italian seasoning .
Lay some lemon slices on top , then wrap it all up in a cute little package.
Place said package on the grill and cover. Cook 10 to 12 minutes (depending on thickness of salmon and your desired level of done-ness. And thats all you need for your grilled salmon in foil!
Serve with your favorite side dishes, and enjoy!
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How To Grill Salmon:
Most of the time when I barbecue, I do the lazy thing and dont even brush the grill with a wire brush before plunking down the food. Id avoid taking that approach when you go to grill fish. Take a wire grill brush and get all the leftover food particles from your last grilling experience off.
- Brush or spray the grill generously with olive oil .
- Preheat your grill to a medium-high setting and be sure the grill is all the way hot before placing the fillet on the grill
- Place the fish skin-side down on the grill, just over the flame. Cook for 3 to 6 minutes with the cover down without touching the fish. Use a spatula to carefully flip the salmon and cook an additional 2 to 4 minutes, or until the fish reaches desired done-ness. For a 1-inch salmon fillet that is rare on the inside, cook for a total of 6 to 8 minutes. For a 1-inch salmon fillet that is perfectly cooked all the way through, cook for a total of 8 to 10 minutes. For salmon that is thicker than 1-inch, youll likely need to adjust the grill time to be closer to 10 to 12 minutes total. Only leave the fish raw on the inside if its sushi-grade and can safely be eaten raw.
Why Make Grilled Salmon
When it comes to picking a protein, we know you have choices. You can make grilled chicken, grilled steak, grilled pork, etc. But, grilled salmon trumps them all! Heres why:
Quick: this grilled salmon recipe is ready in less than 30 minutes.
Easy Prep: no fancy gadgets or ingredients are needed for this grilled salmon recipe.
Healthy: salmon is high protein and packed with omega-3 fatty acids making it a healthy protein option.
Best Leftovers: leftover salmon is so delicious. Try our yummy salmon patties to mix things up on day 2.
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Tips On Buying And Using Salmon
- Try to use your salmon the same day you buy it, if you can! It just tastes so much better.
- Use fresh salmon if you can as well.
- If you cant use your salmon within a day or two, I would recommend freezing your salmon. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- If using frozen salmon, allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before use.
- I usually try and buy salmon that is not much more than 1 inch thick at its thickest point.
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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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How To Marinate Salmon
It isnt necessary to marinate salmon before grilling it, but doing so can impart extra flavor and moisture to your finished fish. And you dont have to let your salmon marinate for long just 10 minutes will do. Make a simple marinade from a fat and acid in a 3:1 ratio, then add salt and an aromatic. We love Ina Gartens Asian Grilled Salmon, which has hundreds of five-star reviews and leans on a marinade made from olive oil , Dijon mustard , soy sauce and garlic . Drizzle the marinade on the salmon while you preheat the grill.
Essential Tools We Recommend
For starters, youll need to decide the right type of grill for your cooking stylegas or charcoal. You cant go wrong with the Napoleon 18-inch Charcoal Kettle grill if cooking over briquettes or lump charcoal is in your future. If you decided to go for gas grills, look to the Weber Spirit II E-310. Short on patio space? Go portable with the Weber Q 1200 portable gas grill.
Its also helpful to have a thin, long-handled spatula and a pair of long grill tongs for greasing the grill grates.
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How To Make Grilled Salmon In Foil Easy And Perfect Every Time
While you can grill salmon without foil, I find that the foil option is by far the easiest, most effective way to grill salmon.
Using foil to make a packet around the salmon traps moisture. It ensures the salmon turns out perfectly tender and flaky, not dry.
With the foil method, you also dont need to worry about the salmon falling apart or sticking to the grill.
Avoid sad, stuck-on, dry salmon: use foil to grill!
Heres how this recipe breaks down:
- Look for salmon that is bright pink in color, that smells fresh but not fishy, and, if possible, is wild caught.
- For Grilled Salmon in Foil, I like to ask the seafood counter to remove the skin for me. Again, since the foil holds the fish together, so you dont need the skin to keep it from falling apart.
- For more information on how to pick salmon, see this Spicy Baked Salmon. I go into more detail about the different types of salmon and which I recommend for various reasons.
- Again, the stronger the herb, the less you will need.
How To Grilling Salmon Fillets Foil
Roasting salmon using tin foil will facilitate the roasting process, this will serve so that the salmon does not stick when removed from the burning it will also trap moisture.
If you are in doubt about baking it directly you can try this method.
Lately, I found some recipes easy and simple, if you are interested you can try Ahi Tuna Recipes Pan Seared Without Soy Sauce This delicious and sumptuous dish is grilled This fresh tuna is cooked without soy sauce, sprinkled with sesame on top will give a distinctive aroma. Served with a seaweed salad will be very healthy. Youll get it in less than 30 minutes.
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How To Grill Salmon In Foil
An easy tutorial on how to grill salmon in foil packets. This simple method for cooking salmon requires only a few ingredients, a few minutes, and minimal cleanup.
Im going to give it to you straight: I could subsist nay, thrive on grilled salmon alone. Theres something about that smoky-charred flavor with the crispy skin that makes my mouth buds sing each and every time.
Truthfully, Im all about drizzling a little avocado oil over the salmon, sprinkling it with spices, and plunking it right down on the grill. If youre like me and prefer the fish-to-grill method, you can scope out the way I do it in The Only Grilled Salmon Recipe Youll Ever Need.
While foil-less is my preference, I know there are plenty of you who enjoy cooking your salmon in foil. For those of you who prefer grilled salmon in foil, I have the easiest little tutorial for you. It involves you, some tin foil, your salmon fillet, a lemon, some seasoning, and oil. And salt dont forget the salt.
If youre barbecuing a great deal of other items, grilling salmon in a foil packet can be a useful way to conserve grill space for foods that require higher heat.
Simply place the packet on the shelf of the grill or near the high heat foods and cook directly over the burners.
This BBQ salmon in foil recipe can be adapted to your own personal taste by incorporating your favorite spices and herbs, fresh garlic, etc. It will be a crowd pleaser at your next BBQ!
What Side Do You Grill Salmon On First
Grill the salmon first skin side down. Whichever variety of salmon you choose, choose a filet or salmon cut with the skin on. The salmon skin provides a layer of safety between the grill grates and the fishs flesh as it cooks.
Keep a lid on it. Maintain a more consistent cooking temperature with the grill lid covering the fish as it cooks, creating the same environment as an oven.
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Do I Need To Flip Salmon On The Grill
Place the salmon skin side down on the grill. There is no need to flip. Unless you have a well seasoned cast iron grill or one of the really cheap portable grills with thin grates, the flesh of the salmon will most likely stick. To avoid the sticking panic cook salmon skin side down and dont flip.
Tips For Grilling Salmon
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How To Grill Perfect Salmon: Two Simple Methods
Method 1: directly on your grill
The traditional way to grill salmon is just like you would with any of your favorite proteins. Youll add the filets directly to your grill, cook them, then flip and cook them again:
Step 1: marinate your salmon. Pour or generously brush your favorite marinade over the salmon. You can also marinate it in the fridge in a bowl or shallow dish for a few hours before cooking.
Step 2: prep your grill. Preheat a gas grill over medium-high heat, around 375 to 400 degrees F. Use a grill brush to scrape off anything left over from previous cooking. Brush the grill with oil to prevent sticking.
Step 3: place your salmon. Youll start by grilling your salmon skin-side up for about 6-8 minutes. This helps to seal in all of the flavors and makes it easier to flip. No peeking under the lid while its cooking!
Step 4: flip & finish. Flip the salmon with a fish spatula and cook for another 6-8 minutes until the salmon is just cooked through and flakes easily. Feel free to brush with more of the marinade here, too. Its best to slightly undercook rather than overcook your salmon filets. Salmon is done typically when it reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees F.
Step 5: let it rest. Once youve removed your salmon from the grill be sure to let it rest for a couple of minutes to seal in the flavor and juices. The salmon will also cook more as you let it rest, so its okay if you removed it a little bit early.
Method 2: grill salmon in foil packs
What Temperature Is Grilled Salmon Done
How to tell when grilled salmon is done. Grilled fish is cooked when it is 145°F, but remember about carry-over cooking, where food will continue to cook once youve pulled it from the grill or oven. To ensure your fish isnt overcooked, transfer it from the grill when it is 125°-130°F, then let it rest for a few minutes before stripping away the skin and serving.
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