How to Grill Salmon?

Most of you may know salmon as an incredibly delicious fatty fish. But do you know? It is a rich source of omega-three fatty acids. Omega-three fatty acids are essential for our overall well-being, so salmon is flavorful and nutritious.

Like most people, I also like to cook salmon at my home. There are different ways to cook salmon, such as pan-frying, broiling, poached, but I love to grill salmon to enjoy its taste to the fullest. Many people thinking grilling salmon is easy but let me tell you, grilling salmon is a little bit tricky. A large number of people probably make a mistake while grilling that is over grilling or overdone. To keep the salmon juicy and flavorful, you have to follow the right technique. In this article, I’m going to share some tried and tested tips to grill salmon perfectly. By paying little attention, you can grill restaurant style salmon at home.

How to Grill Salmon? Some Never Failed Tips.

The journey of grilling a perfect salmon starts from buying a perfect salmon. If you don’t buy fresh salmon fillet, then you can’t get it to grill properly.

Buying Guide for Fresh Salmon

• If you are going to buy salmon, it is available in two forms: steak and fillet.
• Salmon should be fresh, and its fillet/ steak should be pink in color. Usually, stale salmon fillet has gaps between muscle fiber. Sometimes there are white spots or discoloration of salmon flesh also indicates that salmon is not fresh. Salmon fillet should be firm and smooth in cuts for grilling.
• Fresh salmon smells good, and you can feel the sea’s goodness due to its delicate scent. If there is a pungent or sour smell, then this salmon is not worthy of buying.
• If you buy frozen or packaged salmon, there should not be any visible liquid in the package. There should not be any frost in the package or around the fish fillet.

Preparation of Grill; Right Technique

• Preheating is very important when it comes to grill the salmon. Four-hundred Fahrenheit for at least fifteen minutes is the ideal temperature for grilling perfect salmon.
• Don’t forget to clean your grill properly before preheating. There shouldn’t any residuals of previous grilled food or debris. There is any debris and then must scrap off it with the help of a scrapper.

Preparation of Salmon

After purchasing the fresh salmon, it is time to prepare fish for perfect grilling.

• If you are purchased the raw salmon from the fish market, then rinse it with cold water and remove excess water with a kitchen towel.
• Don’t remove salmon skin. Keep its skin intact while grilling. It saves salmon from shrinking or curling up.
• Keep salmon in the refrigerator until your grilling preparation is not completed. Salmon is tasty itself and doesn’t require any seasoning before grilling. If you are using any seasoning or marinade to marinate salmon, keep it in the fridge or refrigerator after marination.
• Use dry seasoning to season the salmon instead of watery Marinade de or sauces. These sauces can trickle down from the grill can give dangerous flare-ups.
• Don’t forget to oil your garret or grilling before putting fish on it. It will save your fish from sticking to the grill.

Tips to Grill Salmon Perfectly

I have made grilled salmon several times at my home and tried the following methods for the juiciest and flavorful salmon.

The first one is direct grilling, and the other one is plank grilling.

Direct Grilling – Easy and Most Popular Way to Grill Salmon

I personally like the direct grilling method. Preheat the grill for at least fifteen minutes at four hundred Fahrenheit. You can use any oil to brush your grill. Put your salmon on a preheated grill directly and let it grill for at least three to four minutes. Once salmon is grilled from one side, you can easily flip its side. Let it also cook from the other side (skin side). Let it grilled for more three to four minutes until the skin becomes crisp. Always use a spatula to flip the side. You can sprinkle any mild seasoning at the fleshy side of salmon if it is not seasoned before grilling.

Plank Grilling – An Unusual Way to Grill Salmon

You can find grill planks in the market. These planks are made of wood, such as cedar and alder, and make your fish more flavorful. You can also find fruit flavor planks in the market.

Soak the plank for 24 hours in water before grilling. This will save wood plank from burning because planks are made of wood, and direct heat can burn them. After the plank has soaked, shake the excess water, and cover it with non-stick spray. You can put plank directly on the grill with salmon. It almost takes five to seven minutes to achieve the desired doneness.

Don’ts of Grilling

• Don’t flip side of fish early; this can tear your fish fillet.
• Don’t forget your grill to brush with oil before preheating. Oiling saves your salmon from sticking to the grill.
• If you’re purchasing fresh salmon, then don’t forget to rinse it before any further process and then towel dry it to remove excess water. Use cool water to rinse salmon.
• Don’t overdo while grilling. It hardly takes three minutes to perfectly done one side. The longer you cook the salmon, the more it will become harder.
• Don’t grill salmon on high flame. It can burn your salmon, or salmon can remain undercook.
• Don’t use extra thinner cuts for grilling. Thinner cuts dry quickly on the grill.

Wrapping Up the Things

How to grill salmon? I hope to know you have satisfactory knowledge of grilling a salmon. Undoubtedly salmon is nutritious and flavorful. The right grilling technique can enhance the flavor of this fatty fish. If you also want to enjoy perfect grilled salmon at home, follow the above-mentioned tips regarding buying, preparation, and grilling.

Last updated: October 23, 2023