The Only Way to Grill Salmon, According to a Food Editor

This method, perfect for salmon, works with fish of all kinds.

Simply Recipes / Nick Evans

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My family didn’t grill a lot when I was growing up, and we didn’t eat a lot of fish or seafood either. So while I really enjoy eating both of those things (and their intersection: grilled fish ), I was left quite helpless when it came to preparing them myself.

Last summer, that started to change. I moved into a house with a yard and finally (finally!) had enough space for my own grill. Over the next few months, I learned to grill everything from vegetable skewers and juicy summer peaches to chicken thighs and carne asada.

By August, I was feeling proud of my grilling journey, but I also had to admit that there was one thing I had studiously avoided: grilled salmon. I was nervous and wanted a surefire win, so I turned to Simply Recipes’ article on How to Grill Salmon by Elise Bauer. With over 100 reviews from other grilling enthusiasts and a solid 5-star track record, I was sure I was in good hands.

Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe

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The tip for easy grilled salmon

Elise’s technique for cooking the salmon in this recipe seems a little counterintuitive but is honestly genius. To prevent fish from sticking to the grill while cooking, she recommends first cook it skin side up. You let it sear for about a minute before turning it skin side down for the rest of the cooking time.

This puts the flesh in direct contact with the grill grates at the start of cooking while it is still firm and before it becomes flaky. (Hello, grill marks!) Once flipped, the skin helps hold the salmon together and prevent it from falling through the grates. It’s also easy to slide a spatula under the skin and remove the entire fillet from the grill when it’s done cooking.

As Elise mentions several times, a clean, well-oiled grill is also key to this process. When removing salmon from the grill, I also found it helpful to gently grasp the fillet lengthwise with tongs while sliding a spatula underneath, then lift everything together.

Not only have I grilled salmon this way ever since, but I use this approach with all kinds of fish fillets. The exact timing varies depending on the type of fish and the thickness of the fillets, but the basic trick of quickly searing the fillet with the skin side up, followed by a few more minutes skin side down, works wonderful every time.

Simply Recipes / Nick Evans

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How to Flavor Your Grilled Salmon

Once I mastered this technique, I experimented with marinades and other ways to flavor my salmon. Elise gives some Japanese-inspired marinades in the recipe, and I particularly like the basic teriyaki one. I also like a simple dry rub (this mixture picked up on a recent trip to Joshua Tree is a new favorite). When I’m feeling even lazier, I grill the salmon with just oil, salt, and pepper, then pour some jarred pesto on top to serve.

Get the recipe with the title: How to Grill Salmon

Read the original article on Simply Recipes.