Perfect Grilled Salmon Recipe
I hope you enjoy this recipe from my husband, Randy. He’s the grill-master in our home, with our son right behind him, learning the tricks of the trade right at his side. Today he’s sharing a recipe for the perfect Grilled Salmon. You’ll see that it’s simple and straight forward, and pretty darn quick too. Take it away, Randy!
We love the flavor of salmon. Check that. Two of us do. The other two, not so much. I order it a lot when we go out to eat, but too often it’s over-cooked and sometimes glazed with something that disguises the flavor instead of enhancing it.
To me, salmon is one of those foods that is best when prepared simply. Most foods are. A bit of salt, olive oil, and charcoal smoke are the perfect compliment to this rich, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth fish. So, after quite a bit of trial and error I’ve settled on a simple char-grilled method, cooked to medium for the perfect Grilled Salmon. Of course, always begin with the best salmon you can purchase.
If you’re looking for a perfect partner for this Grilled Salmon, check out these fabulous Melting Sweet Potatoes from Foodie With Family. Oh my! Or while the grill is heated up prepare this easy Grilled Pineapple Mango Salsa, for a sweet bite on the side. Enjoy!
A few notes about Grilling Salmon:
- A charcoal grill makes a big difference. If you don’t have a charcoal grill, dig a pit in your backyard.
- The type of charcoal used makes a difference as well. I’d recommend using a good lump charcoal, not briquettes.
- If your grill is not equipped with a thermometer, invest in a reliable one. It will be well worth the money in the long run.
- Depending on the size of fillet(s) purchased, you may need to portion cut them. And if serving a crowd, a whole filet of salmon may be the most cost-effective.
Perfect Grilled Salmon
A simple and tasty way to prepare salmon.
Ingredients:
- 6 to 8 ounce skin-on salmon fillets (1 per serving)
- kosher salt
- olive oil
Directions:
- Preheat charcoal grill to 375-degrees F.
- Cover fillets on all sides with a light coating of olive oil. Sprinkle well with salt. If needed, portion cut fillets to preferred size.
- Oil grill grate with high temp vegetable oil or very carefully coat grate with non-stick grill cooking spray.
- Place salmon fillets on grill, skin side down. Grill covered for 8 minutes. Gently flip and grill covered for an additional 2 minutes for medium (not quite cooked through). Adjust cook times to preferred doneness.
- Remove from grill and enjoy!
Optional: season with dill, lemon or other citrus juice, if desired.
Originally published March 17, 2014.
I’m tickled that you’re here! Like you, I wear many hats, and live to tell about it. This space is a place for sharing food, home, garden, travel and lifestyle tidbits, with some fun always thrown in for good measure.
This looks like it is perfectly cooked! My son is always asking me to make salmon, and while we have a favorite recipe already, I’d love to mix it up with a simpler one like this. I’ll be trying it soon! Thanks!
Hi, I worked with an old Chinese cook Gail Woo, who always cooked fish with the skin. He would make the skin crispy crunchy with a bit of salt in the pan and it was GREAT! I have always been afraid that the skin would be slimy so I prefer skinned salmon. BUT if I could do it right, the grizzlies know what’s up. SKIN just not raw.
I wish my home had a grill master. Heck, I wish I could even SEE my grill. What a winter for snow. This is gorgeous, Amy!
You make salmon look gorgeous! Will definitely have to try it grilled!
This salmon is practically perfect in every way! Salmon is one of our favorite dinners for special occasions, but you have me wanting to make it every night!
This salmon is gorgeous! Grilled is my go to and favorite method of cooking salmon!
This salmon looks real fresh and sushi-grade when it was raw. Did you buy this fresh or frozen in the grocery store?
It was bought at a local chain grocery store (Publix). It was not frozen when purchased, but I assume it was frozen at some point as we live a good ways from where it would have been caught? I will make a point to ask the next time I’m there.
Good, wild, salmon is so important!! I will have to use all these tricks this summer too! You know just how to make a PNW’erner swoon!
Wow! This looks perfectly cooked, showing this to my husband.
We love grilled salmon on the charcoal grill. It’s way better than a gas grill. My husband is the grill master here too. He can grill up a mean ribeye.
This is a man’s perfect grilled salmon. Simple, straight forward and very delicious!
Yum! This looks perfect – I’m a massive fan of salmon!
Perfectly cooked and so delicious. Salmon is one of my favorite dish. Thank you so much for sharing this. Do you have other salmon recipe??
Perfection, Randy! I expect this on the table if Paul and I come to visit! 🙂
I actually use mayonnaise instead of oil when grilling any type of fish, it doesn’t have any of the “mayo” flavor but keeps the fish moist.
Thank you for the idea, Irene. Sounds perfect!