How To Grill Salmon with Skin
Use skin-on fillets and place the salmon fillets on the hot grill skin-side up (flesh side down) first. The fillets, when raw, won’t flake and fall apart like they will when they are cooked. So, you sear the raw flesh side first, only enough to get some good grill marks and an edge of cooked fish, then you carefully flip it and finish your cooking at a lower temperature with the skin-side down (flesh side up). This way, the skin will help keep the fillet together and help keep it from flaking apart and falling into your grill while the fish cooks. A friend of mine taught me this approach years ago and it makes a huge difference. If you do it the other way? Skin-side down first? It’s a mess.
Oil Your Grill Grates Well
Also, make sure you coat the grill grates and the fillets well with oil to help prevent sticking. Some sticking is likely to happen anyway, which is why you need to be careful when you flip the fillets over. But having a well-oiled hot grill and well-oiled fillets will help.
Best Salmon Marinades
There are plenty of marinades you can use with salmon; I’ve included four favorites here below. We often just use a simple soy sauce and minced garlic marinade. Sometimes I get a little fancier and add mirin rice wine, ginger, and sugar. Do you have a favorite way to prepare grilled salmon? A favorite salmon marinade? If so, please let us know about it in the comments.
Love Salmon? Try These Recipes!
Easy Salmon Foil Packets with Vegetables Grilled Salmon with Dill Butter Grilled Whole Wild Salmon with Lemon Relish Salmon Teriyaki Skewers Foil Baked Salmon with Leeks and Bell Peppers
In general, it’s best to either marinate salmon briefly at room temperature, while you’re heating your grill or oven, or for 1 to 2 hours in the refrigerator. Especially if you’re using acidic ingredients in your marinade (e.g., citrus juice, mirin, vinegar), the fish will begin to chemically “cook” if it soaks for too long.
How To Reheat Grilled Salmon
The trick to reheating grilled salmon without overcooking it and drying it out is do so slowly at a relatively low temperature. Place your salmon on a rimmed baking sheet and cover it loosely with foil. Heat it in a 275°F oven for about 15 minutes or until warmed through. Another option for leftover salmon? Make salmon cakes!
3/4 cup soy sauce (use gluten-free soy sauce if cooking gluten-free) 4 cloves garlic, minced
Basic teriyaki marinade:
1 cup soy sauce (use gluten-free soy sauce if cooking gluten-free) 1-inch knob fresh ginger root, grated 4 to 5 cloves garlic, crushed 2 to 4 tablespoons brown sugar
Teriyaki marinade with mirin:
1/2 cup soy sauce (use gluten-free soy sauce if cooking gluten-free) 1/4 cup mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine) or seasoned rice vinegar 1/4 cup brown sugar 2 tablespoons minced garlic 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger 1/4 cup minced green onions 2 tablespoons vegetable oil Pinch red chili pepper flakes
Yakitori marinade with sake:
1/2 cup sake 1/2 cup soy sauce (use gluten-free soy sauce if cooking gluten-free) 1/2 cup mirin 2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger 2 cloves garlic, minced Dash red chili pepper flakes 1/4 cup sugar
Marinate for 20 minutes for a quick marinade (you can do this at room temperature while you are preparing the grill) or if you have more time, from 1 to 2 hours in the refrigerator. Before grilling, remove fillets from marinade and discard the marinade. Generously rub or brush oil on both sides of fish fillets. When the grill is hot (you should be able to hold your hand one inch above the grill grates for only 1 second), brush the grill grates with oil. (The best way to do that is to fold up a paper towel, dip in oil, and use tongs to rub the folded up paper towel on the grill grates.) Once the fish fillets have been placed on the grill, do not move them until you are going to flip them over. Otherwise, they may fall apart. If you are using a charcoal grill, the fillets should be placed on the side of the grill furthest from the coals. If you are using a gas grill, just reduce the flame to medium. Close the grill lid. Cook for another 2-5 minutes, again depending on the thickness of the fillets. Salmon should be just barely opaque throughout when done. Better to err on the side of undercooking the salmon, rather than overcooking. You can always put the fish back on the grill, but once a good fillet is overcooked, there’s nothing you can do. Remove from grill and serve immediately.
