Grilling Salmon – Cooking Times and Preparation

cooked salmon

If you’re a fish lover, the thought of grilling salmon might make your mouth water. There are countless ways to grill it, each more delicious than the last! Here are some ideas to try:

  • Grilled Salmon Teriyaki
  • Salmon with Honey-Citrus Glaze
  • Grilled Lemon Rosemary Salmon
  • Salmon Fillets with Brown Sugar Pecan Glaze
  • Honey Glazed Grilled Salmon Steaks
  • Asian Grilled Salmon
  • Grilled Herbed Salmon
  • Honey Mustard Salmon with Garlic
  • Poached Salmon Steaks
  • Honey Herb Salmon
  • Grilled Salmon with Parsley Butter and Lemon
  • Herb Crusted Salmon with Thyme, Mustard, and Oregano
  • Dilled Salmon Steaks
  • Grilled Whole Salmon
  • Poached Salmon Steaks with Tarragon

That’s a different salmon recipe for more than two full weeks of the month! It might sound wild, but why not keep the grill going for the entire two weeks?

Grilling salmon starts with selecting fresh steaks and fillets that are firm in texture and deep, salmon pink in color. The cuts should be smooth, without gaps or muscle fiber separation—this indicates the fish is old. If the salmon is packaged, the container must be airtight with no visible liquid, as liquid can indicate that the fish was previously frozen and thawed. The longer it sits in the liquid, the more likely the fish will become mushy after cooking.

What Type of Salmon Do You Want?

The two primary types of salmon available are farm-raised and wild. Farm-raised salmon is often more abundant and priced better, but there is controversy surrounding how these fish are raised, what they are fed, the use of antibiotics and growth stimulants, and the overall taste, which is often less desirable than wild salmon.

At a Salmon Days Festival in Sacramento, CA, there was a display of salmon tanks along with posters explaining the salmon life cycle. These posters revealed that the immune system of farm-raised fish is often weak, resulting in mushy flesh after cooking. They also noted that what we consume becomes part of our own DNA, tissues, and organs. So, if we eat fish with an unhealthy immune system, we can’t expect it to strengthen our own immune systems. After reading this, I began researching the benefits of wild vs. farm-raised salmon and discovered that the advantages of eating and grilling wild salmon far outweigh the farmed variety. Since then, I’ve only eaten wild salmon.

More Professional Proof

An interesting tidbit is that a coalition of chefs worldwide will only cook and grill wild salmon, not the farm-raised kind. These chefs have become food purists, committed to cooking only ‘real’ foods. They report that the difference in taste between grilling wild and farm-raised salmon is remarkable. Wild salmon is filled with flavor, has a great texture, and holds up best to any cooking method.

How to Grill Salmon

To grill salmon, fire up your grill to medium-high heat. Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground pepper on fresh or thawed salmon fillets or steaks that have been brushed with butter or olive oil. Place the salmon on the grill for two minutes, then turn it one-quarter turn to create nice grill marks. After two more minutes, turn the salmon over and cook until the meat is opaque and flaky, about 4 additional minutes.

Serve the grilled salmon on a bed of rice with vegetables or alongside red potatoes.

As you can see, grilling salmon is quite simple. You can always add a sprinkle of any herb, a combination of herbs, soy sauce, hot sauce, honey mustard sauce, or just plain lemon to change the flavor. Whatever recipe you choose, always start with wild salmon.

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