What's a good and simple recipe/method for grilling salmon steaks for a newbie (never grilled salmon before).
I have some cedar planks soaking but thought you would have alternate suggestions.
david
I have some cedar planks soaking but thought you would have alternate suggestions.
david
I'm not cal, but grilling salmon steaks is quick and easy. Heat grill, lightly coat salmon with oil, such as canola, olive, etc. Lightly salt, and put on grill. Wait 3 to 5 minutes, turn. Wait 2-4 minutes. Serve. Enjoy.
Thanks Michael.
Hey David,
Thanks for asking. My way is not for everyone but those who like it end up at my door at the oddest of hours looking for me to fire the grill up. I discovered this (at a restaurant) after years of hating salmon, you probably know the kind, the one stuffed with lemon slices, wrapped in foil and put on the grill for 30 or 40 minutes?
Ya... thanks, I'd rather eat a hot dog.
The thing with salmon is, as it heats and the proteins begin to coagulate, you start to get that fishy smell and taste. The longer she's on the grill, the worse it gets. Any Sashimi eater, whether they understand or not, can attest to the fact that raw fish doesn't have a fishy taste.
So, onto the prep,
If you're going to have fish on Friday night, no matter your choice of heat, start the grill on Thursday night. That way it will be hot enough.
Now about the streaks,
They cost less than filets and I appreciate why. I often buy the steaks, split them in two and cut off the bones leaving you with really short pieces of "filet." Trim off also the skinniest piece of belly and you're ready to start having fun.
Season how you like. With Salmon I am partial to the flavour of the meat so I use just non-iodized salt and fresh cracked black pepper on the 3 sides that don’t have skin. Leave it to sit for about half an hour on the counter while you enjoy a Margarita, a fine ale or glass of wine with friends. Not more than an hour or the salt will start to leach the moisture from the flesh. If you’re a salt pig you can always add it later.
Is the BBQ now melting your vinyl siding? Perfect you’re ready to start grilling. Melt a small shipload of butter for dunking (Cal style basting), put on your fire retardant suit and walk proudly toward the grill. Don’t pay attention to your friends staring, make up some story.
Cooking:
Remember cooking? You asked me about cooking, I guess we should get onto that.
Brush only the skin with cooking oil and place the pieces skin side down and in a specific order because this is about all timing. Don’t put on too many pieces, you’re human and you can only move so fast. If by the time the last piece is down, you feel the heat beginning to affect your fire suit, good, take a step back, have a quick sip and back to the grill.
If the salmon has been on for two minutes, you took too big of a sip. One by one quickly dunk each piece in the melted butter in the same order they went on, and put them back on the other side. This is going to cause even more stress to the fire suit so you might want your friends close by with a garden hose. By the time you’ve put the last one on, it’s time to pull the first piece off and so on. No, I’m not kidding.
Advice:
Try this on your own, before the friends with the Margaritas come over, as cooking times and melting points of fire suits vary.
Once you get this one down, you may find yourself saying “why the **** did nobody show me this before? OMG, I can now eat salmon every ****ing day of the week if I had too.
Michael, thanks for the intro, but to the best of my knowledge it was Jesse who cooked when we were all together.
Disclaimer: I had volunteered to show them there Islanders how to do a simple salt and pepper salmon but since Jesse had brought them, it was right for him to finish the process.
Long winded? You bet but to do it right doesn’t happen the first time so I' thought it deserved the typing time.
Cheers.
Hey David,
Thanks for asking. My way is not for everyone but those who like it end up at my door at the oddest of hours looking for me to fire the grill up. I discovered this (at a restaurant) after years of hating salmon, you probably know the kind, the one stuffed with lemon slices, wrapped in foil and put on the grill for 30 or 40 minutes?
Ya... thanks, I'd rather eat a hot dog.
The thing with salmon is, as it heats and the proteins begin to coagulate, you start to get that fishy smell and taste. The longer she's on the grill, the worse it gets. Any Sashimi eater, whether they understand or not, can attest to the fact that raw fish doesn't have a fishy taste.
So, onto the prep,
If you're going to have fish on Friday night, no matter your choice of heat, start the grill on Thursday night. That way it will be hot enough.
Now about the streaks,
They cost less than filets and I appreciate why. I often buy the steaks, split them in two and cut off the bones leaving you with really short pieces of "filet." Trim off also the skinniest piece of belly and you're ready to start having fun.
Season how you like. With Salmon I am partial to the flavour of the meat so I use just non-iodized salt and fresh cracked black pepper on the 3 sides that don’t have skin. Leave it to sit for about half an hour on the counter while you enjoy a Margarita, a fine ale or glass of wine with friends. Not more than an hour or the salt will start to leach the moisture from the flesh. If you’re a salt pig you can always add it later.
Is the BBQ now melting your vinyl siding? Perfect you’re ready to start grilling. Melt a small shipload of butter for dunking (Cal style basting), put on your fire retardant suit and walk proudly toward the grill. Don’t pay attention to your friends staring, make up some story.
Cooking:
Remember cooking? You asked me about cooking, I guess we should get onto that.
Brush only the skin with cooking oil and place the pieces skin side down and in a specific order because this is about all timing. Don’t put on too many pieces, you’re human and you can only move so fast. If by the time the last piece is down, you feel the heat beginning to affect your fire suit, good, take a step back, have a quick sip and back to the grill.
If the salmon has been on for two minutes, you took too big of a sip. One by one quickly dunk each piece in the melted butter in the same order they went on, and put them back on the other side. This is going to cause even more stress to the fire suit so you might want your friends close by with a garden hose. By the time you’ve put the last one on, it’s time to pull the first piece off and so on. No, I’m not kidding.
Advice:
Try this on your own, before the friends with the Margaritas come over, as cooking times and melting points of fire suits vary.
Once you get this one down, you may find yourself saying “why the **** did nobody show me this before? OMG, I can now eat salmon every ****ing day of the week if I had too.
Michael, thanks for the intro, but to the best of my knowledge it was Jesse who cooked when we were all together.
Disclaimer: I had volunteered to show them there Islanders how to do a simple salt and pepper salmon but since Jesse had brought them, it was right for him to finish the process.
Long winded? You bet but to do it right doesn’t happen the first time so I' thought it deserved the typing time.
Cheers.
Cal, I bow to your superior experience! You're just a little far for a quick drive, so I won't drop by, but will use your recipe.
No need to bow my friend, I just love food and hope that your experience with the salmon is as good as mine. Come back and let us know.
ps: it takes some time it just right so start with one piece at a time until you're happy. I have 3 grills and timing is different on each one, but safe to say, put it on long before your ready, a hot grill is #1
Cheers David.
ps: it takes some time it just right so start with one piece at a time until you're happy. I have 3 grills and timing is different on each one, but safe to say, put it on long before your ready, a hot grill is #1
Cheers David.
My Weber kettle rusted through, and I've not replaced it yet.... Pan frying works ok, leave the gas on high and the exhaust fan on high, too. 2 minutes is very right for that, though I like it rare, too. The local market has a special on whole Keta salmon this week. Think I might get one.
Local sport fishing is currently particularly good, and one of my work mates from time to time catches more than ne needs. For a recently caught little spring (15lb), my wife made a nice marinade with fresh squeezed orange juice, Tamari soy sauce, Babe's clover honey, fresh locally grown Russian garlic, & green onions. Marinate for 15min while the BBQ is heating up, then grille on SS grilling dish 7 min per side at 400
These happened to be filet cut, but steaks work just as well.
These happened to be filet cut, but steaks work just as well.
And, yes, while not as much has some forum members, based on attending several years of DIY get togetherness, Cal is certainly "out there" - actually when the brothers from another mother start their mutual admiration displays of PA, one might think of dropping that second word.
You understand that Keta is a polite name for Chum (the stuff used for attracting sharks) or Dog salmon, the one that was fed to the sled dogs. If you buy that, please disregard my cooking instructions, I have no idea how to cook, dry, smoke, pickle or anything, I've never dealt with it. When I saw it showing up in cans, and now heaven forbid, fresh at stores, I was confused. I thought it was illegal to sell dog food to humans.
We have to disagree here my friend.
Chris is dead on there. I bet I'm the only one at this event who has been asked to publish a recipe book.
Out is extremely appropriate as the speakers I sometimes bring won't fit through the door.- actually when the brothers from another mother start their mutual admiration displays of PA, one might think of dropping that second word.
OTOH if our homophobic friend Chris is speaking of another kind of 'out' perhaps the drunken 'I love ya man' stuff that even at his age, has trouble embracing. Not to worry, Scott and I will try once again to bring him into the fold. We'll see, he's a rather old dog to teach new tricks. You have to be careful when you hug him, he feels easy to break.
Actually, "Keto" or chum salmon is quite good. Very mild flavor. Treat it just like any other salmon. I got one last year, and if that's what you feed your dogs, "woof".
Cal - could there possibly be more than one way to cook a fish, some officially sanctioned elsewhere that don't agree with your prescription? Unlike audio, where it is often negated, I'd opine that with the exception of cooking methods known to be not "food safe" - it's all a matter of taste? You might not be in agreement with my particular diet or taste, but shouldn't you defend that right?
As for homophobic - I though you knew I'm an equal opportunity misanthrope - and that starts with the man in my mirror.
As for homophobic - I though you knew I'm an equal opportunity misanthrope - and that starts with the man in my mirror.
Without question. Here's the first part of my post.
To the death.
Not true. Once past that burly, growly outside, stands a man of love, graciousness, open and willingness, sharing, caring, giving and best of all, honour. You can't fool me or Scott. You're gonna get a big ol' man hug like no other when we see you in a couple weeks. It's gonna be a Chris sandwich.
Not grilled but very yummy
This is a different approach for salmon and works great. I have served salmon this way at my restaurant with great success.
ChefSteps ? Salmon 104?F ? Salmon Mi Cuit - YouTube
This is a different approach for salmon and works great. I have served salmon this way at my restaurant with great success.
ChefSteps ? Salmon 104?F ? Salmon Mi Cuit - YouTube
Yes, quite possible. But I do remember you taking an active part in the most detailed and elaborate salmon cooking discussions that I've ever witnessed.
The great Northwest is not like the rest of the world when it comes to salmon. 😀
That looks great Bixbacon, thank you for sharing. I am a fan of Sous Vide. I believe it is an underused style of cooking.
Have you experimented with the brine? I am not trained and don't pretend to know, but I am very adventuresome and I wonder if cutting back on the strength of the brine and leaving it longer (equilibrium brining) would be a positive or a negative in this case? I have experimented with Demerara sugar, Maple syrup, Scotch, liquid smoke, citrus peel, citrus juice, sesame oil and some others and too have had success. There's just something about the flavours imparted by a red hot grill that are hard to ignore.
The Fraser River Sockeye run is underway and we are planning to pick up a few as this is a huge run and the fish are very affordable so I am hoping to experiment. I will let you know how it goes.
Cheers.
Have you experimented with the brine? I am not trained and don't pretend to know, but I am very adventuresome and I wonder if cutting back on the strength of the brine and leaving it longer (equilibrium brining) would be a positive or a negative in this case? I have experimented with Demerara sugar, Maple syrup, Scotch, liquid smoke, citrus peel, citrus juice, sesame oil and some others and too have had success. There's just something about the flavours imparted by a red hot grill that are hard to ignore.
The Fraser River Sockeye run is underway and we are planning to pick up a few as this is a huge run and the fish are very affordable so I am hoping to experiment. I will let you know how it goes.
Cheers.
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