Grilling salmon is one of the most versatile ways to prepare it. When done right, it can be cooked to perfection anywhere, at any time!
Most people grill fish using either hot or warm grills which are then left to cook for several minutes before being flipped. This usually works well unless you want crispy, delicious skin.
Some people only use cold-smoked salmon that requires very specific cooking times, so boiling or poaching the meat is not an option. Luckily, we will go over some easy tips here that work with any kind of smoked salmon!
This article will talk about how to grill fresh Atlantic salmon on a gas grill. These tricks will also apply if you choose Pacific or lox style salmon.
Gas burners
There are three main types of burner in every good quality barbeque grill. They are all fueled by natural gas, but have different temperatures assigned to them.
The first is the broiler burner, or the highest heat source. This burner has very high flames that are used for toasting and baking food.
Next is the fryer burner, or the middle temperature range. This burner has longer lasting lower intensity flames that are great for searing, frying, and roasting foods.
And lastly there’s the grill burner, or the lowest temperature setting. This doesn’t quite qualify as a burner since it goes beyond combustion; it simply heats up material physically.
Brush salmon with oil
When grilling fresh salmon, how you season it makes a big difference! While most recipes call for just olive or vegetable oil and salt, there are some other ways to prepare your fish.
To give your grilled salmon more flavor, first we need to brush it with an oil of your choice. There are two main oils that many people use when brushing their salmon: canola oil and coconut oil.
Canola oil has little to no fat content, making it almost disappear in the grill. This allows all of the taste and nutrients from the salmon to shine through. It also melts slightly, which helps cook the meat even as it dries out a bit.
Coconut oil is higher in fats than canola oil, so it will not completely melt away. This gives the grilled salmon a slight buttery flavor that is very delicious.
Put on a grill pan
When grilling salmon, most people either use the traditional method which is cooking it on an oven- or broiler-type rack under a cook top flame, or they use a grill pan. The former requires you to make sure your grill is hot enough before putting the fish onto the rack, and then keeping that heat level while the fish cooks! The latter gets rid of this hassle.
A grill pan is a heavy duty skillet that is designed specifically for searing and roasting foods. The trick is knowing how to use one correctly. You must have adequate ventilation as well as know what temperature settings are appropriate for your kind of meat or seafood.
Some recommendations are higher temperatures for more crispy textures and darker colors, whereas white color and lighter flavor comes from lower burners. It may seem confusing at first, but with some practice you will get the hang of it.
Make sure the grill is heated up properly
When grilling salmon, it is important to make sure your grill is hot before you start. If the grill is not hot enough, the raw fish will taste burnt or even toxic!
Too often people cook their salmon at high temperatures which also makes the meat dry and gross. The best temperature for cooking salmon is medium-low so that it does not burn but still seals in the flavor and texture.
After the salmon has cooked for about ten minutes, we like to flip it over to ensure that all sides are seared and golden brown.
Place salmon on the grill
The best way to cook fresh fish like wild salmon or flounder is by placing it onto a hot surface of the grill, cooking it for just about 4-6 minutes per side. Make sure your grill is good and lukewarm before putting the fish on!
Grilling salmon at 375 degrees F (190 Celsius) will give you the most beautifully cooked meat every time. A gas grill is the perfect platform for this because you can regulate the temperature more easily than charcoal grills.
When baking with a broiler type setting, make sure your salmon does not touch the burner as that could result in burning or overcooked fish.
Cook for a certain period of time
When grilling salmon, there are two main things you should be careful about. One is how long you grill your fish for and the other is what temperature it gets cooked at. Grilling salmon too short can result in dry or tough meat, whereas cooking it longer than needed could make it taste raw.
When baking or broiling salmon, one must always remember to start with cold salmon so that when it is grilled it will warm up slightly before being cooked further. This will ensure it does not overcook completely due to hot melted fat already on the pan!
Cooking your salmon at a high heat first and then lowering the flame helps to keep it moist. Once it has finished its allotted time, quickly lower the burners and let the residual warmth do the rest of the work.
Serve with your favorite salad and bread
When cooking salmon on a grill, how you cook it makes a big difference! The best way to cook grilled fish is in an oven or broiler-type setting where it can bake or toast slightly.
Grilling will almost always result in dry, raw meat unless the fish is cooked more than half way. This can be tedious if you have a lot of food to make!
To avoid this, we recommend either boiling the fish first (we talk about that here) or using our best tip for grilling fish: Use the right temperature gas!
We’ve got some recipes for Grilled Fish at the end of this article! They are sure to satisfy your hunger.
Relax and enjoy!
When grilling salmon, your grill temperature, timing, and method matter more than anything else. Grilling it directly over hot flames is great for flavor, but that can also cause burning or charring which will lose some of its taste and possibly even hurt you health slightly by high levels of hydrogen chloride (HCl) or other carcinogens in the smoke.
Grilling it just until cooked through using a plate or pan under it helps keep it moist, but takes longer than simply putting it onto a rack like normal cook-and-serve fish. This article has tips for each!
Temperature
Most people know that higher temperatures burn and taste better with meat, but what about fish?
When baking or broiling most types of fish, warmer temperatures mean less time needed to achieve the same internal temperature. Therefore, they end up being overcooked instead of raw enough to satisfy hungry guests and yourself.
On the opposite side, cold fish might not warm back up when cooking because there are no heat transfers happening due to the ice crystals keeping it solid. This could result in dry, flaky flesh and potentially bad reviews online.
Fortunately, grilled salmon does fine at medium to low temperatures! The key is finding an easy way to hold the fish while it cooks so it doesn’t stick or roll away during the process.
Tips: Use sturdy, clean chopsticks or tongs to pick up whole fillets from the freezer and thaw them out.
Take pictures and show your friends
While most people agree that broiling is the best way to cook meat, grilling is one of the more popular cooking methods. Grilling is great because you can grill almost anything directly over an open flame or in a pre-made grill pan.
Grilling is also one of the easier culinary projects to do since you don’t need very precise temperatures to get a good result. This makes it perfect for newer cooks as well!
There are several different types of grills so how you choose to barbecue depends on what kind of barbecuing you want to do. For example, pellet grills use compressed wood pellets as fuel which burn hot and fast with no burnt leftover pieces.
Broil baskets work similarly to regular ovens by using heated air to roast food, but they are designed to sit closer to the fire than normal baking dishes. This creates hotter, thinner grilled slices of meat.