Two simple grilled salmon recipes here, one minimalist and one with a simple paprika-based rub. There are many species of salmon, and the quality available can vary greatly depending on geography and time of year. The best is fresh, wild-caught Chinook (King) or Sockeye; Coho (Silver) is good, too. Frozen fillets are fine when you're away from the coast. Farmed Atlantic salmon is the fallback, but still totally decent.
With a great piece of fish, the minimalist preparation allows the natural flavor and texture to shine. The rub here works with any salmon, complementing (but not overpowering!) high quality fish, and dressing up an OK fish. Leftover rub can be stored in an airtight container or zip-lock bag for up to two months.
Ingredients
- Salmon fillets, skin-on
- Approx. 3 tablespoons olive oil
Minimalist preparation
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
Rub
- 4 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons fresh ground pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
Equipment
- Small bowl for oil preparation
- Small bowl for rub preparation
- Basting brush
- Grilling tongs
- Grilling spatula
- Paper towel
- Charcoal grill (to cook with love) or gas grill (to cook with mild affection)
- Meat thermometer
Instructions
- Start grill if using charcoal; if using a gas grill go to step 2.
- Rinse fillets and pat dry with paper towel. Lay on a dish or platter skin-down.
- For minimalist preparation, move to step 3. For the rub, combine dry ingredients into a bowl and mix thoroughly with a fork or whisk.
- Pour olive oil into a small bowl. Brush the salmon with oil.
- For minimalist preparation, shake salt and pepper onto the fish to taste; a little goes a long way, so I suggest less than a half teaspoon salt a 1/4 teaspoon pepper for a full fillet. If using the rub, shake a tablespoon of rub onto the oiled fish and rub the spices gently into the fish. Continue to add rub until the entire fillet is covered and dark red.
- Heat grill to medium-high, about 400F.
- Dip a wadded up paper towel into the remaining olive oil. Holding the oiled paper towel with tongs, thoroughly oil the grill to prevent the fish from sticking to the grill.
- Place salmon skin-side down on grill, close the top, and cook until the fish reaches an internal temperature of 125-130F, about 6-10 minutes, depending on thickness of the fillet. Do not overcook!
- Move the salmon to a warm serving platter. The fish will continue to cook for 2-3 minutes after transfer.
When we lived in Houston, Tess' friend Owen Zhang visited, and gifted us a steel fish-shaped platter. We've been dishing up grilled salmon on the Owen Zhang Memorial Platter™️ ever since.
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