My first post and my second cook on the Q- Grilled salmon


 
J

John Collins

New member
My family lives in Philly and I work in Chicago out of a small apartment. At home I have a Weber Professional, a New Braunfels, and a Saber Cast 500 P (just replaced my 15 year old Weber Genesis Silver). But I just got a fire engine red Ace Q 2200 for the Chicago place where I am by myself and here is my second outing with it.


Grilled Salmon with Cucumber Salsa

I honestly don't know where this came from, I surf the net looking for recipes, then read them a couple three time, then just go to the kitchen and do it. This was from a Google search for grilled salmon italian dressing I think, but who knows where it came from and don't ask me for the measurements. I don't. As Nike says, Just Do It!

Wild Alaskan Sockeye is in season again, yum! Grabbed this at the store with the skin on.

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So tossed that in a ziplock freezer bag with, I don't know, maybe a half cup of Wishbone Italian dressing, a tablespoon or two of soy sauce and a teaspoon of finely minced fresh ginger and a little garlic powder (was out of fresh garlic). Toss that puppy in the fridge for a half hour, then flip it when I put the potatoes on.

Then, made the salsa, peel and seed a large cuke, dice, put in metal bowl, add a bit of diced purple onion, a bit of chopped cilantro, and then add Wishbone Italian dressing, a dolop of soy sauce and some hot pepper flake. Toss and refrigerate.

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Now take a medium russet potato, clean and CAREFULLY slice into parallel 1/4 inch slices. Put in bag with Wishbone dressing. Preheat grill. Clean and oil grates, carefully arrange slices on grill with your hands, then grab dressing out of bag with your fingers and coat the top side. Go clean up. In about 6 minutes go flip them with tongs.

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That was with grill on medium, sorry. After another few minutes, test with teeth. Should be to your liking. Now clean grates with a half an onion on a fork, turn to high and let preheat for a few minutes. Then oil grates and put salmon flesh side down. After about 5 minutes, flip (photo) onto skin side.

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Damn, that looks good, don't it? Now when done, you take your spatula and carefully separate the flesh from the skin, which will stick to the grill. Sockey will easily come off in one piece, it's tough stuff. Lower the lid and come back in a couple minutes and you can take the skin off in one piece and toss it, then shut grill off.

Here it is all plated with the cucumber salsa on top.

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Serve with a nice pinot noir.
 
Wow!! Two salmon cooks on the forum today and both look killer!!! Going to have to try Phil's and the two others as we really like salmon.
 
Yep getting a hankering for salmon myself. Trouble is not easy to find good salmon around here. Everyone sells that south american farm raised stuff with artificial color.
 
IMO farm raised salmon is not bad, I enjoy it. I do like the wild Sockeye when it is in season, though, but it is also 3X the price. But often the farm raised is fine.
 
I find the farm-raised that I buy at Costco works and tastes fine for me when I don't have any fresh from Hood Canal.
 
I have no issue with farm raised salmon. To be sure if I can find the GOOD farm raised salmon not the crap from third world countries raised on who knows what trash and color. There is a product from Claire Island in Ireland that is to die for. I can also find a product from Scotland that is Sushi grade but the store that sells it handles it badly and I have been sorely disappointed by the store when they mishandle the product. They used to handle it well (kept on ice and only short times fresh daily) but their service is so bad, the people so rude and the product so badly kept I cannot trust it any more.
But I am very untrustworthy of fish that is raised in third party countries and refuse to eat it. Things like Tilapia (raised on sewage), shrimp from Indonesia and so on. My health and that of my family is more important.
 
Awesome cook John. I'm usually too afraid to try salmon direct on the grates and end up going with a cedar plank. But I think you've just inspired me.
 
JimK said:
Awesome cook John. I'm usually too afraid to try salmon direct on the grates and end up going with a cedar plank. But I think you've just inspired me.
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I wouldn't worry about it too much, salmon is not a particularly delicate fish, although it is more delicate than a beef steak. There are three keys to grilling fish, well, four, I guess.

1. dry the fish thoroughly on paper towels, and oil the fish
2. preheat thoroughly, have very hot grates (see how black my grill marks are?)
3. oil the grates just before putting the fish on
4. do not fiddle with the fish until ready to turn it

The combination of the oil on the grates and fish and the very hot grates will facilitate a quick sear and therefore a quick release. If the fish has excess moisture in it or is not oiled or if the grates are not hot enough it can stick. But if the fish is dry, well oiled and the grates are searing hot, it will release quickly. Turn the spatula upside down and confidently dislodge the fish from the grates, don't pussyfoot around with it.

Granted, wild sockeye is tougher and drier than farm-raised, but you can see that piece of fish came off easily and without losing chunks of it stuck to the grill. It's very easy if you follow those four points. The fish will fall apart if you don't. Give it a try!
 
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