Grilled Salmon with Lemon and Thyme
A quick way to make money is to sell photographs of salmon dressed up in tuxedos. It’s like shooting fish in apparel. Thank you, I’ll be here all week. But seriously, Salmon is easily the most popular fish in the United States. And for good reason. It’s mild, non-fishy flavor can work well with all kinds of recipes and flavor profiles. Today we’re going to make an easy grilled salmon recipe that uses just a few ingredients to enhance the flavor of the salmon without overpowering it, letting the salmon be the star. We’re using a great looking King Salmon fillet, but this recipe will work with any variety of wild caught salmon.
Speaking of varieties of Salmon, here’s a quick rundown on the different types that are readily available:
King (Chinook) is the undisputed best of the best. It’s high fat content translates into the best flavor and naturally, is the most expensive.
Sockeye (Red) are the most plentiful, and are known for their bright red flesh and bold salmon-y flavor.
Coho (Silver) fall in between Kings and Sockeyes with their medium fat content and mild flavor. No matter which variety you choose, make sure it’s wild caught.
Don’t waste your time with farm raised Atlantic salmon, which really ought to be in a completely different category altogether.
Let’s get grilling.
Jump to Recipe
Here’s our ingredients. Before cutting the salmon fillet into portions, run your hand across the top to feel for any stray bones that your fish monger may have missed. Tweezers work great to pull them out.
Melt the butter over medium heat and then add the garlic, salt and pepper. Simmer for one minute and then stir in the lemon zest, juice and thyme. Remove from heat. Brush the salmon fillets with about 1/3 of the butter mixture.
Preheat your grill to medium high and oil the grill grates to help keep from sticking. Grill the salmon skin side up for 4 minutes. Flip over, brush with 1/3 more of the butter mixture and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 145° F. Enjoy.
Grilled Salmon with Lemon and Thyme
Grilled Salmon with Lemon and Thyme
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds salmon fillet cut into 4 portions
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small lemon zest
- 1 small lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme chopped
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, salt and pepper. Simmer for 1 minute.
- Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice and thyme. Remove from heat.
- Arrange salmon fillets on a tray skin side down and brush with 1/3 of butter mixture.
- Preheat grill to medium high heat. Oil grill grates when hot.
- Grill fillets skin side up for 4 minutes.
- Flip over, brush with 1/3 more of butter mixture and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Remove salmon from grill when internal temperature reaches 145° F.
- Brush with remaining butter.
