Grilled Salmon

Name: Grilled Salmon
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 12 oz salmon (two center-cut fillets, skin on, patted dry); 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 tbsp butter (softened); 1 clove garlic (minced); 1 unit lemon (half juiced, half sliced thin); 1 tbsp dill (chopped); ¾ tsp salt; ¼ tsp black pepper (cracked)

Seafood & Poultry · American

A variant of Baked Salmon — The same salmon, over fire instead of in the oven — hotter, faster, and skin-side discipline instead of a rack position.

8 ingredients · 25 minutes · 2 servings

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Contains dairy, fish

Restrictions

Containsdairy · fishIt is in an ingredient you cannot leave out.

Diets

PescatarianNo porkNo alcohol

Worked out from the ingredient list. It knows nothing about brands, shared equipment or cross contamination, and it is not a certification — if you have an allergy, you still have to read the label.

Ingredients

Servings:

12 oz	salmon (two center-cut fillets, skin on, patted dry)
1 tbsp	olive oil
1 tbsp	butter (softened)
1 clove	garlic (minced)
1 unit	lemon (half juiced, half sliced thin)
1 tbsp	dill (chopped)
¾ tsp	salt
¼ tsp	black pepper (cracked)

Optional

Not counted above. The dish works without them.

1 tsp	honey
1 tsp	mustard (dijon)
1 tbsp	capers (drained)
1 tbsp	parsley (chopped)
¼ tsp	paprika-smoked

Steps

Season15 min
room temperature, uncovered
- salmon
- black pepper
salmon + salt + pepper on all sides, then leave it on the counter on a rack — the salt draws surface moisture out, which then reabsorbs as brine, and a fillet that starts at 60°F rather than 38°F cooks evenly instead of overcooking its outer half while the center is still cold
Prep10 min
grill at medium-high, grates cleaned and oiled
Heat the grill to medium-high and let the grates get properly hot before anything touches them — a cold grate is what fish sticks to. Scrub them clean, then oil them with a folded paper towel held in tongs.
Mix2 min
butter + garlic + lemon juice + dill (+ honey + mustard if glazing) into a paste — raw garlic laid loose on the fish scorches at this heat, but suspended in butter it perfumes the fat instead of burning
Grill8 min
skin-side down first, lid closed, do not move it
Lay the fillets skin-side down and close the lid. Leave them alone — the skin releases on its own when it has crisped, and pulling early is what tears it. Flip once for the last 2 minutes, and pull at 125°F at the thickest point for medium.
Rest5 min
loosely tented, off heat
- capers
- parsley
carryover carries it another 5–8°F to about 130°F, which is where salmon is set but still moist; resting also lets the juices that collected in the center redistribute rather than run out on the plate. Finish with parsley and capers