Easy Herbed Grilled Salmon

Photo Courtesy of Brad Lovejoy

I bought a beautiful piece of freshly caught King Salmon at Metropolitan Market with the intention of throwing it on the barbecue. I didn't know exactly how I wanted to season the salmon prior to cooking so I needed to do a little bit of leg work. I usually prepare salmon with a sprinkle of kosher salt and pepper and I have already cooked salmon with a miso-soy glaze for the blog so I was looking for something entirely different. Lucky for me, I immediately stumbled upon this recipe for Easy Herbed Grilled Salmon. I was excited about using white wine and sweet paprika so without looking further, I moved forward with the following recipe:

Ingredients:

1-1/2 pounds boneless salmon filet, about 1-inch thick

1/2 lime

2 Tbsp white wine

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried dill

1/4 tsp sweet paprika

Preheat grill to high heat. Make tray out of double-length heavy duty foil, large enough for salmon filet, by folding a long piece in half and folding up all sides with shiny side down. The shiny side reflects the heat which keeps vegetables from burning. Spray entire inside of foil tray with cooking spray (I brushed mine with avocado oil, which is a high-heat oil). Place foil tray on platter to transport to grill.

Place salmon on foil tray with skin side up; or boned side up if skinned. Squeeze lime juice over salmon and sprinkle with white wine. Spread top of salmon with mayonnaise. (I always use grapeseed oil mayo because I love the flavor and grapeseed oil is an antioxidant. If you are going to eat a bit of mayonnaise, it might as well have health benefits, right)?

In small bowl, mix together all spices with the exception of sweet paprika. Sprinkle mixture evenly over top of salmon then top with sweet paprika. Place foil tray on grill. Cook on hot covered grill for 10 minutes per inch of thickness. Do not overcook or fish will be dry. Turning is not necessary. Salmon is done when it turns light pink color throughout and feels firm when gently pressed with back of fork. Use spatula to lift from skin to serve. Garnish with lime slices, if desired.

Without becoming as long-winded as we all know I can be, let me tell you that this is a very nice salmon preparation. The herb mixture created a lovely crust on top but the inside remained juicy. It is quite easy to overcook salmon so I was pleased that the texture came out so perfectly. I thought the flavors melded well together without overwhelming the salmon's mild flavor.

I served this dish with a sliced potatoes, yellow squash, zucchini and red onion that were prepared in a vegetable basket on the grill. All in all, this was a healthy, light and delicious meal. This is not the fanciest recipe I have prepared, but it was definitely tasty enough to make again in the future.

Recipe Source:

homecooking.about.com