The Salmon Grilling Tip To Keep In Mind When The Temperature Drops

Salmon tastes great when it's baked or pan-fried but for some reason, perfectly grilled salmon just takes the cake. There's something about the beautiful grill lines on a tender piece of fish that really brings it to the next level. However, to get those distinctive grill marks in the first place, you have to start with your salmon on the grill non-skin-side-down. This leads to the question — how do you get the fish to not stick? Nice grill marks aren't worth the effort if half the fish stays stuck on the grill. As it turns out, the answer comes down to temperature.

Specifically, it is very important to let your salmon thaw completely and come down to room temperature before throwing it on the grill. This is because cold salmon is much more likely to stick, which not only affects the appearance of the fish but also makes it harder to flip. Allowing your salmon to thaw completely may take longer in the cooler months of the year when temperatures drop, but it is still an important step in the salmon grilling process and can't be rushed.

While making sure your salmon is thawed completely is a good first step, there are other tips you can utilize to keep your fish from sticking to the grill that are also helpful. This includes making sure the grill is clean before you start. In fact, scrubbing the grates of your grill with a grill brush to remove any caked-on debris is an important step in preventing fish fillets from sticking. After cleaning the grill, you will also want to lightly coat the grate in oil as an extra nonstick measure.

Next, you want to pat your fillets dry with a paper towel and lightly coat them in oil, as well. When the salmon fillets are prepped and the grill is hot and ready, go ahead and place the salmon on the grill flesh-side-down. As mentioned previously, this helps you get those beautiful grill lines on the meat, but also, the uncovered side of the meat is less likely to stick to the grill than the skin side. So, start with the non-skin-side down and let the meat cook and firm up a bit before flipping and cooking skin-side-down.

Of course, because we are all human, we have all at some point or another forgotten to take the meat out of the freezer to thaw in time for dinner. The good news with salmon is that you can still cook it on the grill while it's frozen; the only thing is you will have to give up the classic black grill marks and accept that you won't be able to let the salmon sit directly on the grill grate.

However, once you accept this fact, there are plenty of interesting ways to grill still-frozen salmon. For a super tender and flavorful fillet, consider wrapping the salmon in fermented grape leaves. Traditionally found in Greek cuisine, you can buy jars of grape leaves in stores or online and the best thing about them is the deliciously acidic flavor they add to the fish. Don't have grape leaves on hand? Go ahead and cook your frozen salmon wrapped in tin foil on a bed of lemon slices, garlic, and butter for a deliciously moist and flavorful fillet.