Grilled salmon marinated in a soy sauce mixture…

I tried a very simple but very effective grilled salmon recipe last night, and it turned out very well.  We also had grilled potatoes, which is just like baked potatoes but done on the grill.  Smothered in butter, salt and pepper, you can even eat the potato skin, which turns all crispy and yummy (I don’t recommend eating the fish skin, but to each his own).  The key to salmon is always in the cooking – too long and it will dry right out, making for a pretty unpleasant fish.  Especially if you do it on a charcoal grill like I do, you have to be careful of what kind of temperature you’re putting the fish on.  I only used about half the coals I normally do, because I like to cook salmon at a fairly medium temperature, and I time it to the minute.

Ingredients:

• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds salmon fillets
• lemon pepper to taste
• garlic powder to taste
• salt to taste
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

1. Season salmon fillets with lemon pepper, garlic powder and salt to taste.
2. In a bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, water and vegetable oil until the sugar dissolves.  Put the fish in a large resealable plastic bag with the soy sauce mixture, seal, and turn to coat the fish in the mixture.  Refrigerate for up to 2 hours.
3. Heat grill to medium heat.
4. Lightly oil grill grate so fish doesn’t stick (or better yet, use one of those fish grill things that you just pick up and turn – I’ve got to get me one of those.  In the meantime, I spread foil over my grate to make sure the fish doesn’t flake through the holes).  Put salmon on grill and discard marinade (don’t re-use marinade – it had raw fish in it!).  Cook salmon for 6-8 minutes per side, or until it easily flakes with a fork.

For the potatoes:

• 1/2 cube of melted butter
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• garlic powder to taste (optional)

Simply melt the butter, then mix in salt, pepper, and if you like, garlic power.  You can start the potatoes in the oven at 400 degrees, just wash them off and put them in.  You can make the butter mixture later for when you put them on the grill.  If you have a gas grill, you can do them on the grill all the way, but if you use charcoal like me, you have to refill the charcoal after a while because the potatoes take at least an hour to cook all the way through.  That’s kind of a pain, so I like to start them in the oven, then transfer them to the grill when the charcoal is ready and before I put the fish on.  When you’re ready to put them on the grill, simply brush them with the butter mixture – and I mean really coat and soak them – and then put them on indirect heat.  If you put them directly over the coals, they’ll turn black.  Put them off to the side and you’ll make a nice crispy skin that can be eaten along with the potato.  One hour total heating time will cook them, closer to an hour and a half will turn the insides to fluffy goodness.

Butter-smothered potatoes grilling on the barbeque.

Grilling salmon marinated in a soy sauce mixture.

Looking good!

Tender and flaky, ready to eat!