Guide to Grilling the Perfect Salmon Filet from Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet

Step-by-step instructions to help anyone grill like a professional.

Salmon filets are ideal for grilling. This guide from our grillmasters should help you achieve great results every time.

Step One: Salmon Filet Selection

Different people prefer the taste of different salmons. Copper River Salmon has a fanatical following. Tasmanian Salmon can be flown in fresh overnight from Hawaii. Coho Salmon has its own distinctive flavor. The bottom line is... If you know what you like, stick with it. If you don't, experiment.

Note: Farm-raised Atlantic Salmon has great flavor and texture, but also has higher content of harmful chemicals than wild-caught salmon. Many researchers recommend that those who prefer farm-raised salmon eat it less than twelve times per year.

Select skin-on salmon filets from the head end of the fish. Good, thick filets are best. You can also take advantage of the tapered nature of filets to suit the tastes of your guests. Cook the thick cuts and thinner cuts for the same amount of time, serving the thinner filets to your guests who want their fish "cooked all the way" and the thicker cuts to the salmon lovers who want their fish cooked to medium.

Try to avoid buying the tail-end filets as they are often too thin to grill well.

Step Two: Preparing the Salmon

Leave the skin on and pull out any obvious bones. Rinse the filets under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

We like to cut the salmon into serving-size pieces at this point, but that is purely optional.

Place the filets skin-side down on a work surface or platter. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the salmon.

Next, season with your favorite dry fish seasoning for salmon. Our favorites are Chef Paul Prudhomme's Blackened Redfish Magic or our own Kalamazoo Garlic Rub. You can also use a traditional barbecue rub, such as our Motor City BBQ Rub or a more creative barbecue rub such as our ZaZa Barbecue Rub.

The salmon filets should be brought to room temperature before grilling. Let them sit, seasoned, for about twenty minutes before the grill is ready.

Step Three: Grilling the Salmon

Preheat the grill for direct grilling at 500 degrees.

Use smoke from your favorite wood chips to enhance the flavor (we like cherry) or grill over an open hardwood flame.

When hot, clean the grill surface with your brass or stainless steel grill brush. Use grilling tongs to carefully wipe down the grill surface with a clean rag dampened with vegetable oil.

For filets that are 1-inch thick, we grill the salmon for a total of 8 minutes at 500 degrees over direct heat. This should result in fish that is cooked medium to medium-well.

Start each filet skin-side up over direct heat. After 4 minutes the edges of the meat should begin to pull away from the grill at the edges. Use a grill turner or fish turner (large enough to support the whole filet) to turn the fish over.

After grilling the second side for about 4 minutes, slide the turner between the skin and the meat, separating the fish from the skin. Remove the fish from the grill leaving the skin behind.

The salmon should be opaque and flaky with a bit of char on the outside.

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