Recipe: Grilled Wild Salmon

grilled salmon, salmon

With Father’s Day approaching and fresh wild salmon running and available, I thought I’d grill some. I love fresh wild salmon. Frozen fish is just too dry for me. So I get really happy when fresh wild salmon becomes easy to forage. Wild salmon is so loaded with nutrients it is something I can eat several times a week.

For starters, salmon is brimming with omega 3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA). These are essential fatty acids which means that they must be eaten — our bodies do not make them. As you probably know, EPA and DHA have healthy anti-inflammatory properties and are very important for healthy cell membranes. Salmon has a unique protein and amino acid composition that makes it very easy to digest. This fish contains short protein molecules called peptides that have anti-inflammatory properties. Salmon also provides significant amounts of the antioxidant amino acid taurine.

Other nutrients obtained from wild salmon are vitamin D and astaxanthin. Vitamin D has bone building, anti-cancer and immune protective benefits. Astaxanthin is the powerfully anti-inflammatory, carotenoid-class antioxidant that gives wild salmon its vibrant red-orange color. Salmon is also a very good source of niacin, phosphorus, magnesium and B6.

In one 4 ounce serving of WILD salmon, you can get as much as 2 grams of EPA/DHA. If you eat that twice a week you would not need to take any supplements for these important fatty acids. This omega 3 fat is protective to the heart and brain and protective against other diseases of inflammation such as cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s and rheumatoid arthritis. However it is wild salmon, not farmed salmon that provides these vital nutrients.

My favorite way to prepare it is to grill it. It’s very easy, you just have to be careful not to overcook it!

For further information about the differences between farmed and wild salmon see my previous recipe for delicious salmon patties.

Grilled Wild Salmon

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds of wild salmon fillet with the skin on

unrefined sesame oil

roasted walnut oil

Using the sesame oil for cooking is not necessary with fresh wild salmon, however, when you are cooking frozen wild salmon it helps to keep it moist. The roasted walnut oil may be used on fresh or frozen fish after it is cooked to add a little flavor. Walnut oil should NEVER be used for cooking as it is a very delicate omega 3 oil. Add it only after the fish has cooled. The combination of salmon with roasted walnut oil is delicious!

Instructions

  • Heat the grill to a medium heat (about 300 degrees)
  • Cut large slices (about 3″ in width) of the fillet, keeping the skin on
  • With a tablespoon, sprinkle drops of unrefined sesame oil over the fish
  • Place the pieces skin side down on the grill and cover
  • Cook for about 7 minutes and check — it should look more cooked than raw when it is ready to turn
  • Using a spatula, work it between the skin and the fish (it should separate smoothly)
  • Remove the skin and flip the fish over
  • Place the skin on a separate plate and continue to turn all the pieces and cover the grill
  • Cook this side for about 3 — 4 minutes — this side will get grill marks and the pieces will flake off when cooked
  • Bring platter of fish inside and let cook slightly
  • Take one to two tablespoons of the roasted walnut oil and spread it over the pieces before serving

This post is linked to: Seasonal Sunday, Savory Sunday, Sugar-Free Sunday, My Meatless Monday, Melt in Mouth Monday, Mangia Monday, Meatless Monday, Midnight Maniac, Monday Mania, Mouthwatering Monday, Weekend Carnival, Tuesday Night Supper Club, Tuesday at the Table, Delectable Tuesday, Made From Scratch Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Traditional Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Temp my Tummy Tuesday, Grain-Free Tuesday, Tuesday Tasty Tidbits, Tasty Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday parade of Foods, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, What’s Cooking Wednesday, What’s on the Menu, Gluten-Free Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, Healthy 2Day Wednesday, What’s Cooking Wednesday, These Chicks Cooked, Foodie Wednesday, Made it on Monday, Full Plate Thursday, Creative Juice Thursday, Frugal Follies, Real Food Weekly, Turning the Table, Simple Lives Thursday, Recipe Swap Thursday, Pennywise Platter, Food Trip Friday, Foodie Friday, Fight Back Friday, Fresh Bites Friday, Fat Camp Friday, Friday Favorites, Friday Potluck, Foodie Friday, Fresh Food Friday, Fun with Food Friday, Friday Food

 

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  • http://aplatteroffigs.blogspot.com/ Maria @ A Platter of Figs

    Beautiful dish. Salmon is a favorite fish of mine and so jammed packed with nutrients. Happy Meatless Monday!

  • http://realfoodforager.com Jill

    Hi Mara,
    hanks for your comments! Your photos are beautiful!

  • http://savoringtoday.com Judy@Savoring Today

    I always look forward to salmon season, so delicious and nutritionally excellent!

  • http://realfoodforager.com Jill

    Hi Judy,
    Thank you for your comments. I’m sure you have many great ways of cooking wild salmon!

  • http://www.thesweetdetail.blogspot.com Amanda-The Sweet Details

    oh yum!! This looks great! Thanks for linking this up to savory sunday!!

  • http://realfoodforager.com Jill

    Hi Amanda,
    Thanks for your comments!

  • Randy

    Thanks for the recipe. I usually eat Blue Fish or Cod, but can not wait to try this. Looks delicious!!

  • http://realfoodforager.com Jill

    Hi Randy,
    I think you will like this more than blue fish or cod!

  • http://fitfatandflourishing.blogspot.com Anthea Goodman

    Thanks for this recipe, it sound gorgeous!! I love Salmon and eat it regularly but I didn’t know a lot of this info. Ok, I knew about the Omega 3′s and 6′s but not about all the rest of it. I’ll have to try it grilled like this as usually I eat it marinated in Thai style herbs, which is sooooo good! Yum.

    Anthea

  • http://realfoodforager.com Jill

    Hi Anthea,
    Thanks for your kind words. Your lamb looks delicious!

  • http://blackpurlsknitpickings.blogspot.com Alida

    That salmon looks so yummy!

  • http://flipcookbook.com Raj @ Flip Cookbook

    Thanks for sharing this at this week’s Sugar Free Sunday!

    I’m still quite a novice at cooking fish – so I’m really interested in learning some tricks. Does cooking the fish (skin side) make it easier to remove the skin than trying to do it when the fish is uncooked?

  • http://realfoodforager.com Jill

    Hi Raj,
    Absolutely. When the skin is crispy and the flesh is cooked it should separate very easily with a metal spatula. It’s a simple technique that improves as you do it. When fish is raw it is very hard to cut. You need an extremely sharp knife to cut raw fish. Also cooking with the skin on helps preserve the juices and fats in the fish.

  • http://spamwise.wordpress.com Stash

    That salmon looks perfectly cooked. Great photo.

  • http://savingbymaking.com Diana

    Thanks! I was planning to buy some salmon this week, and I’ll be sure to show this to my hubby when he goes to grill it. We’ve never grilled fish before! I appreciate the grilling tips you gave.

  • http://realfoodforager.com Jill

    Hi Stash,
    It was perfectly cooked — just cooked, juicy and tender. Your photos are really great! Do you get the wild turkey eggs from the market in NYC? What do they taste like?

  • http://realfoodforager.com Jill

    Hi Diana,
    Great! Let me know how it goes!

  • http://spamwise.wordpress.com Stash

    They’re like farm fresh chicken eggs on a whole different level. They have a gamier, “wilder” taste. Even the whites (which you would normally not think of as flavorful in any way) have taste.

    Well worth the expense, imho. One dozen sells for about $12, from Quattro’s Game Farm’s stand at Union Square Greenmarket.

  • http://realfoodforager.com Jill

    Hi Stash,
    Thanks for the info. Next time I am in NYC I will check it out — I LOVE the Union Square Farmers Market!

  • http://myhappilyeveraftertheend.blogspot.com Mrs H

    I never thought about just rubbing it with sesame and walnut oil…what a simple, easy, great idea for grilling salmon (my fav!). Thanks for the inspiration!

  • http://realfoodforager.com Jill

    HI Mrs H,
    You are very welcome! Your dog is adorable!

  • http://utry.it Amy

    Your grilled salmon sounds wonderful and delicious. My dad and I are big fans of salmon. Thanks for the idea of Father’s Day Meal.

    I have a cook book, “On A Stick”, giveaway on my blog. If you haven’t sign up yet, please stop by to enter. Have a wonderful day.

    Amy
    http://utry.it

  • http://realfoodforager.com Jill

    HI Amy,
    Thanks for your comments!

  • http://fudgeripple.blogspot.com christy larsen

    this looks fantastic! is it okay to admit that i have to sneak salmon..hubster lived in alaska for 15 years and ate so much freshly caught salmon i can’t even have the color in the house…it gives him the willies :) thank you for sharing this recipe and its wonderful nutritional value with tuesday night supper club.

  • http://mizhelenscountrycottage.blogspot.com/ Miz Helen

    Hi Jill,
    I just love Wild Salmon, we just can’t get “the real thing” very often, we are so far inland. Your recipe looks great and I sure wish I could have some for dinner. Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and hope to see you next week!
    Miz Helen

  • http://realfoodforager.com Jill

    Hi Christie,
    I visited Alaska years ago and I remember in Valdez we walked a long the streets and people were scooping salmon right out of the river in large aluminum bowls! I loved being there and ate a ton of fresh salmon.
    Your strawberries look fabulous and your writing style is great!

  • http://realfoodforager.com Jill

    Hi Miz Helen,
    Thank you for commenting. I hope you can get wild frozen salmon to enjoy.

  • http://pinaymum.info/food-and-cuisine/food-trip-friday-030-paella-in-a-flash/ cheerful

    wow, this is lovely, looks really delicious…thanks for sharing your recipe! wishing you a great weekend! :)

  • http://messhalltobistro.blogspot.com Jen

    That looks amazing! I love salmon! Thanks for linking up to Made From Scratch Tuesday!

  • http://realfoodforager.com Jill

    Hi Cheerful,
    Thanks for your comments!

  • http://realfoodforager.com Jill

    Hi Jen,
    Thanks for your kind words!

  • http://www.momtrends.com/ Nicole Feliciano

    Good tip about the cooking. Nothing worse than dry salmon off the grill. Thanks so much for sharing on the Momtrends Friday Food LInky

    http://www.momtrends.com/2011/06/national-happy-hour/

  • http://www.mycarolinakitchen.blogspot.com My Carolina Kitchen

    We love salmon in our family too. Your photo is beautiful. I’m visiting from Foodie Friday. I hope you have a wonderful Father’s day weekend. With food like this I know the men in your family will be happy.
    Sam

  • http://realfoodforager.com Jill

    Hi Nicole,
    Thanks for commenting!

  • http://realfoodforager.com Jill

    Hi Sam,
    Thanks for your kind words. Your unfried chicken looks awesome!

  • KB

    Looks delish!

    We’d love for you to share this recipe with us at
    Simply Delish Saturday

  • http://savingbymaking.com Diana

    Loved it!! My husband and brother thought it was good (but they don’t like salmon as much as I do). Hubs said the grilling method worked great, and it was easy to separate the fish from the skin. We actually topped it with some lemon butter dill sauce (just melt butter, mix with lemon juice and dried dill weed) which was delicious! The lemon really contrasted nicely with the salmon, I thought. Thanks again for posting! If only salmon would stay on sale all year round :)

  • http://realfoodforager.com Jill

    Hi Diana,
    Thanks for letting me know! I do wish it were available fresh all year round as well!

  • http://www.bonzworld.com bonz

    that looks yummy! grabbed your recipe. :) thanks for sharing!

  • http://realfoodforager.com/2011/10/28-day-real-food-grain-free-challenge-signup/ 28 Day Real Food Grain-Free Challenge: Signup — Real Food Forager

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