Grilling salmon is an easy way to infuse plenty of flavor into the fish. You can oven bake or air fry it, but those grill marks and crispy char are what set grilled salmon apart from other cooking methods. Zach Steen, culinary director for Rick Bayless, told Chowhound there are two ways to grill it: “over high heat for a short time or low heat, very slowly.” High heat on a grill is anywhere between 450 and 650 degrees Fahrenheit, while low heat is between 325 and 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you don’t have a thermometer, you can use your hand to gauge the grill’s temperature. If you can hold it 6 inches from the heat for more than seven seconds, it’s on low heat. If you can only hold your hand for only two seconds, then it’s on high heat. The different cooking methods yield different internal temperatures and textures. “A fast char on both sides over high heat will give you salmon that is rare in the middle,” Steen says. “Alternately, a low, slow approach will yield a very buttery texture.” Whichever approach you choose, the best way to season grilled salmon is to just hit it with some salt and pepper before it goes on the grill.
How to properly grill salmon
It’s not just a matter of tossing the fish on the grill; there is technique. “Don’t forget to use oil or another fat on your salmon to prevent it sticking to the grill,” Zach Steen says. Getting salmon stuck to your grill grates will result in a big mess. Alternatively, you can also place the salmon on something like a wet wood plank or over lemon slices. Wood will infuse a unique woodsy note into the fish, while lemons will give it a citrus flavor that pairs perfectly with seafood. Both prevent a mess and can be used for either the high heat or low and slow method, but you won’t get that nice grilled char with them.
Steen has one other piece of advice. “Clean your grill grates,” he says. Grates get dirty from leftover food and grease that pool on them as you cook, and if you don’t clean it off, that old-food flavor will infuse into your fish, leaving it with a pretty undesirable taste. And finally, for the best, restaurant-worthy grilled salmon, always start with high-quality fish.
