Grilled Salmon With Coriander-Fennel Spice Rub. Grilled salmon with a simple spice rub, a great way to show off a great piece of fish.
I was in the mood for seafood. What was waiting for me at the fish market? Absolutely gorgeous wild Alaska king salmon. Yes, it was expensive. It was worth every nickel.
With fish this good, my goal is...don't screw it up. I grill it simply, with salt and a light spice rub, to medium doneness, with a hint of pink still in the middle. My goal is to showcase the buttery salmon, giving it a touch of spice crust and a suggestion of smoke.
*Can you tell I love really good salmon? I feel like I'm writing a romance novel here.
When to buy wild salmon
If you want to get the best value in wild salmon, mid to late summer is the time to shop. The king salmon harvest starts in May; by July all the salmon runs are happening, and prices drop as the supply increases. Now, don't get me wrong. Wild salmon still commands a premium price*, but the price does come down a bit this time of year.
*Wild salmon should command a premium price - it is a premium product. They call it a salmon "harvest", but fishermen are really out there hunting the one wild food that we eat on a regular basis.
Grilled Salmon Recipe
- Total Time: 32 minutes
- Yield: 4 pieces of salmon 1x
Description
Grilled Salmon With Coriander-Fennel Spice Rub. King salmon with a simple spice rub, to bring out the quality of the fish.
Ingredients
- 4 (2-inch wide) skin-on salmon fillets (About 2 pounds of salmon, preferably wild salmon)
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt (or ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt)
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns (or 1 teaspoon ground pepper)
- ½ teaspoon coriander seed (or ½ teaspoon ground coriander)
- ¼ teaspoon fennel seed (or ½ teaspoon ground fennel)
Instructions
- Prepare the grill for medium-high heat cooking (400°F): Prepare your grill for cooking with medium-high heat (400°F), then clean the grate thoroughly with a grill brush and a paper towel dipped in vegetable oil. For a gas grill, I turn the burners to medium-high, and let the grill preheat for 15 minutes. For my Weber kettle, I light a chimney starter ¾ full of charcoal, wait for it to be covered with ash, then pour it in a tight single layer over one half of the grill grate. (That half of the grill is the direct heat side where we will be doing the cooking.)
Once preheated, I brush the grill grate clean with my grill brush, and wipe it with a folded paper towel dipped in vegetable oil. (Held with tongs, of course - please don't bare-hand a paper towel soaked with oil over flaming coals.) - Season the salmon: While the grill is pre-heating, grind the peppercorns, coriander seed, and fennel seed. (I grind them in a mortar and pestle, or in a spice grinder.) Sprinkle the flesh side of the salmon evenly with the salt, then with the coarsely ground spice rub.
- Cook the salmon: Put the salmon on the grill, flesh side down, over direct heat (that is, over the coals). Cook uncovered for 4 to 6 minutes, until the salmon is well browned and has good grill marks. Gently flip the salmon, skin side down. Close the grill lid and grill for 4 to 6 more minutes, until the salmon is just opaque in the thickest part; once the salmon starts to flake I peek into the middle with a paring knife. (Or, use an instant read thermometer. Cook until the salmon is 130°F internal temperature at its thickest part.) It is OK to cook salmon longer on with the skin side down; the skin will protect the fish from burning. Remove from the grill, let rest for a few minutes, then serve and enjoy!
Notes
I highly recommend the Weber Chimney Starter
, because it is larger than most chimney starters. It holds 5 quarts of charcoal, which is exactly the right size for cooking this recipe.
Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your fish. These were monsters, about 2 inches thick, so they were on the high end of my cooking range. (They may actually have taken about 15 minutes to cook through). Thinner fillets (1 inch, say) will only take about 8 minutes to cook to medium.
Salmon does not stick to the grill as much as other fish, because it has a lot of internal fat. But it *will* stick. I scrupulously clean my grill before putting the salmon down, and turn it by grabbing it with my tongs and gently wiggling it until it releases. Every now and then a piece will stick, but this usually works for me.
Variations
Really simple salmon: If you have a fabulous piece of salmon, skip the spices and simply use salt and pepper.
Other spices/herbs/aromatics: Add a teaspoon of your favorite spice (smoked paprika is a favorite of mine), or minced herbs (thyme), or citrus zest (lemon zest is particularly nice.)
Tools
Grill (I use my trusty Weber kettle
Spice grinder (I like my granite mortar and pestle for this, but a cheap coffee grinder also works)
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Weeknight Dinner
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Grilled Salmon With Coriander-Fennel Spice Rub
What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
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James Green says
Fantastic!
★★★★★
MikeV @ DadCooksDinner says
@Linda:
You're welcome! I'm glad your hubby enjoyed it!
Linda says
As luck would have it, I was preparing to have salmon for dinner last night. Up popped your recipe and I figured it was karma. The coriander/fennel combination was outstanding. Hubby kept saying "This is really good" over and over and over. Thanks.