Marinated Grilled Salmon

Updated July 06, 2016

Chef

Cookbook

The Best of Christopher Idone

Published by Stewart, Tabori & Chang

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Serves6

Cooking Methodgrilling

CostModerate

Total Timea day or more

Make Ahead RecipeYes

Kid FriendlyYes

One Pot MealYes

OccasionCasual Dinner Party

Recipe Coursemain course

Equipmentgrill

Five Ingredients or LessYes

Mealdinner

Taste and Texturesavory, spiced, umami

Ingredients

6 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons raw cane sugar or light brown sugar
2 teaspoon wasabi mustard, or to taste
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
½ cup Canadian or rye whiskey
2 teaspoons peeled and grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup canola oil, plus extra for brushing the grill
6 (8-ounce) center-cut salmon fillets, about 1½-inches thick, skin intact

Instructions

Prepare the marinade: In a medium bowl combine the soy sauce with the sugar, wasabi, salt, and pepper. Add the whisky, ginger, and garlic. Gradually whisk in the oil. Place in a container, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
Using tweezers, pull away any bones from the salmon fillets. Place them, skin-side-down, in a large shallow pan. Shake the marinade well and pour over the fillets. Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours.
Build a charcoal fire in an outdoor grill. When the coals are ash-covered and glowing, use a brush or paper toweling to oil the grill, being careful not to use so much that it will drip onto the coals and cause them to flare up. (Place a sheet of punctured foil on top of the coals to avoid this problem.)
Place the fish fillets on the grill, skin-side-down and brush them with the marinade. Cook the fish for 5 minutes, brushing twice with the marinade. Gently slide a metal spatula between the skin and the flesh, press down on the skin and the grill, and pry up the flesh, separating it from the skin that will adhere to the grill. Turn the flesh over, placing on the adhered skin on the grill. Continue cooking and basting another 3 to 4 minutes until the flesh is opaque but the center is still slightly rare. Transfer to a warm platter (leave the skin on the grill) and serve immediately.

1997 Christopher Idone

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