Growing up, my father, like most dads, was the grill master. He will still find any excuse to cook outside... nothing will deter him. A little rain? Put on a jacket and get an umbrella! Eric's the same way and has been known to uncover the grill in the middle of winter. I certainly have an appreciation for the art of grilling and realize how exhilarating it is to cook over an open flame. But I let these guys enjoy their moment. They know what they're doing and they seem to take great pride in their talents, so why take that away from them? I'll stand back and let them do their thing. Of course, my mother and I are the ones who season the food before it hits the grate... but I'll let that little detail slide.
I learned something recently that blew my mind, and yet it makes perfect sense. If one uses a marinade to baste meat or fish, then that liquid must first be cooked before it can be applied. I will often marinate whatever we're cooking, but seeing that I'm rarely in charge of grilling, I didn't pay attention to the process after the fish left the kitchen. It wasn't until I started to develop this recipe that I found out that marinade that's been used on raw fish or meat shouldn't be used to baste the protein, unless it's been heated prior to this point.
Now that we're half way through the work week, I suggest you get your weekend grill plans in order. We'll be using it quite a bit over ourselves, including next week when we spend a little time on the Cape.
Honey Glazed Grilled Salmon + Carrot Slaw with Miso-Ginger Dressing
Servings 8-10 servings as a side
Ingredients
For the salmon
1 ½ lb salmon fillet (skin on)
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/3 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
For the carrot slaw
4 cups grated peeled carrots
1 scallion, light and dark green parts only, chopped
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon white miso paste
2 teaspoons honey
½ teaspoons red pepper flakes
Directions
For the carrot slaw
1. Make the dressing for the slaw by whisking together the rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, white miso paste, ginger, honey, and red pepper flakes.
2. Place the grated carrot, scallion and raisins in a serving bowl. Pour dressing on top and mix to combine. Cover and let sit in the fridge for an hour before serving.
For the grilled salmon
1. Prepare the marinade by whisking together the honey, olive oil, ground ginger, orange juice, lime juice and soy sauce in a bowl.
2. Place the salmon fillets in a glass baking dish and pour marinade over the fish. Cover and let sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
3. Lightly oil the grill. Preheat the grill to medium heat.
4. Transfer the salmon to a platter. Reserve the marinade.
5. Place the marinade in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, cook for one minute. This will kill off any bacteria and make it safe to baste the salmon while it’s cooking.
6. Place the salmon, skin side down, on the grill.
7. Cook for approximately 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon, basting every 5 minutes. The way to tell if it's done is by testing the flesh with a fork. When it's done, it will begin to flake. Additionally, if you cut into the salmon, the meat should be opaque.
8. Transfer the fish to a platter and serve with carrot slaw.
