Salmon With Lemon-Herb Marinade

Salmon With Lemon-Herb Marinade

Here's one of the easiest ways to entertain: broil or grill a large salmon fillet, then adorn it with lemon wedges and rosemary sprigs. This recipe marinates the rich salmon in lemon juice, soy sauce and herbs. 

Yield: 6 servings

13-pound salmon fillet, in one piece

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

2 tablespoons parsley, chopped fine

2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves

Juice of ½ lemon

2 tablespoons sesame oil

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 lemon, cut into 6 wedges

Sprigs of rosemary, for garnish

Wipe salmon fillet dry with paper towels. Combine remaining ingredients (except lemon wedges and rosemary sprigs) in small bowl and mix well. Pour mixture over salmon, making sure it is coated on both sides. Marinate for at least an hour before cooking.

Preheat broiler or grill. Cook salmon, turning once — five to six minutes each side for medium rare.

Place salmon on serving platter and garnish with lemon wedges and sprigs of rosemary.

TIPS: Living on the Gulf Coast, I cook fish at least twice a week or more. Regarding Step 2, there is NO need to flip the fish; only bad things can happen. Remember, fish unlike beef, does not metabolize; It only gets heated. Here's an easier way. Bake the salmon skin side down at 350F for 20 minutes. If you wish, finish the Salmon under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, but not necessary. Same instructions for grill (indirect heat).

We live in the Pacific Northwest and cook salmon a lot. Excellent recipe and the marinade adds wonderful flavors. We rarely grill our salmon anymore. Instead we bake it at high temperature on a foil lined cookie sheet coated with olive oil. Preheat oven to 450. Prepare the marinade as described and marinate 2 hours. Bake salmon skin side down on the foil on the middle rack for 7-10 minutes depending on thickness. Don't turn. It will continue cooking after leaving oven. tent with foil. Serve. Mmm

This is my go-to salmon recipe. It's best to plan ahead to make this cause it takes a little time to prep the marinade and the longer you marinade it the better it tastes. I've substituted the brown sugar using maple syrup and also coconut palm sugar and they both work great, but neither give the subtle crisp you get when you use the brown sugar. Also, I strictly grill the salmon to cook it. The oven works fine, but putting the fillets on the grill really elevates the end result!