How to BBQ salmon

How to BBQ salmon fillet with the skin

1. The perfect crispy salmon requires dry skin. The two best methods to do pat your salmon skin dry with a paper towel or leave the salmon skin side up in the fridge for an hour or overnight
2. Brush your salmon with a tiny bit of oil and season with salt and pepper. Make sure you do this only just before cooking
3. In a non-stick skillet add some more oil to fully cover the base. Heat the oil on medium-high heat (make sure your pan is hot), then put the salmon in skin side down and turn down to medium
4. Using an offset spatula, egg flip, or fish weight, press down on each salmon for 15-20 seconds. This ensures the skin is as flat against the skillet as possible until it sets
5. Turn after 7 minutes – cook skin side down 3/4 of the way through skin side down, then flip it and finish it off

Serve immediately as the skin will go soft if left too long.

How to BBQ salmon in foil

The French call this method papillote (in paper) and it's one of the best and simplest ways to cook Salmon. 

Start by preheating and firing up your grill to medium heat. Pull out a long sheet of foil, large enough to fold over the salmon to create an enclosed packet. Now for the filling!

1. Add a base - I always add citrus, herbs, or vegetables on the base of my foil before I add my salmon. I do this to stop the salmon from receiving direct heat from the BBQ. It also stops the salmon from sticking to the foil and overcooking.
   
2. Add some sauce or liquid to your salmon package. What makes this method so wonderful is that your salmon is cooking and steaming at the same time. Your sauce, herbs, and natural juices from the salmon circulate in your foil pouch resulting in amazing flavour and juice fish. For me, my go-to is to compound butter and a dash of white wine. 
3. Wrap it tight - make sure you wrap your foil up tight making sure none of that gorgeous flavour and steam escapes. 

Marinades for BBQ salmon

1. Simple Salsa Verde Butter is an amazing marinade/sauce that can be made ahead of time to add flavour and zing to your next seafood BBQ
2. A mix of garlic, finger lime and ginger is my go-to summer oil to baste my seafood with on the BBQ
3. Another tip for your summer BBQ is to have a squirt bottle with coconut water and lemon juice. While you're cooking your salmon, spray with the mix 
4. A good old honey soy glaze is a sure fire winner

Choosing wild-caught sustainable salmon

You'll find wild-caught sustainable salmon from Alaska in Australia.

Sustainable salmon has been caught in a way that means there’s plenty more in the sea now and in the future.

Just look for the MSC blue fish tick label on packs of John West Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon Skin-On 230g available at Coles.

BBQ salmon recipes