Tips for Grilling Salmon

1. Which spices go well with salmon and how do I season salmon?

One possibility is to first brush the salmon with olive oil and then season it with a little salt and pepper. Alternatively, sage, garlic and thyme also go very well with grilled salmon.

2. At what temperature do you grill salmon?

Salmon is a fish that dries out quickly. We therefore recommend grilling it at medium to high heat. This way, the skin and surface become crispy while the salmon fillet remains juicy on the inside. Please make sure that it does not get too hot, otherwise the fish skin will burn. The maximum temperature inside the grill with the lid closed should be 180 °C.

3. How long does salmon need on the grill?

It is difficult to give an exact cooking time. The thicker and larger the fillet, the longer it will take to grill. However, it should be at least 5 minutes. After that, the finger pressure test helps as a cooking test: press gently on the thickest part with your finger. If the meat yields slightly, the fillets are perfectly grilled.

4. How can I tell if the salmon is cooked?

Salmon is cooked at a temperature of 50–60 °C. When exactly depends on your taste. If you prefer to eat fish cooked through, 60 °C core temperature is ideal for salmon. If you want to serve glazed grilled salmon, 50–54 °C is sufficient. You can use a grill thermometer to measure the desired temperature at the thickest part.

5. Which wine goes well with grilled salmon?

Here we recommend going for a Merlot, either as a white wine or as a rosé. A wine that is particularly suitable is Bianco Rover, Bianco di Merlot 2021.

6. What should I bear in mind when grilling salmon?

When grilling a salmon fillet with the skin, start on the fillet side first for approximately 2 minutes. Then turn the fillet over so that the main part of the cooking time is on the skin side. It is also important that the salmon is only turned once.

7. Tips and tricks for grilling salmon

• 250 g of salmon per person should be enough. After all, a proper barbecue also includes side dishes such as breads, salads and dips.
• Use fish fillets with skin: the skin gives the fish stability when grilling. The meat does not fall apart so easily and can be served whole later.
• To prevent the salmon from sticking to the grill during grilling, we recommend brushing the grill with rapeseed or sunflower oil. Alternatively, you can place the fish in grill trays, on banana leaves or on lemon slices. Note, however, that although the salmon will be cooked, this will not produce the characteristic grill marks.

8. Is there a simple recipe for grilling salmon that you can recommend?

Of course. Our recipe for a fresh salmon fillet smoked on Swiss stone pine is linked here:
To the recipe