The Art of Grilling Salmon: A Recipe for Success

The first step in creating this incredible salmon recipe is to select the best salmon you can find. The chef recommends center-cut salmon, which has been taken out of its bones, making it easier to work with. It's essential to have a very even piece of salmon to ensure that it cooks evenly and looks appealing. The recommended serving portion is five to six ounces, as this amount allows for the best flavor and texture.

To create the salmon leaf, the chef makes a cut in the center of the fish until they feel the skin. They then pull the skin back on itself, creating a leaf-like shape. This technique ensures that when the salmon is grilled, the char gets into all parts of the fish, resulting in a delightful taste experience.

The chef's special salad recipe is designed to complement the salmon perfectly. The first ingredient is a cucumber, which they use hothouse or gourmet cucumbers for their long, seedless variety. The cucumber is crushed in a towel and smashed with the back of the hand to release its natural aroma. It's then rough-chopped and added to a bowl, where it will be mixed with other ingredients.

Next, the chef adds finely diced chives, medjool dates, walnuts, kosher salt, pepper, fresh lemon juice, and extra virgin olive oil to the bowl. The lemon is essential, as it provides a bright, citrusy flavor that cuts through the richness of the salmon and other ingredients. To add an extra layer of complexity, the chef includes sliced fennel, saving its fronds for later use.

The hardest part of this dish, according to the chef, is getting the grilling of the salmon right. To achieve a perfect sear, the grill needs to be at medium to high heat, which means you can hold your hand on top of the fire for five seconds or six inches above the grill. The grate also requires some attention, as it needs to be cleaned and moistened with just enough olive oil.

Before grilling the salmon, the chef recommends that it should be at room temperature, lightly brushed with olive oil, and seasoned with sea salt. This allows the fish to cook evenly and retain its natural flavor. When adding the salmon to the grill, the chef advises against poking or touching it too much, as this can disrupt the cooking process.

Instead, you need to trust that the salmon will tell you when it's ready to be moved. It should come off the grill with ease, and the grill itself should be clean. The chef cooked his salmon for two and a half minutes on the first side and one minute and a half on the second side, aiming for just a little bit of pink in the center.

To finish the dish, the chef recommends adding the grilled salmon to the salad bowl, topped with a touch of extra virgin olive oil. This allows the flavors to meld together, creating a truly impressive and delicious meal that will guarantee your friends' admiration.

The Importance of Patience and Attention to Detail

The key to success in this recipe lies not only in following the chef's instructions but also in understanding the importance of patience and attention to detail. The chef stresses the need to work with high-quality ingredients, take the time to prepare each component carefully, and trust that the dish will come together as expected.

By paying close attention to every step of the process, from selecting the salmon to finishing the salad, you can create a truly exceptional meal that will delight your friends and family. The chef's guidance is invaluable in helping you navigate the cooking process and ensure that each component complements the others perfectly.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthis salmon recipe is incredibly easy so the first thing you want to do is select the best salmon you can find we've taken the bones out you can see it's center cut and you want to make sure you have a very even piece of salmon serve the portion that's correct you don't have to serve eight ounces of salmon i recommend five to six that's it it's a very rich fish and then to make the salmon leaf we're gonna go back in the very center and we're gonna make a cut until we feel the skin we're not gonna go through it pull it back on itself and you have like a leaf and so when you grill it the char gets in all parts of the salmon it really tastes delightful and we're going to put these on top of our very special salad which we're going to make now first thing we need a cucumber and i use the hothouse or gourmet cucumbers which is the long ones they're seedless what i do is i crush it in a towel and i just smash it with the back of my hand just to get that smell of cucumber going and you rough chop it put it in a bowl to that we're gonna add some really nice finely diced chives you take some medjool dates beautiful big fat dates i'm middle eastern and i just love dates they're incredibly dense and rich walnuts i've slivered sliced chopped you can do whatever you want and then some kosher salt a little pepper some fresh lemon and please don't buy lemon in the jar just cut one and squeeze it and a little bit of extra virgin olive oil with a little bit of sliced fennel you save the fronds little green parts you can actually throw that into that gives it a nice beautiful rich flavor as well toss it lightly that's it let's go to the grill the hardest part of this dish is getting the grilling of the salmon right we just lit this about 45 minutes ago we just have enough coal and we've laid it out it's got to be a medium to high heat which means you can hold your hand on top of the fire for five seconds six inches above the grill if you can only do it for two seconds it means the grill's too hot secondly the grate we're gonna take a rag dip it in a little oil and just wipe it what you're doing here is you're cleaning the grill and you're moistening the grill with just enough olive oil if you go get your salmon they should be at room temperature you lightly brush the skin in the flesh with the smallest amount of olive oil season it lightly with sea salt put it on the grill and walk away and that's another thing that people can't do they want to poke it and touch it and flip it if it's ready to move it will tell you and what i mean by that is it will come off the grill ah you see now it's ready you'll see it should just flip over without any effort and the grill will be clean so i cooked it about two and a half minutes on the first side and about a minute and a half on the other side and you want a little bit of pink and a salmon i tend to medium but salmon is one of those things should be served medium rare bring it back in put the salmon on top of the salad a touch of extra virgin olive oil on top to finish and you have your dish that will really impress your friends i guarantee youthis salmon recipe is incredibly easy so the first thing you want to do is select the best salmon you can find we've taken the bones out you can see it's center cut and you want to make sure you have a very even piece of salmon serve the portion that's correct you don't have to serve eight ounces of salmon i recommend five to six that's it it's a very rich fish and then to make the salmon leaf we're gonna go back in the very center and we're gonna make a cut until we feel the skin we're not gonna go through it pull it back on itself and you have like a leaf and so when you grill it the char gets in all parts of the salmon it really tastes delightful and we're going to put these on top of our very special salad which we're going to make now first thing we need a cucumber and i use the hothouse or gourmet cucumbers which is the long ones they're seedless what i do is i crush it in a towel and i just smash it with the back of my hand just to get that smell of cucumber going and you rough chop it put it in a bowl to that we're gonna add some really nice finely diced chives you take some medjool dates beautiful big fat dates i'm middle eastern and i just love dates they're incredibly dense and rich walnuts i've slivered sliced chopped you can do whatever you want and then some kosher salt a little pepper some fresh lemon and please don't buy lemon in the jar just cut one and squeeze it and a little bit of extra virgin olive oil with a little bit of sliced fennel you save the fronds little green parts you can actually throw that into that gives it a nice beautiful rich flavor as well toss it lightly that's it let's go to the grill the hardest part of this dish is getting the grilling of the salmon right we just lit this about 45 minutes ago we just have enough coal and we've laid it out it's got to be a medium to high heat which means you can hold your hand on top of the fire for five seconds six inches above the grill if you can only do it for two seconds it means the grill's too hot secondly the grate we're gonna take a rag dip it in a little oil and just wipe it what you're doing here is you're cleaning the grill and you're moistening the grill with just enough olive oil if you go get your salmon they should be at room temperature you lightly brush the skin in the flesh with the smallest amount of olive oil season it lightly with sea salt put it on the grill and walk away and that's another thing that people can't do they want to poke it and touch it and flip it if it's ready to move it will tell you and what i mean by that is it will come off the grill ah you see now it's ready you'll see it should just flip over without any effort and the grill will be clean so i cooked it about two and a half minutes on the first side and about a minute and a half on the other side and you want a little bit of pink and a salmon i tend to medium but salmon is one of those things should be served medium rare bring it back in put the salmon on top of the salad a touch of extra virgin olive oil on top to finish and you have your dish that will really impress your friends i guarantee you\n"