Grilled Salmon is very easy to make with lovely flavor and can be made in several different ways. Here’s a simple guide to help you grill salmon, depending on the type, cut, marinade or seasonings. Love salmon? Check out 30+ Amazing Salmon Recipes!.
When our heart opens, we find Truth in every season and every moment of our life. Nothing is excluded; no one is separate. ~Dorothy Hunt.
In our catering business, grilled salmon was one of the most requested entrees. Even though I’ve grilled thousands of salmon, I hope that even experienced grillers can learn something from this.
As summer winds down, grilling season is still in full swing One of my favorite things to throw on the grill before the warm weather goes away is fresh wild salmon Salmon is not only delicious, but it’s good for you too. It’s a great source of lean protein, omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, potassium, selenium and more.
Of all the salmon varieties coho salmon is one of my favorites to grill. Coho has a beautiful bright orange-red color and a mild, slightly sweet flavor. While coho has less fat than some other salmon varieties like king and sockeye, it holds up very well on the grill as long as you follow a few simple tips.
In this article, I’ll share with you everything you need to know to grill coho salmon perfectly every time I’ll go over how to choose coho salmon, prep it for grilling, season it, grill it to perfection and some delicious flavor combinations to try Let’s get grilling!
How to Choose Coho Salmon for Grilling
When buying coho salmon for grilling, here are a few things to look for:
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Color – Coho salmon has vibrant orange-red flesh. Avoid any fish that looks pale or brown.
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Smell – There should be no “fishy” odor. Coho should smell fresh and mild.
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Feel: The meat should be firm but springy when you press it gently with your finger.
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Packaging – Whole coho fillets are often wrapped in plastic or parchment. Fillets and steaks should sit on ice, not in standing water.
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Production method – I recommend wild coho over farmed. Wild coho is more sustainable and has better texture and flavor.
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Fat stripes – Look for visible fat stripes running through the flesh. This indicates a higher fat content, which keeps the salmon moist during grilling.
For best flavor and texture, grill coho salmon within a day or two of purchasing. If buying frozen coho, make sure it is sushi-grade and has been flash frozen.
How to Prep Coho Salmon for Grilling
Coho salmon can be found in a few different cuts:
- Whole side fillets with skin on
- Center-cut fillets with skin removed
- Steaks (cross-section slices with backbone)
For whole fillets:
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Use a sharp knife to remove any stray bones. Run your fingers along the flesh to feel for bones.
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Pat the skin extremely dry with paper towels. Brush lightly with oil. Too much moisture prevents crisping.
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Make shallow slashes through the skin about 1 inch apart. This prevents curling.
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Season the flesh side, not the skin side.
For fillets and steaks:
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Rinse under cold water and pat very dry with paper towels.
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Brush lightly with oil on both sides.
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Season as desired.
How to Season Coho Salmon for Grilling
When it comes to seasoning coho salmon, you have a few options:
Dry spice rubs – These add great flavor without moisture that can inhibit browning. Good options include lemon pepper, jerk seasoning, blackening seasoning or herb/citrus zest mixes.
Wet marinades – Rich in flavor but can cause sticking. Brush marinade on top of flesh only. Try teriyaki, pesto, hoisin/soy or citrus-herb marinades. Marinate for 30 minutes max.
Oil and acid – A super simple mix of olive oil, salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon or lime. Lets the salmon flavor shine through.
Flavor pastes – Combine dried spices and fresh herbs with olive oil. Slather onto the flesh side.
Cure – For lox-style salmon, coat in a brown sugar and salt cure then rinse.
How to Grill Coho Salmon Perfectly
Grilling coho salmon takes finesse. With its lower fat content, coho can quickly go from perfectly cooked to dry and overdone. Follow these tips for success:
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Use medium heat – Coho cooks fast over high heat. Medium heat between 350-450°F is best.
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Preheat well – Give your grill 10-15 minutes to heat up before adding fish. Grill grates should be hot when salmon is added.
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Clean grates – Scrub grates well with a grill brush to prevent sticking. Oil grates before adding salmon.
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Don’t move it – Resist flipping and moving the salmon often. This leads to sticking and breaking apart.
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Cook skin-side down first – Whether skin-on or skinless, starting presentation-side down helps prevent sticking.
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Close the lid – Cooking covered helps the salmon cook evenly. Avoid burning.
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Use a thermometer – Remove salmon from grill when it registers 125°F internally. Residual heat will continue cooking it to perfection.
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Rest before serving – Let salmon rest 5 minutes off heat. This allows juices to redistribute evenly.
Grilled Coho Salmon Recipes to Try
Coho salmon takes to all kinds of flavor combinations. Here are a few of my favorite ways to dress up this fish:
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Coho with lemon garlic butter – Pound of softened butter blended with zest of 2 lemons, 4 cloves minced garlic and 2 Tbsp fresh parsley. Spoon over hot salmon.
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Coho with soy ginger glaze – Whisk 1/4 cup soy sauce, 3 Tbsp honey, 2 tsp fresh ginger and 1 tsp sesame oil. Brush onto salmon last 2-3 minutes of grilling.
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Cajun coho – Blackened seasoning gives coho a kick. Try homemade Cajun spice with 2 Tbsp paprika, 1 Tbsp each garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.
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Coho tacos – Top grilled coho withred cabbage, avocado and chipotle crema. Squeeze of lime finishes it.
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Mediterranean coho – Top grilled salmon with tzatziki sauce, diced cucumber, Kalamata olives and feta cheese.
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Hawaiian coho – Glaze salmon with a mix of pineapple juice, brown sugar, soy sauce and toasted sesame seeds for tropical flavor.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Grilling Coho
It’s easy to go wrong with delicate coho salmon on the grill. Follow these tips to avoid mishaps:
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Don’t place salmon directly over hot coals. This scorches the exterior before the interior cooks. Use indirect heat.
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Avoid flare-ups from fatty drippings by cooking over a drip pan. Keep grease cleaned off grates.
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Don’t crowd salmon pieces too closely together. This steams rather than sears.
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Don’t move the salmon too much or turn it more than once. This causes flaking and sticking.
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Don’t sauce too early. Brush on glazes only during the last few minutes to avoid charring or burning.
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Don’t grill salmon in aluminum foil pouches. Trapped steam actually steams the salmon.
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Don’t rely on cooking time alone. Always double check doneness with a thermometer for perfectly cooked salmon.
Grilled Coho Salmon Sides and Serving Suggestions
Coho salmon is versatile enough to complement a wide variety of sides and flavors. Consider pairing it with:
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Fresh green salad with citrus vinaigrette
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Grilled asparagus or zucchini
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Quinoa salad loaded with herbs and veggies
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Roasted fingerling potatoes
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Israeli couscous with tomatoes, olives and feta
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Charred corn on the cob with cayenne and lime
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Tomato and peach panzanella salad
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Coleslaw with citrus dressing
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Sauteed spinach with garlic
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Brown or cauliflower rice
Some other delicious ways to serve up your grilled coho:
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On brioche buns for salmon burgers or sandwiches
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Mixed in a pasta salad with arugula and white beans
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Layered over greens for a salad
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Stuffed into tacos or burritos
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Served on avocado toast points
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Tossed with soba noodles and sesame-ginger dressing
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Plated with quinoa pilaf and sauteed veggies
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Served on top of creamy lemon risotto
Grilled Salmon Fillet (skin-off)
Step one: Brush with olive oil and season. You can use just salt and pepper, your favorite spice rub, or a marinade. Marinate salmon up to 48 hours before grilling. Note: If the marinade has acid (like lemon juice or vinegar), it can cook the salmon, so a 30- to 90-minute marinade is best.
Step Two: Grill on medium heat, greased grill, turning it over. Cook until internal temp is 125-130F and cooked to medium, slightly translucent in the center. This takes about 7-9 minutes total, depending on how thick the salmon is.
The grilled salmon with skin-on is rubbed with Mexican spices. This picture is from our post about grilled salmon salad.
Again, grill both sides, crisping up the oiled and salted skin side. Serve this with the skin side up, to keep it crispy.
No need to flip whole filets. But you certainly can flip salmon that is cut into individual pieces. If the skin is on the salmon, grill that side longer.
It depends on the type of salmon and the thickness of the cut. This can range from 5 minutes to 20 minutes. Salmon is best cooked to medium. As a general rule, take the salmon out of the pan when the thickest part reaches 125F to 130F. Keep in mind that it will keep cooking for a little while longer. An easy test is to press down with a fork, it should flake easily with a translucent center.
The white stuff on salmon is called albumin. This protein comes out of the salmon when it’s cooked too quickly and too hot. The idea is to keep this in the flesh. So cook salmon at medium to help keep this at bay. If salmon has skin on it, grill longer on the skin side.
Perfectly grilled salmon is moist, flavorful, and succulent. When overcooked, it dries out and becomes tough. When cooking salmon on the grill, take it off when it’s medium-rare (125F) but still has some pink in the middle. Either use a thermometer or a sharp knife and use it to peek into the thickest part. If the fish is flaky, but still has some translucency in the middle, it is done.
How to grill A Whole Salmon Filet (Skin-On)
Step One: Brush the skin-side with olive oil, and season generously with kosher salt and black pepper. (See detailed recipe below). Decide if you want to use a dry rub, paste or marinade.
Step Two: Season the flesh side. Use a marinade, dry rub or paste. On this Copper River Salmon, I’m using the miso marinade from the recipe card below.
Preheat a gas grill to medium-high, then lower to medium. If you are using a charcoal grill, get the coals ready and then move them to the side. The temperature inside should be around 350F.
Step Three: Grill the salmon skin-side down.
Grill on a WELL-greased grill over medium heat with the lid on until the thickest part of the meat is 125 to 130F on the inside. You can lay the salmon skin right on the greased grill. Do not fiddle with it.
As the skin sears, it will release itself from the grill—no need to flip a whole filet.
If your salmon is very thick, lower the heat. Once you see good grill marks, you can turn it over to make crosshatch grill marks.
To remove: Use 2 thin metal spatulas to transfer to a platter. This is easiest with 2 people.
- If you’re grilling Sockeye Fillet or Coho Salmon Filet (which is less oily), I suggest using “paste.” To make paste, mix a dry rub or spice mix with olive oil and add things like salt, minced garlic, and so on. either a sauce or a marinade to cover the salmon to keep it from drying out
- Dry rubs work best on King or Atlantic salmon that is oily. Our Northwest Salmon Rub, Cajun Seasoning, Zaatar, Dukkah, Five Spice, Taco Seasoning, and many more are some examples.
- Chermoula, Miso Marinade (see below), Szechuan Sauce, Teriyaki Sauce, Preserved Lemon Gremolata, Gremolata, Green Harissa Sauce, and Harissa Paste are some of the best marinades for salmon that has had its skin removed. You can also use a brush on the flesh side.
- Expert TIP #1: NEVER marinate the skin side of salmon, it will get soggy. Brush marinade or paste on top of the flesh only. ALWAYS sprinkle the skin with salt and oil and keep it DRY so it crisps. Soggy skin is really unappealing.
- Expert TIP #2: Add the element of smoke. Applewood chips and oak chips are nice. Before you start cooking, put a half cup (DRY) of apple wood chips in a foil packet with a hole in it, or use an empty tuna can.
- Expert Tip #3: Try using Cedar Planks – see our Cedar Plank Salmon.
- Expert tip #3: Always grease the grill well.
- Expert Tip #4: Don’t overcook the salmon ( perfect at 125F), and don’t cook too aggressively (medium heat is best) , or the salmon will release its albumin (a white protein that oozes out).
- Expert Tip #5: Do not grill in salmon foil packets- the foil with leach into your salmon.
Note: You can also use a nonstick grill grid. But in my opinion, you honestly don’t need one, if you grease the grill well. Plus, non-stick is usually coated with stuff you don’t want to eat. At least I don’t. Up to you. When we did catering, we always cooked the salmon right on the grill grates, skin on or off.
*If you really want to cook on top of something, don’t use foil. The aluminum will get into the salmon. If you have to, use cedar planks or a cast iron skillet or griddle, and the wood chips. If not, you might as well just sear them in a pan. .
This picture shows salmon with the skin still on, topped with a zesty, herb-filled olive oil paste (from this recipe) and smoked applewood.
I’m testing out a grill pan, which I will probably never used again for salmon. I felt it just created more work by having to clean it. The only reason I would use this again is perhaps over a campfire- up to you. I much prefer cedar planks to a grill pan.
THIS is How I Get Perfectly Grilled Salmon Every Single Time
FAQ
Is it better to grill salmon in foil or not?
How long should I cook salmon on the grill?
How do you not overcook coho salmon?
How long do you cook coho salmon?
Baked – Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake coho salmon on a non-stick baking sheet for 11-14 minutes. Broiled – Place salmon on a sheet pan or moist cedar plank and place in broiler for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, check the salmon and turn off the broiler. Allow the fish to stand in the broiler for 2-5 additional minutes, which should be done.
What are the benefits of smoked salmon over raw salmon?
It actually has the same characteristics as raw salmon, being relatively low in calories, it is an excellent source of protein, good fat and several vitamins and minerals. The smoking process just adds an aroma.
How do you cook salmon on a grill?
Preheat grill on high heat. Sprinkle seafood rub all over the pink flesh side of the salmon and gently massage it into the skin. Place the two pieces of salmon, seasoned side down, onto the grill and let it cook for 5 minutes without moving it.
How do you cook thawed coho salmon?
Place the thawed coho salmon filets on a plate. Coat with salt, herbs, and sliced limes. Drizzle avocado oil on top. Place the fillets onto a large piece of aluminum foil. … Wrap the fish in the foil packets. Grill for 8 minutes until done. … Serve hot. An easy, goof-proof grilled salmon recipe that results in amazing salmon each and every time!