Salmon

[JohnP]

Any good marinate for salmon?

[nastygunz]

Okanagan?

[Okanagan]

Sorry, been distracted picking wild berries and reloading in the evening, not checking in much and missed this thread.  My delay probably messed up your cooking.  Please accept my apology. 

We don't marinade much.  Some possibilities: 

1.  Our current favorite:  Kewpie brand Deep Roasted Sesame Dressing/Marinade.  Brush it on the raw salmon as a marinade, very good. 

Even better, my wife's favorite way to eat salmon:  cut boneless, skinless salmon into one inch cubes, drop into a glass mixing bowl (never marinade salmon in metal) with an inch or less of Kewpie Deep Roasted Sesame Dressing, and gently turn over till all sides of the salmon are coated in the dressing.  A small dash of balsamic vinegar doesn't hurt if you plan to cook this immediately, but not if it will sit awhile. 

Pour the entire bowl, salmon and dressing, into a non-stick skillet on medium or low medium heat.  When the salmon is showing cooked a quarter inch through the bottom, very gently turn over each piece with two tools (spatula and wooden spoon, etc.)  Gently so that the salmon stays in cubes and does not flake apart.  When barely done, serve.  It works for me to remove from heat when the salmon is still showing a trace of not quite cooked in the middle. 

2.   A friend who likes sweet salmon mixes half brown sugar and half salt and covers the salmon with that mix for a good 10-12 hours, rinses it and grills it.  It is very good.  Add pepper, garlic etc. at grill time.   I don't think the approximate ratio of sugar/salt is critical.

3.  For grilling, this year I have been heavily sprinkling dry seasoning salt, garlic flakes, onion flakes, coarse black pepper and a tiny trace of raw sugar (demerara) on the flesh side of salmon with the skin left on, and letting that sit on a cookie sheet in the fridge for 0-12 hours before grilling.  When covered with spices, I lay Saran wrap on the fish and smooth it down to keep air out while the spices seep down into the salmon.  Sometimes we spice and cook immediately, with no marinade time.

4.  My grandson Cody is a good salmon cook, and he just likes salt and pepper.  Of course, we have excellent fresh fish to work with.

FWIW:  vinegar and also lemon juice "cook" salmon chemically, and we don't care for them in marinades that sit awhile before grilling.  My wife loves lemon juice on fish but she puts it on after cooking, when she is eating it. 

[JohnP]

Why I asked is that we never marinate salmon either, throw it on the grill with some salt & pepper and a slice of lemon.

Thanks for the reply.

[Okanagan]

Why I asked is that we never marinate salmon either, throw it on the grill with some salt & pepper and a slice of lemon.

Thanks for the reply.

Your status just went up several notches if you cook salmon with salt and pepper and maybe a slice of lemon or onion.  It always feels contrived when folks go on and on about salmon marinade and flavorings.  Makes me feel like they don't relly like real salmon!  Ditto for steak!

[nastygunz]

I just grilled a magnificent ribeye steak tonight nothing but salt and a dusting of garlic powder that's how I roll

[JohnP]

I just grilled a magnificent ribeye steak tonight nothing but salt and a dusting of garlic powder that's how I roll

Likewise.