Grilled Salmon Topped with Chili Lime Salsa

Salmon fillets are marinated in olive oil with honey, lime juice, seasonings, and spices. They’re then grilled until charred, yet still light and flaky on the inside. Topped with a salsa consisting of avocado, corn, tomatoes, and lime, this grilled salmon is not only refreshing and delicious but also quite a beautiful and impressive main for you and your family this summer!

Let me start by confessing that for the whole of my time being dedicated to learning how to bake and cook, not once would I venture into the dangers of grilling fish. I had this fear of it just sticking to the grill and falling through, or that it would be burnt and overcooked. However, I was completely wrong! Grilled Salmon Topped with Chili Lime Salsa was one of the easiest and fastest things I’ve ever grilled!

Grilling fish does not require any special equipment or skill. What it does require is a little bit of common sense and some general knowledge about how certain foods interact with a hot grill, open flame, and outdoor cooking. I’m going to tell you all about those things in this post so that you too can have a delicious grilled salmon fillet for your next day of grilling.

The chili lime salsa that you see on the top of the salmon in the photographs is completely optional. In fact, you could serve it on the side as a salad, but I think anything served family-style on a big platter is always more impressive and pretty. The salsa has a few ingredients that are also present in the marinade for the salmon, so they do pair together quite nicely, and they taste great together too. This recipe was inspired by Jennifer at Carlsbad Cravings.

PREPARING SALMON

For most of us home cooks, salmon comes in the form of a whole side or fillets. Sometimes, we can find steaks too, but not too often. If you don’t know the terminology, let me walk you through it. A whole side of salmon is exactly what it says. The salmon has been cleaned and the side has been removed; hopefully bone free! In most cases, the skin is left on, which is the way I prefer it!

A salmon fillet is simple enough. The fillets are cut from the whole side of the salmon, usually in two to three-inch pieces. This is the most common cut. They’re great for frying or grilling. The whole side of salmon is hard to grill or fry, especially if you try to flip the whole thing onto the other side! In contrast, a salmon steak is a cross-sectional piece of the entire fish. It looks like a big letter U. This cut still has the bone in the middle. Again, this cut is great for frying or grilling.

For this recipe, I am using a whole side that I have cut into fillets. The skin is left on, which, in my opinion, is the best way! I don’t eat the skin, but I tend to like it left on the salmon, especially if I’m going to pan-fry it or grill it. Both of those cooking techniques can be aggressive when it comes to delicate fish like salmon. Leaving the skin on helps to keep the salmon together, especially when flipping it over!

OTTAWA VALLEY MEATS

The salmon used in this Grilled Salmon Topped with Chili Lime Salsa is from Ottawa Valley Meats. I used two of their Wild Caught Salmon Fillets. That equals to about three pounds of salmon. You can halve the recipe if that’s too much for you. We had enough for two pieces each at dinner time. I packed up two pieces for a neighbour and had a couple of pieces left over that I reheated the next day for lunch. You can find a complete list at Ottawa Valley Meats.

If you are in Ontario, be sure to take a look at the website. Ottawa Valley Meats offers seafood, beef, poultry, pork, etc. And, they deliver right to your door! I have had other suppliers deliver meat and seafood, but they were the best! It comes in a freezer-refrigerated truck, which means the box doesn’t need to be stuffed with ice packs or dry ice. And, the food doesn’t need to be packaged into those silver cooler bags. Do you know what that means for me? Less waste!

In case you are curious, I have used OVM products in other recipes here at Lord Byron’s Kitchen too. Just because today is about salmon, I’ll also make mention of this Blackened Salmon with Spiced Honey Lime Sauce recipe. Also, in terms of more seafood, you can check out this Pancake Batter Fried Fish, which I prepared using cod from Ottawa Valley Meats. The jumbo shrimp used in this Crispy Fried Shrimp recipe is from there, as is the salmon used in this Herb Butter Pan Fried Salmon with Aioli.

HERE’S WHAT YOU WILL NEED FOR THIS RECIPE:

FOR THE SALMON:

• Salmon – Halve this recipe or double it to suit your needs. Be sure the salmon is completely thawed if you’re using previously frozen salmon. Pat it dry with clean paper towels.
• Oil – Vegetable oil, peanut oil, canola oil, or even olive oil will help to prevent the butter from burning.
• Honey – This will add a bit of sweetness and a gorgeous shine. Because honey is thick, it’s also a great ingredient to suspend seasonings into as well. It will also help to get nice char marks without having to cook the salmon for a long time.
• Lime Juice – Use freshly squeezed lime juice only.
• Paprika – There are three types of paprika – sweet, smoked, and hot. For this recipe, use sweet or smoked.
• Chili Powder – Different brands of chili powder have different heat levels. Use one that you know and trust.
• Garlic Powder – Use garlic powder and not granulated garlic. There’s a big difference in the taste!
• Onion Powder
• Salt & Ground Black Pepper

FOR THE CHILI LIME SALSA:

• Avocados – Two average-sized avocadoes will do just fine. Remove the skin and the pit. Cut them into small chunks.
• Corn – Use drained canned corn, cooked and cooled frozen corn, or cooked and cooled corn removed from the cob.
• Tomatoes – Just a half cup of diced tomatoes. I like to remove the pulp and seeds so that the salsa topping isn’t too wet.
• Lime Juice – Please use fresh lime juice! It makes all the difference in the world! Get the chopped avocado into the lime juice right away. Toss to coat. This will keep the avocado from turning brown.
• Parsley – This will add freshness and colour.
• Chili Powder
• Salt & Ground Black Pepper
• Cayenne Pepper – This is optional, but if you don’t mind a little bit of heat, you can always add more if you want. I like it a bit, but not extreme.

HOW TO TELL IF AN AVOCADO IS RIPE

I want to preface this section by asking you to do just one thing. After reading this, I do not want you to use this bit of information while shopping. Buy your avocados first and you can do this to them once you get home. To do so in a grocery store would be inconsiderate, to say the least.

To determine whether an avocado is ripe, most of us will gently squeeze it. If it’s hard, it needs more time; if it’s soft, it’s good to go. But, I have to say, I’ve tried this before and the flesh of the avocado felt like it would be buttery smooth when I cut into it. However, it was already brown in some spots. Since then, I never use the squeeze test.

To really tell the ripeness of an avocado, locate the little stem where the avocado was once attached to the tree. It should come off quite easily. You will see a little circular divot where the stem once was. The colour will tell you all you need to know. If it is green or yellow, that means the avocado is ripe and ready to eat. A bit of brown means there is probably brown inside your avocado, therefore it is over-ripe. Lastly, if the stem doesn’t come off easily, that means the avocado is under-ripe and not ready to eat.

HOW TO GRILLED SALMON TOPPED WITH CHILI LIME SALSA

This Grilled Salmon Topped with Chili Lime Salsa recipe doesn’t require much cooking time at all. In fact, the recipe only takes about 30 minutes from start to finish. When I prepare seafood recipes, I get things like sauces, dips, marinades, etc., out of my way first. I do this because seafood cooks quickly and I don’t want to run the risk of it drying out or getting cold while I finish up the sauce or the garnish.

So, start this recipe by preparing the marinade. Measure the oil, honey, lime juice, paprika, chili powder, garlic, powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper into a bowl. Whisk to combine. Pat the salmon fillets dry with paper towels. Lay them flat onto a small tray. Pour over half of the marinade and brush it into the salmon with a pastry brush. Gently turn the fillets over and brush them with the remaining marinade. Set that aside.

PREPARE THE SALSA

Next, add the diced avocado and lime juice to a mixing bowl. Toss well to coat. Add in the chopped tomatoes and the corn. Add in the chili powder, salt, ground black pepper, parsley, and cayenne if using. You can easily increase the amount of cayenne pepper if you want a spicier sauce or you can omit it completely. Toss everything together, cover, and set aside. You don’t want to refrigerate it, because if it’s cold when you top your grilled salmon, it will cool the salmon quickly. Room temperature is perfect for the salsa.

Now, it’s just a matter of grilling the salmon fillets. The following paragraphs will walk you through the different ways to prepare this recipe. They will all work and the salmon will taste great no matter which option you choose. However, the oil and honey marinade lends itself best to grilling, so if you have the option to use a grill, do it! It will give you the absolute best results.

INDOOR OR OUTDOOR GRILL INSTRUCTIONS:

You can use a traditional outdoor grill for this recipe, or an indoor stove-top grill. In fact, an electric grill, or panini press will work well too. Be sure to fully preheat the grill first, otherwise, by the time the salmon cooks properly, it will be overcooked and dry.

Once the salmon is ready to cook, and the grill is hot, carefully place each salmon fillet onto the grill, skin side down, and allow it to cook undisturbed for five minutes. Carefully flip the fillets over using a fish spatula and cook for three more minutes on the other side. If using an indoor stovetop or electric grill, the same cooking process applies. Once the salmon is slightly charred on the outside, remove it from the grill immediately.

STOVETOP SKILLET INSTRUCTIONS:

Place the prepared salmon into a preheated skillet. The heat is high so there will be bubbling and popping grease, so be careful. Allow the fillets to fry, undisturbed, for three minutes before flipping to fry for an additional three minutes.

Flipping can be a bit of a challenge. I like to slide a fish spatula under the fillet and place another flipper or spatula on top. It will help to keep the salmon slightly pressed together as you gently flip it over. Once it’s flipped, slide the bottom flipper or spatula out first. Then, lift off the top spatula. Salmon can be delicate and temperamental!

OVEN INSTRUCTIONS:

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Brush the surface liberally with the oil and butter mixture and place it into your oven on the middle rack. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. Once heated thoroughly, remove the baking sheet from the oven and carefully set the salmon fillets onto the greased foil. Quickly get the salmon into the oven and close the door.

The oven is less desirable than a grill, but it will do the trick. Allow the salmon to cook for four minutes. Remove it from the oven and flip each fillet over. Place it back into the oven to cook for an additional four minutes. If the salmon has not blackened to your liking, remove it from the oven and set your oven to high broil. Once heated, place the salmon under the broiler for a little while to blacken.

DO NOT leave the salmon unattended under the broiler. It can burn so quickly. In my experience, it will need no more than 30-45 seconds. Once done, get it out of the oven, plate it, and enjoy!

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

I think that Grilled Salmon Topped with Chili Lime Salsa deserves to shine on the plate. That is exactly why I paired the salmon with mashed potatoes. I wanted something homey and something delicious, yet muted. How about my Herb Butter Mashed Potatoes? They are very flavourful, but they will not overtake the flavours of the salmon.

Another great side for salmon is asparagus. I like to toss asparagus with olive oil, salt, and pepper and grill it on the grill for about five minutes, turning every minute or two. After I plate the asparagus, I like to spritz it with a bit of fresh lemon or lime juice.

In this case, be sure to plate the salmon and spoon over a nice helping of that chili lime salsa. The taste and texture of the salsa works extremely well with the salmon. And, the presentation is just gorgeous! If you want to go family style as I did, get the fillets onto a platter and spoon the salsa right down the middle. It’s so easy, yet I think it looks wonderful!