This grilled salmon recipe is divinely delicious. A special Thai BBQ sauce is what makes it come alive, enhancing but not overpowering the rich flavor of the salmon. I find it's better than most salmon recipes (which call for heavy cream sauces), and far healthier too. Grill the salmon directly on your outdoor grill, or try using banana leaf (see instructions). Note: in Thailand (and in some Asian stores here in NA), there is a sweet dark soy sauce which marries wonderfully with salmon. Here I've provided a substitute which I find works equally well. ENJOY!
Prep Time: 12 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 32 minutes
Yield: SERVES 2
Ingredients:
- 2 salmon steaks or fillets, preferably fresh
- MARINADE/SAUCE:
- 1/4 cup natural molasses (OR, if you can find it, 1/4 cup + 3 Tbsp. Thai sweet soy sauce - "Kwong Hung Seng Sauce")
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced, OR 1 tsp. bottled, pureed garlic
- 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
- 1 tsp. dark soy sauce (or substitute 1 Tbsp. regular soy sauce)
- 1 Tbsp. lime juice
- 1 fresh-cut red chili OR 1/2 to 1 tsp. cayenne pepper or crushed chili
Preparation:
- Rinse and pat dry the salmon steaks. Set in a flat-bottomed dish or bowl.
- Stir all the marinade/sauce ingredients together (it may take a minute or two to dissolve the molasses.
- Pour 1/3 of the sauce over the salmon. Turn the steaks in the marinade, ensuring all surfaces are well covered. Reserve the rest of the sauce.
- Place salmon in the refrigerator to marinate while you warm up your grill.
- Place the rest of the sauce in a sauce-pan and gently warm up over low to medium heat (do not boil). Taste-test the sauce. It should be sweet (the sweetness of the sauce goes well with salmon), plus a little salty and spicy. Adjust according to your taste, adding more lime juice if too sweet, or more cayenne if not spicy enough. More fish or soy sauce can be added if you prefer it saltier.
- Brush the grill with a little oil, then grill the salmon. Baste with a little of the leftover marinade from the bottom of the bowl as you turn the steaks for the first time. Salmon is done when pink and opaque at its thickest point.
- Serve with lime wedges and the extra sauce on the side. Excellent whether served with rice or new potatoes.
Another Thai Cooking Method:
- Cut 2 pieces of banana leaf (each roughly 1 foot square). Rinse leaves with hot water and pat dry.
- Place one of the marinated salmon in the center of each leaf and spoon over an extra couple of tsp. of the sauce.
- Now gently fold the banana leaf over the salmon and wrap it up. Secure the leaf with baker's twine or by weaving toothpicks or half of a satay stick through the leaf.
- Grill the salmon packets over a hot grill for 15-20 minutes, depending on how thick your steaks are (I usually unwrap the leaf to check after 15 minutes). As you turn the packets, you will see the banana leaf gradually turning brown and emitting a wonderful banana leaf fragrance.
- Serve the salmon right on the leaf, or remove and plate up. If you have company, you can also serve the salmon on a fresh piece of banana leaf, which never fails to impress. Garnish with wedges of fresh-cut lime, and serve the extra sauce on the side. ENJOY!
