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There’s just something about the grill and seafood that go so well together! This salmon recipe is pretty basic but delivers lots of flavor. The trickiest part is getting the grilling temperature right.

The proper temperature ended up being medium-high to. We were able to brown the salmon perfectly without over-cooking for drying the cut out. One of the best ways to detect doneness for the salmon is to pull the salmon from the grill and squeeze the sides of the fillet gently between your fingertips. The fillet should be firm but not hard. Under cooked salmon will feel squishy by comparison. We waited until after we cooked the salmon to properly flavor it. Adding too much of a marinade would hurt the grilling process. Instead, after cooking, we melted just a little a basil lemon compound butter right on the still-hot fillets.This made the fish perfectly light and mixed wonderfully with the flavor from the grill. Keep reading below for this great recipe…

Simple Grilled Salmon

(makes 2 servings)

Ingredients

  • 4 salmon fillets (center cut) each about 1/2lb and 1 1/2″ thick
  • canola oil for the grill
  • 8oz unsalted butter, softened
  • 8 leaves fresh basil
  • 1 lemon, zested and juiced
  • 2 whole cloves garlic, minced
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. To make the butter, place the butter in a mixing bowl. Layer the basil leaves one on top of another and roll tightly, like a cigar. Thinly slice, creating slivers of basil. Place the basil in the bowl. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and garlic and mix the ingredients to incorporate. Add the salt to taste.
  2. Place the compound butter on one end of a 10″ square piece of parchment. Roll the butter in the paper, creating a cylinder, about 5″ long. Twist the ends and freeze for about an hour before using.
  3. Heat the grill over medium-high heat. Rub the grill grate with an oil-dipped paper towel wad. Brush the salmon on both sides with oil. Sear skin-side down for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip gently with long-handled tongs or a spatula, and cook an additional 3 to 4 minutes longer.
  4. Remove the salmon from the grill and pull the butter from the freezer. Thinly slice one or two small pieces of butter and place right on top of the hot salmon. Garnish with basil or lemon on the plate.
  5. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted fromWhole Foods