Indirect Heat Grilling Salmon

Use tongs or a spatula to gently flip the salmon skin side down.

Indirect heat grilling salmon. The salmon should release easily from the grill grates. Indirect heat grilling is usually done with the lid on to trap the heat inside the grill and you can add wood chips to the mix to turn your grill into a smoker and infuse the food with extra flavor. Either reduce the heat to medium for a gas grill or to indirect heat for charcoal. Look to indirect heat grilling when cooking large pieces of meat like whole chickens roasts or cedar plank fish.

Continue cooking with the lid close for another 4 minutes until salmon is cooked through and easily flakes with a fork. If you like brush the salmon with olive oil or melted butter after turning to add flavor and keep it moist. Cover the grill and finish cooking the fillets via indirect heat which will take another 8 10 minutes the general rule being 10 minutes total cooking time per inch of thickness for gas grills simply preheat both sides of the grill on high. Place salmon steak fillet skin side up directly on the grill grate.

Lay the fish on the grates on one side of the grill and cook for two minutes. Before flipping check to see if the salmon is sticking. Cover the grill and cook for 10 12 minutes or until the salmon flakes when pierced with a folk. Place the salmon at an angle over direct high heat with the flesh side of the salmon on the grates as pictured below.

This technique cooks the fish over indirect heat and it never comes in contact with the grill grates. Indirect grilling is effective for large cuts of meat thick steaks roasts or even entire chickens that need long slow heat or foods like pizza that need to be seared then finished slowly. Grill fish 3 4 inches from heat. Use the indirect grilling method with a medium hot grill.

Cover the grill and cook until cooked through around 20 to 30. The ambient heat of the grill will heat the fish all the way through although the top won t have a beautiful grilled appearance. Grill the steaks fillets for a total of 4 6 minutes 2 3 minutes per side per 1 2 inch thickness turning only once. Grill covered over indirect medium heat for 7 to 9 minutes per 1 2 inch thickness or until the salmon flakes when tested with a fork turning once halfway through grilling if desired.

Grilling the salmon on a cedar plank is another option for no flip grilled fish. Close the lid and let the salmon cook for 3 4 minutes. When the coals are ready the food gets placed on the opposite side of the grill place the salmon skin side down on a greased grill olive oil applied with a paper towel works well over indirect heat. Place the cedar plank in the center of the hot grate away from the heat.