Grilled Salmon over Charcoal

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you grill salmon over charcoal? First, prep the fish and everything else you'll need. You can use fresh or frozen fish, or even ready-made store-bought steaks. If your fish is frozen, thaw it ahead of time at room temperature. Gut the fish, scale it, and rinse it in cold water.

2. Step 2:

   

   Pat the salmon dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture, then cut it into pieces no more than 1¼–1½ inches (3–4 cm) thick.

3. Step 3:

   

   Crush the peppercorns in a mortar. You can use a pre-ground pepper blend, but hand-crushed peppercorns are more aromatic.

4. Step 4:

   

   Lay the steaks out on a flat surface. Sprinkle them with a little salt, pepper, and rosemary. Dried herbes de Provence pair beautifully with salmon, so feel free to use those in the marinade too. Squeeze over the juice of half a lemon.

5. Step 5:

   

   Flip each piece of fish and season again with salt, pepper, rosemary, and lemon juice. Drizzle the steaks with a little vegetable or olive oil. With gentle massaging motions, work the lemon juice and oil all over the fish.

6. Step 6:

   

   Put the salmon in a zip-top bag or food container and set it aside for a while. There's no need to marinate salmon for long. The time it takes for the coals to burn down is usually enough for the fish to soak up the spice flavors.

7. Step 7:

   

   Light the grill. Once you have glowing embers, you're ready for the next step.

8. Step 8:

   

   Wash and dry the grill grate and brush it with vegetable oil (this keeps the fish from sticking to the bars while it cooks). Arrange the steaks on the grate, spaced a little apart.

9. Step 9:

   

   Set the fish over the coals.

10. Step 10:

    

    Flip the grate over from side to side now and then.

11. Step 11:

    

    Cook until the salmon develops an appetizing golden crust.

12. Step 12:

    

    The steaks cook in very little time. To check for doneness, pierce the flesh with the tip of a thin sharp knife — if the juices run clear, the fish is done. Overcook the steaks and they'll turn out tough and dry.

13. Step 13:

    

    Medium-sized steaks took about 8–10 minutes over moderate heat.

14. Step 14:

    

    The grilled salmon is ready — you can serve it just as it is.

15. Step 15:

    

    I like to finish these juicy steaks with lemon and fresh herbs. In a small deep bowl, mix the juice of half a lemon, just a touch of vegetable or olive oil (literally ½–1 tsp), finely chopped dill, and ground pepper. If your steaks are large and fatty enough, you can leave out the oil.

16. Step 16:

    

    Brush the mixture over each piece of fish with a silicone brush.

17. Step 17:

    

    Serve!