Charcoal Grilled Salmon

It’s official. There is nothing better.

I thought I enjoyed salmon just as much as the next, but until you’ve had it on a charcoal grill, you have not lived the salmon-eating life. My flare for the dramatic is not by accident, it is just that good! For those of you who cook on a charcoal grill, you may be wondering how the salmon manages to not fall between the cracks and into the burning coals… Well, with some extra care, it is in fact possible to have a full piece of salmon at the end of the grilling process. It’s all in the flip action.

These ingredients are similar to my other salmon recipe, but with the added dimension of flavor that the charcoal gives you, I believe most all marinades and/or spices would work just as well. The really important piece of information here is to understand that “good things come to those who wait.” When it comes to grilling, you will be well rewarded if you follow this flipping process to a tee!

Citrus-Soy Glazed Salmon:

1 pound of Salmon (two pieces)

1/4 of a cup of ANY type of Citrus Juice

1/4 of a cup of Soy Sauce

Steak Seasoning to taste (I pretty much use this on anything going on the grill)

While you are heating up your charcoal grill, place all of your ingredients in a large plastic bag (minus the seasoning-I usually sprinkle this on right before it goes on the grill).  The salmon only needs a short amount of time to soak up the marinade. As a rule of thumb, fish should not sit in marinade longer than about 20 minutes. Fish reacts to marinades a lot differently than meat, which often times tastes best when it is marinaded over night.

Once the grill is hot, lather some oil on and place your salmon flesh-side-down on the grill. This is where patience comes in. It is super important not to flip the salmon to its’ skin side until it is completely done cooking on this side. The more you flip your salmon back-and-forward, the more likely you are to have pieces falling through the cracks! If worse comes to worse, you can always throw your salmon in the oven for a couple minutes to finish cooking through. Cook on the flesh side for 3-5 minutes depending on the thickness of the salmon, then do the same on the skin side, but adding just a couple more minutes (crispy skin is the best!)

If you are not 100% about the temperature after this process, heat your oven to 400 degrees and add the pieces of salmon for just a couple of minutes to complete the cooking process. No worries, the charcoal flavor is here to stay!



I recommend picking up some coronas and grilling out with your loved ones on those beautiful summer nights! It