Lemon Basil Grilled Salmon
This fresh and flavorful Lemon Basil Grilled Salmon is complete with a grilled corn and tomato salad on top!
This fresh and flavorful Lemon Basil Grilled Salmon is complete with a grilled corn and tomato salad on top!
- Carbohydrate 0.96942 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 10.2639900043822 g
- Fiber 0.366100006222725 g
- Protein 0.31455 g
- Saturated Fat 0.756508937822751 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (18g)
- Sodium 74.1945729166668 mg
- Sugar 0.603319993777275 g
- Trans Fat 0.135658187553329 g
- Calories 95 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat the grill to medium-high heat and brush grates clean with a wire brush.
- Brush grates with oil to prevent sticking.
- In a small bowl, combine butter with olive oil & sea salt, 1 tbsp fresh basil, lemon zest, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir until combined and set aside.
- Brush the salmon filets with vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Place salmon, skin side up, on the hot grill for about 2 minutes, until it easily moves away from the grill grates.
- Flip salmon and reduce heat to medium-low. Continue cooking for 3 to 5 minutes, until cooked and easily flakes.
- Top each hot salmon filet with the lemon basil topping so it melts into the salmon.
- Meanwhile, grill the corn alongside the salmon until the kernels are slightly charred.
- Carefully cut off the corn kernels and add to a medium bowl.
- Add in the tomatoes, remaining 1 tbsp of fresh basil, salt, and pepper.
- Serve the corn salad over the top of the hot salmon and enjoy!
Standard pan-seared salmon demands constant stovetop attention and generates heavy splatter, whereas grilling the fish alongside ears of corn utilizes a single heat source to cook both the protein and the side dish simultaneously. Efficient kitchen management relies on proper sequencing when dual-cooking items on an outdoor grill; shucking the corn and halving the cherry tomatoes before heating the grates prevents frantic multi-tasking while proteins are actively searing. Medium-high heat is necessary initially to release the salmon cleanly from the metal bars, but dropping the temperature zone to medium-low after the flip stops the exterior from scorching before the interior proteins coagulate. Placing the fish skin-side up first allows the flesh to absorb direct heat while rendering the subcutaneous fat, making the subsequent 180-degree turn much less prone to tearing. Brushing the raw fillets with vegetable oil rather than butter prevents flare-ups on the flames, since milk solids and water contents in butter burn instantly at high grill temperatures. Reserve compound herb fats for the post-removal resting phase so the aromatics retain their volatile oils instead of vaporizing into smoke. Charring whole corn ears directly on the grates caramelizes natural sugars inside the kernels, yielding a deeper flavor profile than boiling ever achieves. Monitoring internal temperatures carefully prevents dry, chalky fish; pulling fillets off the grates right when the flesh flakes opaque guarantees maximum moisture retention.
