The Golden Rule To Remember For Perfectly Grilled Salmon

Americans love salmon. The Healthy Fish revealed that folks in the U.S. eat 918 million pounds of salmon per year, which comes to about 2.88 pounds per person annually. Unsurprisingly, the first place belongs to shrimp, which are popular due to their relatively low price and versatility in the kitchen. However, salmon is more nutritious and some even consider it a superfood. There are many health benefits to eating salmon. It contains omega-3 fatty acids and anti-inflammatory properties, and it supports healthy aging, heart, and brain function (via BBC Good Food). With all of these facts, you might decide to start eating more salmon.

But there's more than one type of salmon, and sometimes it can be tricky to tell them apart. In North America, there are six types of this fish. The Atlantic salmon lives in the Atlantic, while the remaining five come from the Pacific coast. These Pacific salmon types are sockeye, pink, chum, chinook, and coho. Among these five, chinook is both the largest and the most widespread type of salmon in North America (per Fishing Booker). And what's best is that there are many ways of cooking this delicious fish.

Bluglacier reports that there are many ways to cook your salmon fillet like broiling, pan-frying, roasting, poaching, and grilling. Some of the easiest ways to cook the fillets are to pan-fry or grill them, but grilling the fish to perfection can sometimes be a delicate job. The folks over at The Grilling Guide provide some tips for a perfectly grilled salmon, starting with how to choose the best piece. It's recommended to get wild-caught salmon with some skin still intact as the skin helps prevent the fish from sticking to the grill. 

The grill should be preheated to caramelize the salmon nicely, and medium to high heat will also stop it from sticking to the grates. Finally, there is one golden rule to remember when grilling salmon: For each half-inch of thickness, grill the salmon for about four to six minutes, or until it turns opaque and flakes easily when prodded with a fork.

Serve your perfectly grilled salmon with sides such as asparagus, potatoes, lemon butter pasta, or roasted Brussels sprouts.