We have family members who eat fish – not chicken or meat. So for the Fourth we always have a delicious grilled salmon dish for them. The one below is easily assembled, unusual in flavor and can be bbq’d along with the burgers and hot dogs. I always have the grandkids help me with fish preparation too – to get them used to the fact that life is NOT all about cheeseburgers. Sigh – its a lost cause for Jack however – although Jonah will eat anything! Of course music is obligatory! Try the Sleepy Song to relax everyone who may be over excited about the celebration!
Grilled Salmon
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 3 fresh cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 4-6 boned salmon fillets with skin (to serve 4 people since someone will always want seconds…)
- Lemons cut into wedges for serving
Directions:
1. Mix lemon juice, olive oil, cilantro, paprika, cumin, coriander, garlic. ( You can add salt and pepper but we prefer to keep the spices front and center). The children love to do the mixing here.
2. Rinse salmon and pat dry.
2. Line a baking sheet with foil and place the fish with the skin down onto it. The children can do the lining of the baking sheet.
3. Fold the edges of the foil over to make a rim and spread the spice/lemon/olive oil mixture over it. You can do this the night before the big celebration and leave the fish marinading in the fridge – or just do it in the morning early before anyone arrives – and it will be ready within 3 hours. Again the kids are great at spreading stuff and will love doing this.
4. When you are ready to start the meal, heat up the grill first.
5. Slide salmon on foil off baking sheet onto grill, ( still on the foil) not directly over heat and cook the fish until you can see it is cooked but is not dry – I always cut out a bit to test from one of the filets. It is going to take about 25 minutes – but it will all depend on the thickness of your filets, so you will need to test. DO NOT OVERCOOK!
6. Slide two to three wide spatulas under foil and fish to transfer to a server and to make it look more attractive, curl the edges of the foil under the salmon until not visible. Now place your lemon wedges around the fish and serve with a great rice salad.
