Honey BBQ Kokanee Salmon Recipe

I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for some good barbeque. I love all of it, from charcoal, propane, pellets, or indirect wood smoke. It’s all amazing. This recipe is one of my all time favorites for kokanee because of that. It sauces up the kokanee, keeping it moist, and it tastes absolutely amazing. BBQ kokanee, and it really does have to be honey BBQ, is incredible, and this simple recipe will help you look like a grill wizard.

How to Barbecue Kokanee Salmon

There are a lot of different ways you could barbecue your kokanee. My personal favorite is a pellet smoker. I hot smoke most of my kokanee, mostly because I’m impatient and want it done fast. Hot smoke means I’m cooking at temps between 280-325. At this temperature, kokanee is usually done in about 20-30 minutes. You can also smoke them traditionally, either with a pellet smoker or a wood smoker. You can even do this recipe on the BBQ grill. If you are using a propane BBQ grill, turn down your burner to the lowest setting, and it’ll still get done faster than the smoker, but you’re less likely to overdo it. I like the options that include smoke, but its not necessary. Use what you’ve got.

Best Way to BBQ Kokanee

There are a couple little tips and tricks that’ll help you BBQ your kokanee, but when it comes down to it, simple is the best. My recipe only has 5 ingredients. Fish, olive oil, salt, pepper, and honey BBQ sauce. That’s it. Lets get to the tips though, as it’ll help you really elevate your kokanee.

Tips for Getting the Best Kokanee Off the Grill

Firstly, you need to add oil. Kokanee is extremely lean. Looking at the kokanee salmon nutrition facts, it’s extremely high in protein, but its very low in fat content, significantly lower even than other salmon, which is already pretty lean. Because of that, adding fat really helps. I always add some form of oil to my kokanee when I’m cooking it. It really helps to keep the fish moist, and give you more of that traditional salmon texture. I spray it on as a binder before adding salt and pepper.

Secondly, you should realize and account for the fact that kokanee is extremely delicate. They’re delicious, but if you’re rough with the fish, it’ll turn to salmon hamburger mush. Because of that, there are a few things you should consider. Firstly, spray the oil on the fish. Don’t rub it in, I bought this sprayer on amazon that I refill, but I know plenty of people that just use their cooking spray. Next, you want to brush the bbq sauce on the fish with a brush. BBQ experts love brushes because it allows you to coat things evenly. That’s good, but for kokanee, it allows you to spread the sauce as gently as possible. A sauce brush is cheap. Get you one if you don’t have one.

The last thing I always recommend is to get yourself a fish spatula. It’s long, its flexible, and it helps keep your entire kokanee fillet intact when you’re taking it off the grill or smoker. If you’ve cooked it well, the fish will be flaky. You don’t want it to flake into the fire of the grill, or have your masterpiece crumble as you try to get it into the house.

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Temperature for BBQ Kokanee Salmon

It’s really critical not to overcook your kokanee. As we’ve said, adding oil helps with flavor, it also makes it more forgiving and less likely to dry out. That said, you still need to pay attention to temperatures when grilling your kokanee.

You want to cook your kokanee salmon to about 145-150 degrees internal. I do most my kokanee to 145, but you really want the sauce on this to caramelize, so you might want to give it the extra 5 degrees. Don’t let it go further than that though. Any further and it’ll be dry. I really recommend getting a meat thermometer if you don’t have one already, and not just one you go test with. If you’re going to BBQ food, you really need one that you can leave in there. A lot of newer grills and pellet smokers come with a probe already there. If you’ve got one, use it. If you don’t have one like that, you really need to buy one. Seriously. It took all my grilling to the next level when I got one. All my meat is perfect, every time.

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Best BBQ Sauce for Kokanee or any Salmon

For just about any salmon, I recommend a honey bbq sauce. Honey just pairs really well with salmon. I use it in my teriyaki kokanee salmon recipe as well for that reason. My favorite bbq sauce right now Rufus Teague. Their sauce is fantastic. I’ve bookmarked the lowest cost options for it on Amazon. There are a few sellers, and some have ludicrous prices. The multipack option is the best deal currently. Also, if you like a little spice to your bbq, the touch of heat sauce, or the sweet + heat sauce is also fantastic.

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Other Kokanee Recipes for the Barbeque Grill or Smoker

Honey BBQ Kokanee Salmon

Go lake to table with this tasty bbq recipe, combining traditional barbecue techniques with your delicate catch.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 4 Fillets kokanee salmon Can use trout or other salmon
• 1 tbsp olive oil Spray olive oil is best
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 3 tbsp Honey BBQ Sauce

Equipment

• 1 BBQ Grill or smoker
• 1 Fish Spatula
• 1 Sauce Brush

Method

 

1. Fillet your kokanee if you haven't already. Clean your fish and pat dry.
2. Oil the flesh side of your fish (not the skin side). Spraying with olive oil is the preferred method, but you can drizzle it on. Do not rub the oil into the flesh. You'll tear up the meat if you do that. It's a delicate fish.
3. Salt and pepper the fillets. I like to salt the skin side as well, but I only put pepper on the meat side of the fillet.
4. Delicately brush some of the honey BBQ sauce on you fillets, coating the meat evenly.
5. Preheat your grill or smoker. For the smoker, I recommend hot smoking at about 280. For a propane grill, set your grill to the lowest temperature and allow it to come up to temperature.
6. Cook the kokanee, skin side down, until the internal temperature reaches 145. If the sauce on the outside hasn't tacked up and caramelized how you want, you can let it cook until it reaches 150, but don't go beyond that.
7. Remove from the grill and serve hot.

Notes

I like to pair this dish with a potato side dish. I usually pair my salmon with a rice dish, but this BBQ flavor pairs really well with potatoes. 

Frequently Asked Questions About This Recipe