Grilled Lemon Pepper Kokanee Salmon
This recipe will help you take your kokanee salmon from lake to table in a way that's fast, easy, and delicious. It keeps your fish from drying out while also pairing a lemon pepper, citrus zing to the fish.
Equipment
- 1 Fish Spatula
- 1 BBQ Grill
Ingredients
- 4 Fillets Kokanee Can be substituted for whole kokanee salmon
- 2 tbsp olive oil I like it in a spray bottle
- 3 tbsp Lowry's Lemon Pepper seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 Lemon The juice from one lemon
Instructions
- Fillet your kokanee, or remove head guts from kokanee if cooking whole, if you have not already done so.
- Rinse your kokanee to remove any lake debris, then pat dry with paper towels. You need to have it dry so the oil will better coat and penetrate into the fish. Setting it on a drying rack in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour is another way to accomplish this.
- Gently spray or pour the olive oil on your fish, primarily focusing on the side that doesn't have skin. Do not try to rub in the olive oil. The kokanee is too delicate and it'll turn to mush if you do. That's why I use a spray bottle.
- Apply your lemon pepper to the fish first. Then apply a light coating of salt to the fish as well. If you are on a low sodium diet, the lemon pepper has some salt in it already, but I like to add just a little bit more.
- Preheat your grill to a medium high heat, around 375-400 degrees. Oil your grill, either with cooking spray or olive oil.
- Put the kokanee, skin side down, on the grill. Close the lid and cook for 3-4 minutes skin side down. For smaller fillets, this may be enough to cook it. For larger fillets, spray the fish with more cooking oil, then flip the fillet and allow it to cook, skin side down for 2 minutes. You don't want the fish to stick to your grill, so don't skip the extra oil on this step. Grill your kokanee to 145 degrees internal temperature, or until just firm. Be careful not to overcook.
- Right before serving, squeeze lemon juice onto your fillets. Don't let the fish sit in lemon juice for a long period of time, otherwise it'll go soggy and you'll ruin the nice crust you made on the grill.
Notes
While you can use any lemon pepper you want, Lowry's is the best I've tried. Not sponsored by them, I just like it. Adding salt is optional. For most seasoning blends, salt is the first ingredient. For lemon pepper, its the 3rd or 4th, so adding additional salt can help. Be careful not to overcook your salmon. Grilled kokanee salmon can go from not quite ready to dried out really fast. Watch it closely as its getting close to done.