My father walked through the door the other day with half of a fresh whole wild salmon, announcing to me that he would like me to grill it. Sure dad!

When someone presents truly fresh fish to you, there really isn’t a “save it for another day” option. The thing to do is to keep it chilled and cook it as soon as you can. Save for tomorrow? Fuggetaboutit. Fresh fish should be cooked the day you get it.

Now, according to my favorite grilling experts, Andrew Scholss and David Joachim (Mastering the Grill, excellent book, must have if you are into grilling), wild salmon is great to grill whole, and easier to do so than farmed salmon, because it tends to be thinner, easier to cook through without getting dried out on the edges.

I packed this salmon with chopped preserved lemons, parsley, dill, and shallots, and grilled it on our gas grill. It was outstanding. One of the best salmon meals we’ve ever had. Leftovers great the next day with bread and butter pickles.

Note, we often get our fish from Whole Foods, and unless you specifically ask for it, they sometimes forget to remove the scales before they hand you the fish. (This is not just in Sacramento, I’ve heard complaints from a friend in Boston too.)

Bad, bad, bad, on the part of Whole Foods or any fish monger. You really shouldn’t have to ask, this should be done for you. But, in case it isn’t, you’ll want to remove the scales yourself before cooking the fish.

No cooked grilled fish photo this time. Got too dark. The photos were hideous. You’ll have to trust me on this one.

Grilled Wild Salmon with Preserved Lemon Relish Recipe

  • Yield: A whole 4 pound salmon will serve 8.

Preserved lemons are lemons that have been preserved in salt. They are used often in Moroccan cooking. You can get them at specialty markets, or you can make them yourself. If you do not have access to preserved lemons, for this recipe you can use the grated zest from 2 lemons and 2 Tbsp of lemon juice instead.

Ingredients

  • One whole (4 pounds) or half (2 pounds) of a wild-caught salmon, gutted, cleaned, skin on, scales removed
  • Olive oil
  • Fresh squeezed lemon juice

Relish Ingredients

  • 2 whole preserved lemons, rinsed of excess salt, seeds removed, chopped
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
  • 1/4 cup chopped shallots
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
  • Ground black pepper

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