Name: Grilled Glazed Salmon on a Gas Grill
Total time: PLACEHOLDER
Ingredients: 1/3 cup soy sauce; 1/3 cup maple syrup; 4 salmon fillets (about 8 ounces each), each about 1 1/2 inches at thickest part; ground black pepper; vegetable oil for grill grate; lemon wedges for serving

Why This Recipe Works

We wanted a glazed grilled salmon recipe that would allow the glaze not only to form a glossy, deeply caramelized crust, but also to permeate the flesh, making the last bite of fish every bit as good as the first. Marinating the fish in soy sauce seasoned it through and through, but we needed to add a viscous sweetener, either honey or maple syrup, to help the marinade cling to the fish rather than drip through the bars of the grate. Searing the marinated salmon over high heat, then brushing it with some of the glaze, and finally pulling it to the cooler side of the grill to cook through gave us the best grilled glazed salmon recipe we had ever tried.

Before You Begin

Scraping the grill grate clean will help prevent the salmon from sticking. Also be sure to oil the grate just before placing the fillets on the grill.

Instructions

Measure 2 tablespoons glaze into small bowl and set aside.

Whisk soy sauce and maple syrup in 13 by 9-inch baking dish until combined; carefully place fillets flesh-side down in single layer in marinade (do not coat salmon skin with marinade). Refrigerate while preparing grill.

Turn all burners on gas grill to high; cover and heat until very hot, about 15 minutes. Scrape grill grate clean with grill brush. Turn all but 1 burner to medium-low. Remove salmon from marinade and sprinkle flesh liberally with pepper. Using long-handled grill tongs, dip wad of paper towels in vegetable oil and wipe hot side of grill grate. Place fillets flesh-side down on hot side of grill and cook until grill-marked, 1 to 2 minutes. Using tongs, flip fillets skin-side down, still on hot side of grill; brush flesh with glaze, cover grill, and cook until salmon is opaque about halfway up thickness of fillets, 3 to 4 minutes.

Again using long-handled grill tongs, dip wad of paper towels in vegetable oil and wipe cooler side of grill grate. Brush flesh again with glaze, then turn fillets flesh-side down onto cooler side of grill; cook until deeply browned, crust has formed, and center of thickest part of fillet is still translucent when cut into with paring knife, about 2 minutes. Transfer fillets to platter, brush with reserved 2 tablespoons glaze, and serve immediately with lemon wedges.