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Sweet and Saucy Gas-Grilled Salmon with Orange-Sesame Glaze

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on June 1, 2011

Yield

Serves 4

Sweet and Saucy Gas-Grilled Salmon with Orange-Sesame Glaze

Ingredients

½ cup orange marmalade ½ cup packed fresh cilantro leaves, including stems1 teaspoon grated lemon zest 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)2 scallions, chopped rough2 tablespoons oyster sauce 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds 4 salmon fillets (each 6 to 8 ounces and 1 ¼ inches thick), skin removed (see Step by Step)Salt and pepper

Before You Begin

Use any brand of heavy-duty aluminum foil to make the grill trays, but be sure to spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Alternatively, you can use Reynolds Release Nonstick Aluminum Foil and skip the cooking spray.

Instructions

  1. Process marmalade, cilantro, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, scallions, oyster sauce, and sesame oil in food processor or blender until smooth. Heat glaze in small saucepan over medium heat until just bubbling, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer 1/4 cup glaze to small bowl to cool slightly. Stir butter and sesame seeds into glaze remaining in saucepan, cover, and set aside.
  2. Turn on all the burners to high, cover, and heat the grill until very hot, about 15 minutes. Use a grill brush to scrape the grate clean.
  3. Following photos, use heavy-duty foil to make four 7 by 5-inch trays. Coat trays with cooking spray. Season salmon with salt and pepper, brush each side of each fillet with 1/2 tablespoon reserved glaze (without butter), and place skinned side up on trays.
  4. Making sure to leave the burners on high and cook with the lid down, place the trays with the salmon over the hot side of the grill and grill until the glaze forms a golden brown crust, 6 to 8 minutes. (Move the fillets to a cooler part of the grill if they darken too soon.) Using tongs, flip the salmon and cook 1 minute. Spoon half of the buttered glaze on the salmon and cook until the center of each fillet is still just translucent, about 1 minute. Transfer the salmon to a platter and spoon the remaining buttered glaze over it. Serve.
Sweet and Saucy Gas-Grilled Salmon with Orange-Sesame Glaze

Sweet and Saucy Gas-Grilled Salmon with Orange-Sesame Glaze

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

½ cup orange marmalade
½ cup packed fresh cilantro leaves, including stems
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
2 scallions, chopped rough
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
4 salmon fillets (each 6 to 8 ounces and 1 ¼ inches thick), skin removed (see Step by Step)
Salt and pepper

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

½ cup orange marmalade
½ cup packed fresh cilantro leaves, including stems
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
2 scallions, chopped rough
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
4 salmon fillets (each 6 to 8 ounces and 1 ¼ inches thick), skin removed (see Step by Step)
Salt and pepper

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

½ cup orange marmalade
½ cup packed fresh cilantro leaves, including stems
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
2 scallions, chopped rough
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
4 salmon fillets (each 6 to 8 ounces and 1 ¼ inches thick), skin removed (see Step by Step)
Salt and pepper

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

Salmon is perfect for glazing and for grilling, but try to do both things at once and the fish desperately wants to stick to the grill grate. One typical way recipes get around the problem—cooking the salmon skin side down without flipping it—sacrifices the skin to the grill and renders salmon without grill marks—or much grill flavor. Homemade foil trays coated with cooking spray allowed for great grill marks, full smoke flavor, and no sticking in our recipe for Sweet and Saucy Gas-Grilled Salmon with Orange-Sesame Glaze.

Removing the skin allowed us to apply a glaze on both sides of the salmon. To keep the glaze from burning, we divided it in half and added butter to one half. We used the unbuttered glaze at the beginning (without butter, it didn’t burn). We applied a portion of the buttered glaze after turning (to thicken slightly) and the rest when serving.

Before You Begin

Use any brand of heavy-duty aluminum foil to make the grill trays, but be sure to spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Alternatively, you can use Reynolds Release Nonstick Aluminum Foil and skip the cooking spray.

Instructions

  1. Process marmalade, cilantro, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, scallions, oyster sauce, and sesame oil in food processor or blender until smooth. Heat glaze in small saucepan over medium heat until just bubbling, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer 1/4 cup glaze to small bowl to cool slightly. Stir butter and sesame seeds into glaze remaining in saucepan, cover, and set aside.
  2. Turn on all the burners to high, cover, and heat the grill until very hot, about 15 minutes. Use a grill brush to scrape the grate clean.
  3. Following photos, use heavy-duty foil to make four 7 by 5-inch trays. Coat trays with cooking spray. Season salmon with salt and pepper, brush each side of each fillet with 1/2 tablespoon reserved glaze (without butter), and place skinned side up on trays.
  4. Making sure to leave the burners on high and cook with the lid down, place the trays with the salmon over the hot side of the grill and grill until the glaze forms a golden brown crust, 6 to 8 minutes. (Move the fillets to a cooler part of the grill if they darken too soon.) Using tongs, flip the salmon and cook 1 minute. Spoon half of the buttered glaze on the salmon and cook until the center of each fillet is still just translucent, about 1 minute. Transfer the salmon to a platter and spoon the remaining buttered glaze over it. Serve.

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