Don’t fuss with the salmon too much once it’s on the grill.
Grilled Salmon Collars
You can also use the marinade for any cut of salmon. This recipe is from AL’s Place, which we named our No. 1 new restaurant in America in 2015, in San Francisco, CA.
Ingredients
- 1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled, thinly sliced
- 1 fresh red chile (such as Fresno or Holland), coarsely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed
- ½ cup mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup sake
- ½ tsp sugar
- 4 salmon collars (about 3 pounds total), scaled, fins removed
- Kosher salt
- Vegetable oil (for grill)
Directions
Bring ginger, chile, garlic, mirin, soy sauce, sake, sugar, and 1 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer mixture, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, 15–20 minutes. Let cool. Strain tare through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof measuring glass or small bowl; discard solids. Set aside ¼ cup tare. Pour remaining tare into a large resealable plastic bag. Season salmon lightly with salt and place in bag. Seal bag and turn salmon to coat. Chill at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours (go the full time for the most flavor).
Prepare a grill for medium heat. You want moderate heat for fatty fish like salmon so the fat can slowly render while the skin gets nice and crisp. Clean grate well with a wire brush. Just before you set salmon on the grill, fold up a paper towel and hold it with a pair of long tongs. Dip paper towel in oil and wipe down grate.
Remove salmon from tare, letting excess drip back into bag; discard tare in bag. Grill salmon, skin side down, brushing occasionally with reserved ¼ cup tare, until skin is lightly charred and crisp, 5–7 minutes. Turn salmon and grill until other side is lightly charred (don’t brush this side with tare), about 5 minutes. Transfer salmon collars to a platter.