This perfect grilled salmon with brussels will make you a fish lover for life! I have always been a big fan of fish dinners, but this grilled salmon has got to be one of my favorite fish meals! My family loves to fish, so we are always experimenting with how to cook and serve different species of fish. This grilling method has worked for several different types of fish and has always produced fantastic, delicious results! Perfect grilled salmon with brussels is a healthy, easy, and delicious meal that my whole family loves!
This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information.
Pioneer Recipe
This fish dinner meal is definitely a pioneer recipe! Along with venison, fish was another staple source of protein for the pioneers. When I say fish, I mean fresh fish. Fish straight from the unpolluted mountain streams, wild and undisturbed. This was the healthy kind of fish.
As modern pioneers, we have to be careful where we source our fish from. With our water sources being so polluted now and methods being developed for farm raising fish, the fish we have available to use now are different than what the pioneers would have consumed. However, there are still ways to incorporate healthy, sustainable fish into your modern pioneer diet! Try doing what the pioneers did! Fish for your food from local streams, lakes, or rivers! You still have to be cautious about those resources, since some may not be clean enough for eating the fish from, but you should be able to find at least one clean source.
Alternately, look for wild caught fish in health food stores or fish stores. Buying wild caught fish that has been sustainably harvested is important for a making sustainable, modern pioneer choice.
With all that being said, another reason why this grilled salmon meal is a pioneer recipe is because it is healthy for you! Fish provides an excellent source of omega3’s, vitamins, minerals, and protein. Not to mention the veggie side that you can serve this grilled salmon with! Brussel sprouts are a cruciferous vegetable that are high in vitamin c, dietary fiber, anti-oxidants, and various minerals! Grilled salmon and brussels are also an allergy friendly dish because they are….
- gluten-free
- grain-free
- dairy-free
- nut free
- corn free
- soy free
- sugar free
- high protein
- anti-inflammatory
Want some more healthy wild game or fish recipes? Check out these grain-free breaded perch fillets, this gluten-free venison quinoa bowl, or this homemade BBQ venison recipe!
Epic Experience
All that talk about sourcing your fish sustainably makes me want to share the story behind this recipe. A few years ago my dad went on a charter fishing trip on Lake Michigan. He had a great time and came back with lots of delicious king salmon. That’s when we first learned how to grill salmon.
A year ago he gifted Anna and I with a trip to go charter fishing with him and our grandpa. Well, that year it got canceled because of bad weather on the Lake. So… this year we finally got to go on the long anticipated charter fishing trip!
We left the dock at 5:00 in the morning, before the sun had even risen. It was a beautiful morning on Lake Michigan! With charter fishing, the boat captain takes care of choosing what lures to use, setting the poles, and monitoring them for when a fish bites. All you have to do is reel in the fish, and boy is that a job! It takes some of the fun out of fishing not being able to do everything yourself, but at the same time, I would have never known what lures to use or how to reel in the types of fish we were catching!
We were fishing for BIG fish. In fact, these were the biggest fish I had ever caught! The three species we were able to catch were lake trout, king salmon, and steelhead salmon. Our biggest lake trout weighed almost 13lbs and we caught a king salmon that was even bigger! Anna, my dad, my grandpa, and I had tons of fun reeling them in all morning!
More than 1 rod….
Our captain would have at least a dozen fishing lines running all at once (and yes, we did have a few tangles). Whenever a fish was on, we would take turns reeling it in. Reeling in a fish would take between 10-20 minutes depending on how much line was out and what type of fish it was.
The lake trout were notoriously hard to reel all the way in because they have ‘soft mouths’ as our captain put it, and could easily throw the hook. My favorite fish to catch were the king salmon because they were fighters, they were big, and they had beautiful coloring. Not to mention they taste delicious!
We came home that day with about 30lbs of fish! Now our freezer is full of fish and venison and we have lots of grilled fish on the menu!
Serving Salmon
I have tried salmon both baked in the oven and grilled. My favorite is definitely grilled salmon! Also, the grilling method we use can be used for any large fillet of fish that still has the skin attached. We use this grilling method for the salmon and the lake trout that we caught.
Salmon is delicious served warm and fresh off the grill, but it also makes great leftovers. I enjoy having leftover grilled fish for lunch the following day or even for breakfast! You can season your salmon however you like. Citrus is a common flavor to pair with fish and it goes nicely with both salmon and lake trout. I like to use the Borsari citrus seasoning that I find at Whole Foods Market. My dad also like to season his fish with cracked pepper blends. My mom prefers her fish more lightly seasoned with some herbs.
Salmon is a firm fish that flakes nicely once it is cooked. The taste is bold, and if sourced sustainably and cooked correctly, it doesn’t have too much of a fishy taste. Lake trout also has a somewhat firmer texture but is softer than the salmon. It has a very mild taste and is not fishy at all. The steelhead salmon is similar to the lake trout but has a little more flavor. The variety of steelhead we caught was known to be the sweetest variety of steelhead, and it was delicious!
I like to serve my fish with veggies. Of course, with this recipe I feature a Brussel sprout dish, but there are tons of other veggie dishes that pair nicely with grilled fish. Here are a few ideas:
- roasted asparagus
- grilled summer squash
- garden salad (homegrown lettuce and carrots)
- mashed sweet potato
- steamed broccoli
- cauliflower rice
How to Store Salmon
Bringing home so much fish left us with the problem of how to store it all! We wanted to find a way to preserve the fresh fish for as long as possible without degrading the freshness, nutrition, and taste. After doing some research, we found that storing the fish in a vacuumed sealed bag in the freezer seemed to be the most popular option.
However, before we could freeze it, we had to remove the pin bones. With big fish like salmon and trout, their fillets have small pin bones in the portion closest to the head. So, Anna’s and my job was to take pliers and pull out all the pin bones before we vacuumed sealed and froze the fillets! It was actually kind of fun, and totally worth it when you got to eat a boneless fillet of fish!
When we want to use the fish, such as for this grilling recipe, we simply take out a package and unthaw it in the fridge. A little trick we learned was to take the fish out of the vacuum sealed bag to let it unthaw. This kept the fillet from drying out. Also, we had to let the fillet unthaw overnight in the fridge since it has to be unthawed gradually.
To store salmon that has already been cooked, such as this grilled salmon, I recommend just storing it in the fridge. I have not tried freezing already cooked fish, so I don’t know how it would do. To store already cooked fish in the fridge, just keep it in an airtight container. You can store it this way for 2-3 days.
Recipe Tips
Grilling salmon is not hard at all! It may sound daunting and messy, but I was actually quite surprised at how simple it was! My dad usually does all the grilling, but I got him to teach me how to grill the salmon so I could share the recipe with you! Here are a few tips I took note of when he was teaching me how to grill fish!
- about 30 minutes prior to grilling, you will want to dry the fillets with paper towel, season them, and let them marinade in a vinaigrette
- preheat the grill on high heat, this took about 5 minutes, then decrease the heat to medium-low
- I noticed the grill thermometer read about 375°F when we put the fish fillets on
- cook the fish flesh side down first, the fish is ready to be flipped when the flesh willingly releases from the grill and does not stick, this may take 5-8 minutes.
- after flipping so that the skin side is on the grill, you let the fillet cook for 5-10 more minutes
- small fillets (1″ thick)- 5 minutes on flesh side, 5-8 minutes on skin side
- large fillets (1.5-2″ thick)- 8 minutes on flesh side, 8-10 minutes on skin side
- for those of you who like to use a meat thermometer, the internal temperature of the fish should be at least 145°F
Grilling salmon is so easy and and the roasted Brussel sprouts make the perfect simple side dish to pair with the fish! The flakey, flavorful fish is melt-in-your-mouth delicious and will be the best fish you ever have!
Perfect Grilled Salmon with Brussel Spouts
Ingredients
- 1 lb. wild caught salmon
- 1 T. organic seasoning blend of your choice
- 2 T. Bragg's organic vinaigrette
- 3 c. organic Brussel sprouts washed, sliced in half
- 5 small pearl onions sliced
- 3 slices organic, non-GMO bacon
Instructions
- About 30 minutes prior to grilling, marinade the salmon. First, pat the fillet dry with paper towel or a clean cloth. Sprinkle the seasoning on the fillet and gently press it in. In a medium glass bowl, place the vinaigrette and then rub the fillet in it, skin side down. Flip the fillet over and rub the flesh side in the vinaigrette. Let it set, flesh side down, in the marinade in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a 9×13 glass baking pan with parchment paper.
- Place the sliced Brussel sprouts and the sliced onions in the baking pan. Cut the bacon up into small pieces and mix it in with the Brussel sprouts and onion. Bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring about halfway through.
- While the Brussel sprout dish is baking, grill the fish. Preheat the grill to about 375°F. Keep the grill on medium heat while you are grilling the fish.
- Place the salmon fillet flesh side down on the grill. Close the grill and let the salmon cook for 5-8 minutes. It is ready to flip when the flesh releases from the grill.
- Flip the fillet and let it cook on the skin side. Close the grill and cook for 5-10 more minutes, depending on the size of the fillet. If you want to ensure that the fish is cooked, test it with a meat thermometer for a internal temperature of 145°F.
- Remove the salmon from the grill and place it on a clean platter. Cover and let the salmon rest for 2-3 minutes before serving. Enjoy with your roasted Brussel sprouts!
Where to Find the Ingredients
- Borsari citrus seasoning
- Bragg’s all-purpose seasoning
- Bragg’s organic vinaigrette
- supplies: 9×13 glass baking dish, stainless steel grilling spatula, meat thermometer
Perfect grilled salmon and brussels is a meal packed with nutrition, flavor, and simplicity! This grilled fish is my favorite way to have salmon and trout and the bacon, Brussel sprout, and onion dish is a favorite vegetable dish of mine. Both of these dishes are allergy friendly, anti-inflammatory, and fit into the modern pioneer diet perfectly! Wholesome, sustainable, and nutritious is what this meal is!
Get more sustainable and simple recipes when you join our modern pioneer community! We love sharing are experiences with you as we strive towards creating a more self-sufficient lifestyle, raise our flock of chickens, and eating a diet that is both delicious and fitted to our dietary restrictions!
by Alexa
Leave a Reply