Maple Citrus Grilled Salmon

I’ll be honest. I was really scared to try grilling fish.  But my inaugural foray with this maple citrus grilled salmon was SO GOOD.

See, I luuurrrrve fish. Particularly more “fishy” fish (as my co-worker Lucy would say) like salmon. But dry fish? Blech. I want moist, flaky fish. I’ve tried making salmon in the oven in the past but haven’t had a ton of success getting it to the right consistency. But this grilled salmon was a REVELATION.

My mom and I made this a couple days after my surgery, so simplicity was key. I was mostly useless, and cooking in someone else’s kitchen is always hard so we wanted to keep it easy on her. I found this delicious-sounding marinade/glaze on Pinterest and, since I had all the ingredients on-hand, decided it was the perfect thing to try.

We were both so shocked by how good it was, how perfect the consistency was, and just how easy the recipe was. I was really sad that we only had two tiny fillets, because I would have DESTROYED, like, an entire salmon if it’d been available. Mmmmm, salmon.

Whisk together the rice wine vinegar, maple syrup, and orange juice, pour in a large ziploc bag. Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper, then put it in the bag. Seal and marinate in refrigerator for up to 3 hours. We only had a half hour to marinate it, and it turned out great.

Preheat your grill (or grill pan, if you’re going that way) to medium (around 400 F). Remove the salmon from the bag, but save the marinade—you’ll need it.

Place the fish on the grill and cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side. It’s done when the fish flakes easily when you test it with a fork.

While the fish is doing its grill thang, pour the marinade into a tiny saucepan and bring it to a low, rolling boil. Cook it until the liquid has reduced to about 2-3 tablespoons. The recipe said 5 minutes, but it was more like 10 for me.

Remove the fish from the grill, sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper. Before serving, drizzle with the maple citrus marinade. It was so good!

The salmon was moist and flaky, the flavors were fresh and tangy, and the overall effort involved was minimal.

Other delicious salmon recipes you’ll love:

• Pan Caramelized Salmon
• Rosemary & Garlic Roasted Salmon
• Sesame-Soy Grilled Salmon
• Have leftovers?? This salmon & potato hash is perfect.

Maple Citrus Grilled Salmon

• 2 (6-ounce) salmon fillets (wild-caught is best)
• 1/4 cup of rice wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons of maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons of orange juice
• Fresh-ground salt and pepper
• Cooking spray or olive oil

1. Combine the rice wine vinegar, maple syrup, and orange juice in a large ziploc bag, then add the fish. Seal and marinate in refrigerator for up to 30 minutes to 3 hours (we only had a half hour and it turned out great).
2. Preheat your grill (or grill pan) to medium heat (around 400 F). Remove the salmon from the bag, but reserve the marinade.  Lightly rub some oil on both sides of the fish to prevent it sticking.
3. Grill about 4-5 minutes skin-side down.  You want the fish to flake easily when tested with a fork (I like mine medium-rare).  Continue cooking until it’s the doneness you want.  
4. While the fish is grilling, pour the marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook until the liquid has reduced to about 2 tablespoons (about 5-10 minutes).
5. Remove the fish from the grill, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and drizzle with the reduced marinade.

Original recipe from MyRecipes

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