The Best Butter Garlic Salmon in Foil Recipe
Salmon can be intimidating, but a foil technique gives you delicious results and success each time. Preparing salmon in foil is great for even cooking and an easy cleanup afterwards. The steam created in the pouch keeps the fish moist. When shopping for salmon look for fish with a vibrant pink hue and with a clean, but not fishy smell. Try getting the scales and pinbones removed by the fishmonger to make cooking even more simple.
Yield: Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
- 2 cups cold water
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 (2-pound) side salmon, pin bones and scales removed
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 medium scallions, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
- 1 medium lemon, thinly sliced
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, thinly sliced
Directions
- Soak the salmon in salt water for 1 hour. Place the water and salt in 9×13-inch baking dish and stir to dissolve the salt. Place the salmon skin-side up in the brine. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. (This step will reduce the white film that comes from baking salmon in a packet.)
- Season the salmon. Prepare a large piece of aluminum foil (about 18×18 inches). Remove the salmon from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Place skin-side down on the foil. Sprinkle evenly with the garlic and scallions. Drizzle the lemon juice over the salmon.
- Layer the butter and lemon on the salmon. Place the lemon slices and butter evenly over the salmon. Fold up two opposite sides of the foil over the center, then pinch them shut and roll them tightly to seal. Repeat with the remaining two sides to completely enclose the salmon in a foil packet. Place on a baking sheet for easy transfer to the grill.
- Grill the salmon. Heat an outdoor grill for direct, medium-high heat. Place the salmon packet on the grill, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Carefully open the packet, cover the grill, and continue to cook until the salmon is pink and registers 135°F, 5 to 8 minutes. Set aside to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Source: the Kitchn