Copper River salmon has been on sale at the store recently and I just couldn’t resist. I mean, it’s still expensive in comparison to other protein you can purchase but it’s just so good! The color of the fish is beautifully vibrant. Not to mention ordering salmon at a restaurant would still be at least twice as expensive.

And no, I didn’t get paid to write about any of this! I’ve just come to love salmon since I learned how to fabricate an entire salmon in culinary school last year. I’ll never forget when my chef instructor slammed a huge salmon down on our work surface, grabbed my knife, and began to slice away, spewing fish juice all over me. After he cut the head off he held it up to my face and shouted, “HEY!” I’m not sure if I would remember how to fabricate a whole salmon again, having experienced such a trauma! We made gravlax with the salmon we cut up. I had been very skeptical before trying a bite since the last time I had tasted salmon was in grade school and I nearly spat it out from disgust. But I surprised myself by enjoying the fish and now I buy it whenever it’s on special.

Recipe Rundown

Taste: Sweet, spicy, smokey, buttery, fresh. It doesn’t get much better than this!
Texture: I suppose this depends on the salmon you purchase and how you grill but ours ended up slightly blackened on the outside and juicy and tender inside. The butter on top is just wonderful.
Ease: Really easy!! Definitely weeknight-friendly.
Appearance: Our salmon fell apart slightly on the grill but it still looked scrumptious to me.
Pros: I think that even people who don’t like salmon would like this recipe. It’s just so tasty and simple!
Cons: None at all.
Would I make this again? Yes!

INGREDIENTS

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, seeded and minced
• 2 tablespoons honey
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 (6 to 8-ounce) salmon fillets, with skin
• In a small bowl combine the butter, chipotle, honey, lime, and salt.

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat grill for direct cooking over high heat.
2. Brush both sides of salmon with oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Grill salmon over direct high heat with the lid closed until the salmon releases easily from the grill with tongs, about 6 to 8 minutes. Turn the fillets over and cook until done, about 3 minutes.
3. Remove salmon to serving plates and dollop with prepared butter to serve.

Source: Handle the Heat