Grilled Salmon and Corn w/ Lime Butter Sauce

These days I'm frequently looking for recipes that make use of the vegetables I receive from Tantre Farms, and right now we've an abundance of corn. So this Grilled Corn recipe from epicurious.com was a perfect fit.

The corn is grilled in its own husks and cut off the cob and mixed with herbs and this amazing Lime Butter Sauce (another perfect fit for me as I had a lime sitting at home that needed using). I used sage, chives, basil, and French tarragon as my herb mix.  I especially enjoyed the sage. I think if I were do this again I would try a sample with sage and chives, and another small sample with tarragon to see which herb I liked better.

But the star of this meal was the Grilled Salmon, grilled and slightly charred with lime zest and lime butter sauce drizzled over the top.

I'm no expert at grilling. My usual mistake is to misjudge the heat of the grill and overcook the hamburgers. Joe and I both like our hamburgers medium rare, and medium is really just too done for our tastes but that's often what we end up eating. I figure fish should be easier to check. I season it with Portuguese sea salt and black pepper and it's ready to go. Of course, the first thing I do -- I'm in a hurry -- is misread the recipe, and I put the salmon skin down on the grill.  (It's supposed to go flesh side down.) By the time I notice this, the salmon skin has glued itself to the grill — so I leave it be.

Four minutes later I try to turn the fish. The fish separates from its skin, but I manage to turn each piece over without them falling apart. We're not huge fans of the skin, so I figure it's not too big of a loss. While the salmon is grilling, I start cutting the corn off the cob, and the next thing I know those fatty skins are all on fire and so is my fish. Argh! I cover the grill to suffocate the flames and then scrape at the skins stuck on the grill, trying to get them off. Eventually the grill is under control, but my salmon (while perfect on the outside) is still rather raw on the inside, so I cover the grill for a minute or two (even though the recipe says not to do it) to concentrate the heat, and at last my fish is done. I actually manage to transfer it to a serving plate without destroying the pieces, and dress it up with some lime zest and lime butter. (And, yes, fish filets are easier to check for doneness.)

All I can say is that in spite of, or perhaps because of, my grilling mishaps this salmon was stellar. Joe couldn't stop raving. The slightly charred surface with speckles of sea salt was incredibly flavorful, and the salmon only required a very small amount of the lime butter to dress it up. Per Everyday Wines' recommendation, I paired it with 2005 Seigneurs de Bergerac, Bergerac Sec, a dry French white with a delicate nose and a almost fruity finish with a touch of spice.

The whole meal isn't difficult to prepare... if you pay attention to what you're doing. The corn takes the longest to grill, but that provides a perfect window to make the lime butter and prep salmon for grilling and even do some early clean-up. And while the salmon is grilling the corn can be cut off the cob. I traded cleaning up for also preparing balsamic blueberries and peaches, which are delicious enough to deserve their own post....

Comments

[Tammy Coxen]

Isn't that wine great? Especially for $8.

Recipe sounds good too!

[Lydia]

A perfect summer meal!

[Joe]

Even the leftovers are good...

[Gigi]

Wow, crazy... I just made something like that, except with chicken instead of salmon. I'll have to try the salmon. And of course I haven't had time to go to a farmer's market lately, so I had to use frozen veggies. :(

[bygbaby]

That looks sooooo delicious!

[Malcolm]

Grilling fish is a bit tricky, I've found. The keys are:
1) Paying attention, which you've already discovered :)
2) Having a _really_ clean grate. I heat the grill grate once the coals are ready and the give it a good scrub with a wire brush. Likewise after removing the food, I scrub it down while it's still hot.
3) Oil the grate, and the food. Just get a wadded up paper towel dipped in oil, and rub it across the grate to lube it up. Likewise, rub a bit of oil on the food to be grilled.

Doing these things will pretty much eliminate any issues with sticking food, including fish, including if you grill it skin-side down (which in general should be fine)

[Joe]

Love the story. I can just see you trying to take the salmon off the hot grill. Definitely something I have done before! I just did some salmon on a plank at my blog. First time using a plank and the grill. Come take a look when you get a chance. http://cookingquest.wordpress.com

Would love your ideas and opinions!

Joe

[Randy]

How much of each of the herb mix did you use? I am very much interested in herbs and spices for fish and whatever.

[Kitchen Chick]

@Randy: the herb mix was used with the corn. I'm fairly certain I used 1/4 C of chopped mixed herbs as called for in the recipe.