Whole Grilled Salmon

Published on December 6, 2013 | In American, Asian, Grilling | By Dave |

- Prep Time
- 30 Minutes
- Cook Time
- 60 Minutes
- Yield
- 10
- Difficulty Level

This is a fairly simple recipe but the results are outstanding. This is one of my own recipes and one that I have been making for ever. There are many ways to change the flavors of this but this Asian Twist seems to be the most popular we have tried. The Fermented Black Beans seem to be the key and you can find them in an Asian market. The more you make them into a paste the stronger the flavor will be. If you can’t find them, you usually can find Asian Black Bean Sauce that you can use, although the real thing is the best.

One important note here…DO NOT USE THIS RECIPE WITH FARM RAISED SALMON. Because it tastes different and this recipe was designed by one of the best culinary minds in existence to be used for wild Salmon. He would not be a happy camper if someone used farm fish.

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Ingredients

1 whole Salmon
2 T Fermented Black
4 green onions
5 Shiitake
4 cloves
1 package Cheese Cloth
Soy Sauce
Rice Vinegar
Saki
1 pound CHEAP Margarine

Instructions

OK first things first… If you are using the Fermented Black Beans, put them in a small bowl of water to soak. If you are using dried Shiitake mushrooms, you best be getting those soaking too. Sometimes they need a couple hours to hydrate properly.
Stuffing: Take a bowl and slice the mushrooms and take the green onions and cut them into about 2 – 3 inch lengths. Turn them so you can cut the long way on them and shred them with a knife, add them with the mushrooms in a bowl. Mince the Garlic and add to the bowl also. Stir to combine and it should look something like this:
Preparing the Salmon: Drain the Black Beans and use a spoon to mash the beans to a paste like this.
Place the Salmon on cheese cloth like this with the cheese cloth opened as wide as you can make it.
Now take the Black Bean paste and put it all along the spine on the inside like this and press the beans in.
Now fill the cavity with the stuffing in the bowl and completely fill it up as this will help get the flavors through out the fish and make the cooking even.
Ok, we are getting close to being ready to cook…Hold the filled cavity up and pour a bit of Soy Sauce, Saki, and Rice wine Vinegar into the cavity. You don’t want tons and not enough to spill out but a good sprinkle of each is good.
Now wrap up the Salmon in the cheese cloth. when finished try to tie up the ends.
Now take the margarine and rub it all over the Salmon very heavy. Be sure to cover everything good. You don’t have to worry about this because it is only going to seal the fish. So it is better to use cheap stuff rather than the real good stuff.
When you are all done it will look like this.
Hopefully your grill is up to temp and lets put it on – but don’t be slow taking a picture of it like I was or as you see it will flare up.
Cover and cook for 30 minutes each side on a fairly hot grill. You don’t want it more than about 325 on this type of grill. Don’t be to concerned if it starts getting black either, you don’t want it to catch on fire though. When it is done it will look something like this.
Let it rest a few minutes before cutting along the belly line. Then just peal off the cheese cloth and all the skin will come with it.
It will look like this.
Now roll it over and continue the removal of the remaining cheese cloth. When I plate this I usually use a platter and put the stuffing in the middle with the fillets of Salmon on each side. That is it just serve it.