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Grilled Crispy-Skinned Salmon With Whole Lemon-Sesame Sauce

4.4

(36)

Grilled CrispySkinned Salmon recipe
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Amy Wilson

Adding an entire lemon—skin, pith, and flesh—to the sauce for grilled salmon provides it with brightness and texture. Any bitterness from the pith will be offset by the sesame oil and honey. That balance makes it a super versatile condiment that pairs well with grilled or roasted vegetables and is great as a topping for stews and braises come winter. And remember: You absolutely want to cook fish that still has its skin on. It protects the fish while it grills and, despite what you think or have been told, will help it release from the grill grates more easily.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

4

6-oz. skin-on salmon fillets, pin bones removed, patted dry

2

Tbsp. plus ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for grill

Kosher salt

1

small lemon

1

small shallot, finely chopped

2

tsp. black sesame seeds

1

tsp. honey

½

tsp. toasted sesame oil

Freshly ground black pepper

1

cup torn basil leaves

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Prepare a grill for medium heat. Rub salmon with 2 Tbsp. olive oil; season both sides with salt.

    Step 2

    Cut ends off lemon and discard. Place lemon upright and slice off outer lobes in 4 sections, leaving a square-shaped core and seeds behind. Finely chop lobes (flesh, pith, and all) and transfer to a small bowl (you should have about ⅓ cup). Squeeze out juice from core over bowl. Add shallot, sesame seeds, honey, sesame oil, and remaining ⅓ cup olive oil; season with salt and lots of pepper. Toss to combine.

    Step 3

    Clean and oil grate, then immediately place salmon on grill skin side down. Cover grill and cook, skin side down the entire time, until skin is lightly charred and fish is opaque, 6–8 minutes. Transfer salmon to a plate and let cool slightly.

    Step 4

    Divide salmon among plates. Top with basil. Spoon lemon-sesame sauce over.

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Reviews (36)

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  • Amazing! The skin-side down method cooked the salmon perfectly and the sauce was OUTSTANDING. You can use the sauce later as a salsa on leftover salmon tacos, very, very good recipe.

    • Publisher-Los Cerritos Community News

    • Orange County, Ca.

    • 7/26/2018

  • This recipe was incredible! So easy, I am going to always cook my salmon this way. The sauce didn’t look like the picture BUT the flavor was amazing. Make a double batch of the sauce!

    • Anonymous

    • Salem, Oregon

    • 9/6/2018

  • This is my favourite lemon sauce I do this at least every other week. I use it on everything

    • Anie

    • Ottawa, Canada

    • 9/18/2018

  • I have made this at least 5 times and it is delicious. I was afraid the pith from the lemon would make the sauce bitter but that was not the case. The honey and sesame oil add a smooth finish. I have tried it with Myer lemons and regular lemons and I like it with both. This will be my go-to salmon recipe until I find another that tops this!

    • David Allen

    • Havertown, Pennsylvania

    • 12/27/2018

  • This lemon salsa is my favorite recipe of 2018. I have been putting it on EVERYTHING. Super recipe with the salmon too - make it now!

    • Anonymous

    • Los Angeles

    • 1/4/2019

  • Excellent. Easy and delicious. A real winner. The honey just balances the lemon without going to sweet. Super good. Will be looking for additional ways to use the lemon salsa. It's fabulous.

    • MarianneKH

    • 92673

    • 1/28/2019

  • My new go-to salmon recipe. Lemon Salsa 2020

    • Anonymous

    • Brooklyn, NY

    • 4/2/2019