Here, a vibrant dill chimichurri, made with chile, garlic, and vinegar, pulls double duty. First as a flavorful precursor to coat salmon fillets before they hit the grill. (The shallot in the sauce will char and frizzle over the heat.) Then spooned over them off heat because it’s just that good. Grilling the fillets atop a few slices of lemon so they aren’t directly touching the grates, eliminates the risk of fish sticking to the grill altogether.
Recipe information
Total Time
1 hour
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Prepare a grill for medium-high heat; oil grate with vegetable oil. Mix 1 shallot, finely chopped, 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped, 1 serrano chile, halved, seeds removed, finely chopped, ½ cup finely chopped dill and/or parsley, ¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, ¼ cup plus 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar, 1½ tsp. sugar, ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a small bowl. Cut 1½ lemons into 8 slices. Remove and discard seeds. Set slices aside. Squeeze juice from remaining ½ lemon into chimichurri and mix well.
Step 2
Season four 6–8-oz. skin-on salmon fillets, pin bones removed, patted dry, with salt. Transfer 3 Tbsp. chimichurri to a small bowl; set remaining chimichurri aside. Coat fillets all over with 3 Tbsp. chimichurri, dividing evenly. Arrange, skin side up, on grate; grill just until char marks appear and fillets release easily from grate (they will still be very raw), about 30 seconds. Transfer to a baking sheet, arranging skin side down.
Step 3
Place reserved lemon slices in pairs on grate, snuggling up against each other. Place each salmon fillet, skin side down, on a pair of lemon slices (fillets should not be touching the grate). Cover and grill until cooked through and flesh flakes easily with a fork, 13–18 minutes. Transfer salmon to a platter and tuck lemon slices around if desired. Spoon some reserved chimichurri over. Serve remaining chimichurri on the side.
