Grilled Salmon with Lemon-Dill Quinoa

Why This Grilled Salmon with Lemon-Dill Quinoa Works

On the grill, the salmon sits skin side down first, so the skin acts like a little shield. The heat comes up through the skin and slowly cooks the fish from the bottom. While it cooks, the fat in the salmon melts and spreads through the flesh, so the fish stays moist instead of drying out. A light coat of olive oil on the outside keeps the surface from sticking to the grill and lets it brown in spots without burning. By the time it flakes with a fork, the inside is cooked through but still tender.

In the pot, the quinoa soaks up the hot water until each grain swells and softens. Once the water is gone, the grains stay separate and fluffy instead of mushy. When the warm quinoa is mixed with lemon juice, zest, dill, and a bit more olive oil, the oil coats the grains and the lemon and dill spread through the whole pot. The warm quinoa then soaks in that lemon and herb taste, so every bite under the salmon has the same bright, fresh flavor.

Mistakes To Avoid

Letting the salmon sit on very high heat the whole time can leave it dry and stringy. The outside gets dark and tough before the inside is just cooked through, so the fish stops flaking in big moist pieces and instead breaks into dry, tight chunks.

Putting the salmon on the grill with the skin side up first often leads to sticking and torn fillets. The delicate flesh hits the grates, bonds to the metal, and rips when turned, so the pieces fall apart and lose their nice shape.

Skipping the rinse on the quinoa leaves a bitter coating on the grains. As it cooks, that coating stays on the outside, so even though the texture is fine, every bite has a harsh, unpleasant edge that competes with the lemon and dill.

Adding the lemon juice to the quinoa while it is still very wet and not yet fluffed can make the grains clump. The liquid gathers in pockets, some parts turn mushy, and the quinoa bed ends up pasty instead of light and separate.