Chef Josh Capon gives salmon the ultimate summer treatment by throwing it on the grill and serving it with a corn and jalapeño salsa for a light, healthy dinner.
To keep delicate fish fillets from sticking to the grill, Chef Capon says to use a clean grill and oil the grates: "With a grill brush, scrub the grill grates clean. Fold up a rag or a few paper towels to a tight square, grab with tongs and dip in some vegetable oil. Brush your scrubbed grates with the oil rag."
Pro Tip: For cross-hatch grill marks on the zucchini, give each piece a quarter-turn once the first set of grill marks are visible.
Swap It: Chef Capon uses 1 lemon and 1 lime here, but if you only have lemons or limes on hand, it's totally fine to sub in what you have and use 2 lemons or 2 limes instead of one of each.
- 3 ears corn, shucked and silks removed
- 1 red onion, cut in half with root end intact
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 1 jalapeño pepper
- 1 large zucchini, sliced ½-inch-thick on the bias
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 lemon, ½ juiced, ½ cut into wedges
- 1 lime, ½ juiced, ½ cut into wedges
- 4 to 8 sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped, plus more for garnish
- Four 6-ounce fillets salmon, with or without skin, patted dry and pin bones removed
- Vegetable oil
Preheat grill to high.
Arrange corn on grill grate, cover and grill, checking every few minutes and turning, until charred on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove and let stand until cool enough to handle.
Meanwhile, season red onion with olive oil, salt and pepper, add to grill cut-side down along with the jalapeño. Grill until onion is charred on both sides and jalapeño is blistered on all sides. Remove from the grill and let stand with corn.
Toss zucchini in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange on grates, cover, and grill until marks appear, about 2 minutes. Flip and continue to grill until grill marks appear, then remove and cover to keep warm.
Slice corn kernels off the cob and add to a mixing bowl. Halve jalapeño, remove the seeds, and finely chop, then add to corn. Roughly dice grilled red onion and add to corn along with cherry tomatoes, lemon and lime juice, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.
Season salmon with salt and pepper and brush with olive oil, being sure to coat completely. Using tongs, oil grates with a paper towel or clean rag dipped in vegetable oil. Arrange salmon on grates, skin-side down, cover and grill for 4 to 5 minutes. Using a metal spatula, flip salmon and grill for 2 to 3 minutes more or until salmon reaches desired doneness.
Serve salmon with salsa on top and grilled zucchini on the side. Garnish with a lemon and lime wedges and more cilantro.
