Moroccan Grilled Salmon

Cook's Illustrated... is there anything they don't know?! This recipe is from The Best Recipe: Grilling and Barbecue.

Marinade Ingredients:
Makes enough for about 1.5 lbs. of salmon fillets

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:
1. Mix the oil, ginger, cumin, coriander, salt, and cayenne together in a small bowl. The marinade makes a paste with the consistency of very thick salad dressing. It forms a crust during grilling that's crispy and flavorful.

2. Rub the marinade over the salmon, then cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

3. Preheat gas grill on high with lid closed for about 10 minutes, then place salmon skin-side down, close the lid and wait 4 minutes. Raise the grill lid... the skin should be a little blackened and starting to separate a bit from the pink flesh. Take a deep breath, gather your confidence, and flip! the fillet. Breath a sigh of relief, close the lid, and wait another 3-5 minutes, depending on how well-done you like your salmon.  (Wary of the flip? You can cut a large fillet into individual servings before grilling, but where's the adventure in that?!)

4. Remove from the grill and eat like a cave person.

Photographic evidence: Halfway done. That's the skin-side, right after I flipped 'em like Julia Child.

Ready to eat.

This is delicious with Moroccan Orange Salad and/or avocado-mango salsa (1 mango + 1 avocado + 1/4 red onion + cilantro & lime juice to taste).

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I'm excited to once again join the punk rock foodies on Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade.