There is a magical exchange of flavour as a fresh Salmon fillet gets gently kissed by the flames of the grill. Combine that magic with the delicious sorcery that is Cajun Seasoning, and you know it’s only going to get even better. Today, we are going to look at how to make Delicious Cajun Grilled Salmon. In case that isn’t enough, we are also going to make a citrus and arugula salad to act as the base for the Salmon creating a healthy lunch or light dinner option. Let’s get to it.
Cajun Seasoning
If you search “Cajun Seasoning Recipe” into Google, you will get somewhere around 10 million results. So, if you want to make your own Cajun Seasoning, there are more than enough options out there. Usually, I would opt to make my own. However, I bought this bottle of Club House Cajun Seasoning for my niece a few months ago when she was house-sitting for us. Instead, then let it sit in the cupboard and go to waste, I figured I should use it up.
To make the rub for the salmon, I combined 1 tbsp of the Cajun Seasoning with 2 tbsp of olive oil and mixed it up. I rolled two salmon fillets in the mixture, wrapped the whole thing in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for two hours to marinate.
Grilling The Salmon
After the salmon had been marinating for about one hour and forty-five minutes, turn on your grill to medium-high heat to preheat it. Bring the temperature up to 400°F and let it heat until the salmon is ready to grill. The goal of this heating is to get the temperature of the grill grates to 400°f. This heat is integral in making sure that the salmon doesn’t stick, or at least sticks less. Once the grill is hot and has had time to heat (about 10 minutes), the salmon can go on.
Put the salmon on the grill “presentation side” down. The presentation side of the salmon is the better-looking side, usually the side that didn’t have (or doesn’t have) skin on it. Cook the salmon, without touching it, lid down, for 5 minutes. Using tongs and a spatula, carefully flip the salmon and cook it for another 5-6 minutes. The cooking time will depend on how thick your salmon is, and how well done you like it to be. I prefer my salmon to be a little undercooked, but cook yours as you see fit. Once the salmon is cooked, remove it from the grill and serve it with the salad.
Citrus Salad
The base for the salmon is a basic citrus salad that contains only a handful of ingredients. However, there is one part of making this that can be a bit tricky. The key to this salad is the segments of orange and lime. To create these citrus segments, use a sharp knife to cut them free from the fibrous part of the orange. Let’s take a look at how to do this.
How to segment an orange.
If you look at the second picture in the gallery below, you will see an orange with the top cut off. All those white lines, the ones that make it easy to pull an orange apart, those are what divide the orange into segments. For this salad, you want only the orange segment and not the white lines. Now, look at the third picture in the gallery. In the third picture, you can see that I am using my knife to cut inside those white lines on both sides of the orange segment. Cut as close to those lines as possible so that the segments release from the orange. Put those segments into a bowl, and squeeze whatever is left of the orange to get any remaining juice out.
This segmenting process may seem like a pain, and in some ways, it is, but it has two primary purposes. The first is that the segments are more enjoyable to eat without that fibrous membrane. The second purpose is that doing this allows you to have orange segments and fresh orange juice while only using one orange.
How to peel an orange using a knife.
Peel the orange, using a knife and cut as close to the orange flesh as possible. Make sure that the pith (the bitter white part of the orange) is removed while avoiding cutting into the orange as much as possible. I find the easiest way to do this is to cut the top and bottom off of the orange, place it on your cutting board, then use a sharp knife to cut the skin away. As you cut the skin away, it is crucial to curve your blade around the shape of the orange; this will cut down on waste.
Making the Citrus Salad.
Once the orange is segmented, zest the lime into the bowl, then segment that as well. Add in 1 tsp each of mustard and honey, along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Gently whisk the contents of the bowl, trying not to break the citrus segments apart as much as possible. Now, slowly whisk 1/4 cup of olive oil into the dressing, then add in the arugula, toss, and serve.
Putting it all together
The final step is to combine the salmon and the salad. Put the dressed arugula in a bowl and top with the salmon. Spoon some of the dressing and a few of the citrus segments over the salmon, and enjoy.
Ingredients
Cajun Salmon
- 2 fillets Salmon
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp Cajun Seasoning
Citrus Salad
- 1 lg Orange, Cut into Segments
- 1 Lime, Zested and Cut into Segments
- 1 tsp Honey
- 1 tsp Mustard
- 4 cups Arugula
- 1/4 cup Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
Salmon
- Combine the olive oil and Cajun seasoning in a medium bowl.
- Roll the salmon in the Cajun Seasoning Mixture to coat it. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to marinate for 2 hours.
- Preheat your grill to 400°f for about 15 minutes.
- Depending on how thick your salmon is, cook it 3-6 minutes per side over medium heat with the lid down.
- Once the salmon has reached your desired level of doneness remove it from the grill and place it on the salad.
Citrus and Arugula Salad
- Peel a large orange and using a small sharp knife cut between the membrane of each segment so that each segment comes away freely leaving the fibrous membrane behind. Once all of the orange segments have been cut free, squeeze the juice out of the remaining bit of orange into a bowl with the segments.
- Using a microplane, grate the zest of the lime into the bowl with the orange. Once zested, peel the lime and segment it as you did with the orange, then squeeze any juice out of the bit that is left behind.
- To the bowl with the orange and lime segments and juice add the honey, and mustard then gently whisk to combine.
- Slowly whisk in the olive oil, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Toss the arugula with the dressing divide it among two bowls and top with the Cajun Grilled Salmon. Finish the salad by spooning the citrus segments and dressing over the salmon.
Conclusion
The most difficult part of this salad is segmenting the citrus, and once you get the hang of that, you can do it in a minute or two. I promise, it is worth the effort. If you are looking for something light, with lots of fresh flavour, this Cajun Grilled Salmon Citrus Salad, is exaclty what you’ve been looking for.
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