Start heating the grill on high.

    We always buy a whole fillet. If you do, you have to decide whether you want to try to turn the whole fillet. It takes a little skill because salmon is delicate and easily breaks apart. If you want to go the easy route, cut the fillet in half; half a fillet is easy to turn.

    Heat the grill to high. Spray both sides of the fillet with olive oil. Put the salmon on the grill skin side down. Close the grill and give it 5 minutes to cook. Then turn the heat down to medium, respray the uncooked side with olive oil, and turn the fillet over. If you have a whole fillet, it helps to use a cookie sheet without a lip. Gently lift the edge of the fillet nearest you and slide the cookie sheet under it. Get the whole fillet on the cookie sheet at the edge farthest from you and then bracing the fillet with a turner, quickly flip the fillet over onto the grill. Remove the skin; it will peel off easily. Spray the salmon with olive oil. Close the lid and give it 5 minutes to cook. After 5 minutes, turn the fillet again and give it a final 5 minutes. Before removing it, check it for doneness. Using a paring knife and fork, make a small insertion in the fillet at one of the thickest parts. Examine the inner flesh. If it is medium to light pink, glistening with moisture, it is done. If whole, remove it from the grill using the cookie sheet and then slide it onto a platter. Squeeze 10 to 15 drops of fresh lemon over it, grind some sea salt and pepper over it. It is ready to serve.

    Salmon has three shades of pink. It begins dark pink, then turns medium pink with a moist glistening surface, finally light pink with a dry surface. When you check for doneness, you want the inner flesh to be medium to light pink and glisten with moisture. If the inner flesh is light pink and dry looking, it is over done. Also, when properly done, it should exude juices on the platter. If it does not, it is overdone.

    One of the reasons we always cook a whole fillet is that cold grilled salmon makes a delicious lunch. So it pays to have a fair amount left over. You can cut it into chunks and put them on a bed of lettuce, with coarsely chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, and green peppers, sprayed with olive oil, and dusted with sea salt and pepper. Or you can serve pieces of salmon accompanied with the same vegetables sliced. Spray the tomatoes slices with olive oil, and grind sea salt and pepper over them. Be sure to grind some extra sea salt over the salmon when having it cold.

    I was raised on both poached and grilled salmon. My recipe for poached is on the web. Poached salmon has a milder flavor than grilled. I like it with Middle Eastern flavorings. Sometimes I cut a fillet in half and poach one half, while I grill the other. I then heat up the poached piece for dinner two or three nights later. The stay in the refrigerator covered with poaching liquid enhances the flavor. We serve the poached salmon with rice. Use white or brown, but cook with water, not broth. You do not want any flavor to compete with the poaching juice, a portion of which is poured on each rice serving.

    Do you need a fish poacher to poach salmon? No, you can use a Le Creuset Oven or a sauté pan.

Brown Rice

    We like to serve grilled salmon with rice; white rice is fine, but brown rice has more flavor and is more nutritious. It takes longer to cook, though, so we use a pressure cooker. Start the rice before you start the salmon. Put 1 3/4 cups of water, chicken, or beef stock in the pressure cooker, and add 1 cup of brown rice. Bring it to a boil and then put on the cover. Start turning the temperature down. If using a Kuhn Rikon unit, bring the pressure to the first ring; if Magafesa, between the first and second rings on the setting I. When the proper pressure is reached, you should be able to keep the burner on low. Cook for twenty minutes, then let it cool down naturally.

    You can add flavor to the brown rice by sautéing onions in olive oil in the pressure cooker, then adding the water and/or broth. You can also substitute 1/4 cup of wine for some of the liquid. You can throw in some dried mushrooms. After the rice is done, you can stir in some butter and parmesan cheese. Suit yourself.