If desired, sprinkle salmon steaks or fillets with Montreal Steak spice or other grill seasoning. Grill salmon directly on greased grill or on greased foil until fish flakes with a fork OR salmon can be baked in a greased baking dish at 400 F . Generally, fish takes about 10 minutes per inch of thickness on high heat. A bit longer on low heat. Do not overcook – salmon is best when just barely cooked at the thickest part.
Mix together, except sour cream, at least 1 hour before serving:
1 cup thick yogurt*
1/3 cup mayonnaise
4 tbsp. finely chopped onion,shallot or green onion
zest of 1 lemon – about 1 tbsp.
2 – 3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 – 4 tbsp. chopped fresh dill (or 2 tsp. dried)
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup sour cream or additional yogurt – optional
Taste the sauce and decide if you want to add the sour cream which makes the flavours less intense.
May be used as a baste while cooking or simply served with the plain grilled salmon.
* For thick yogurt: Make sure to buy a plain unflavoured yogurt which does not contain gelatin. Line a colander or sieve with coffee filters (you may need 2 or 3), set the colander over a bowl, and pour in the yogurt. Let sit (in fridge if for longer than 1 hour) to drain off excess liquid. If it gets too thick, simply stir some of the liquid back in.
Judy’s Notes:
1. This dill sauce is delicious with small new potatoes or a baked potato and steamed green beans.
2. I personally prefer salmon fillets. The skin will become crispy if put directly on the grill. My husband loves it and I don’t touch it – the cooked salmon separates easily from the skin which keeps the salmon more moist while cooking.