Orange Glazed Grilled Steelhead Trout or Salmon

A whole fillet of steelhead trout grilled with an orange glaze that is both sweet, salty and aromatic, with orange marmalade, soy sauce, lime juice, jalapeño, shallot and garlic. 

A whole fillet of salmon or steelhead trout is such an impressive, healthy and also very easy dinners to make. We love making our Baked Steelhead Trout, both in the oven and on the grill and today I want to share another version of one of our family’s most popular meal choices with this Orange Glazed Steelhead Trout.

The glaze is a combination of sweet and salty, from the orange marmalade and the soy sauce. It definitely has more of a savory flavor, with the aromatic onion, the poblano pepper and garlic. The bright citrusy flavors of the orange and lime really brighten up the juicy fish and they pair so well with the fresh cilantro. Citrus and acidity are absolutely spot on complements to any seafood, so you can be sure that this is a flavor profile that you and your family will really enjoy. 

Ingredients:

1 fillet salmon or steelhead trout, (3-5 lbs) skin on

salt, ground black pepper, to taste

1 – 1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 shallot or 1/2 small red onion, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeno or 1/2 pablano pepper, minced

1/3 cup orange marmalade

1 1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce

1 Tablespoon lime juice, plus 1/2 teaspoon lime zest

1/2 Tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions:

Preheat your grill on high heat for at least 15 minutes, covered.

Meanwhile, tear off/cut off a rectangular piece of heavy duty aluminum foil so that it is several inches bigger on all sides than the fillet that you will be grilling. Crimp the edges of the foil, creating your own “rimmed baking sheet”. This will keep your salmon from sticking to the grill and is such an easy way to transfer it on and off the grill, but at the same time get a great grilled flavor.

Season the fish with salt and ground black pepper. You can use either steelhead trout or salmon. I was using steelhead trout when these pictures were taken, but both types of fish work equally well. You can also use any size fillet, there is enough glaze for a large fillet, or you can make a smaller fillet and not use all the glaze, serving the remaining glaze on the side, if you’d like.

Brush it with about 1/2 – 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, depending on the size of your fillet (you can use any oil that you like). Place the seasoned fish on the hot grill, reducing the heat to medium high.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. (You can also make the sauce in advance and have it ready to go when the fish is grilling.)

Heat the remaining 1/2 Tablespoon of oil in a small saucepan. Add the onion or shallot, poblano pepper, and galric, cooking on medium low heat for about 3-5 minutes, just until tender.  Add the orange marmalade and the soy sauce. Mix to combine and bring to a boil. Simmer for just a minute. Add the lime zest and juice, mix to combine and take the sauce off the heat.

When the fish fillet is halfway cooked (you will see the edges of the fillets turning pink), spoon the orange glaze all over the surface of the fish. Keep grilling until the fish is completely cooked and then take off the grill.

The whole fillet should cook for a total of 8-15 minutes on the grill on medium high heat. A smaller fillet will cook for 8 minutes and really large fillets 15 minutes. Don’t overcook the fish or it will be dry.

Use a thin spatula to go all the way around and underneath the fish and then use 2 large spatulas to transfer the fish to a serving platter. The fish skin will stick to the foil as it cook and it’s so easy to take the fillet off the foil, leaving the skin behind. Garnish with fresh cilantro and other fresh herbs, like green onions, parsley or dill.

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