Grilled Salmon with Chardonnay Sauce

Hi!

I hope everyone had a fabulous and relaxing holiday weekend. I know we sure did. I didn’t grow up going to “the lake” for any holidays {swimming in Florida lakes could result in losing a limb…or being eaten all together} so whenever we go to Lake Tahoe in the summer it’s always so fun and new for me still. We do all those fun lake things like swim, eat ice cream cones and drink wine on the porch until late at night. This trip, we threw a big barbecue with friends at our cabin and I made my famous homemade baked beans, beer brats with caramelized onions, creamed corn and an extra fabulous blueberry crisp from Shauna Niequist’s new book, Bread and Wine.

Let’s keep the summer grilling tradition going today with this simple grilled salmon with Chardonnay sauce! I developed the recipe for one of my clients, Barefoot Wine, and made it for an impromptu dinner party a few weeks ago. Everyone loved it! You know how much Adam and I love grilling salmon….and what’s better {and tastier!} than topping said salmon with a buttery Chardonnay herb sauce? Nothing, my friends. Absolutely nothing.

Just like in the kabobs a few weeks ago, we used Wild king salmon for this recipe. You just can’t beat it and I highly prefer it over Coho, which has less fat but a seriously drier fillet. Who likes dry salmon? Not this girl. Plus, all the fat is good for you so I say eat up!

Isn’t it just gorgeous? We topped it with a sprinkle of herbed sea salt before grilling. Adam did this part while I was inside making the sauce…

Y’all will never believe how simple this sauce is! Seriously, it’s just butter, Chardonnay, fresh herbs and a squeeze of lemon. That’s it!! And it’s SOOOOOOOOO good when drizzled over hot grilled salmon. Swoon.

I hope you guys like it as much as my friends and I did! We paired this salmon with grilled asparagus and baked herb stuffed tomatoes. Perfect summer feast.

Grilled Salmon with Chardonnay Herb Sauce

Serves 2-4

Print this Recipe!

Ingredients:

1 ½ lbs wild King salmon, pin bones removed

4 tbsp unsalted butter

½ cup Barefoot Chardonnay

1 tsp finely minced garlic chives

1 tsp finely minced Italian parsley, plus more for garnish

juice of ½ lemon

pinch of herbed sea salt and pepper

Directions:

Heat your grill up and rub the grates with olive oil so the salmon does not stick.

Sprinkle herbed sea salt and pepper on salmon fillets and set aside.

In a small pan over medium high heat, melt the butter. Add the garlic chives and parsley then add the Chardonnay and the lemon juice. Bring to a simmer and continue simmering until the sauce has reduced by half — this will take about ten minutes.  After the sauce has reduced, taste and season with a small amount of salt and pepper if desired. The sauce will thicken up a bit as it cools.

Place a lid over the sauce to keep it warm while you cook the salmon. Place fillets on the grill, skin-side down, and grill for about eight minutes. Be careful not to overcook the salmon or it will dry out. You want it medium rare on the side because it will continue cooking off the grill.

When salmon is done, remove from the grill and bring back to the kitchen. Drizzle the Chardonnay sauce over the salmon and sprinkle with additional parsley. Serve immediately.