Swimming in Zucchini? This Grilled Salmon Recipe Is the Answer
RECIPES

Swimming in Zucchini? This Grilled Salmon Recipe Is the Answer

Ready IN
40 mins
Servings
4
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By JeanMarie Brownson
Updated:

We knew it was coming: The point in the summer when the garden overflows with zucchini and all manner of herbs, ready to become dinner.

Sprinkle tender basil and oregano over tomatoes, pizza, and eggs. Use chives on savory dishes, even popcorn. Flavor pitchers of water with mint for a refreshing touch.

Fortunately, the zucchini still proves sweet and tender enough for a quick saute in butter. Toss it with warm rice or pasta and cheese, or serve it as a bed for grilled fish.

For the grilled fish and zucchini, a creamy sauce seems in order. Salmon in sorrel sauce from my first edition copy of “The Nouvelle Cuisine of Jean & Pierre Troisgros” comes to mind. Arguably the most famous French chefs of their era, they pounded their salmon for a quick pan-fry in oil before bathing the thin pieces in a cream sauce studded with lemony-tasting fresh sorrel leaves.

I made this recipe on repeat as a young cook. Fresh sorrel leaves are still hard to come by in most markets, so I exchange it for fresh fennel and other herbs. On hot days, I swap fish stock for light chicken broth.

I prefer to cook fish outside for aroma reasons, so I skip the pounding and cook individual fillet portions on a piping hot griddle set on the grill. This is akin to using a covered grill like an oven. The bonus? The kitchen stays cooler.

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Salmon roasts on a hot grill in about 10 minutes. Prepare the rest of the dish ahead of time: zucchini sauteed in butter and garlic, plus a simple cream sauce made in the same skillet. Then reheat the sauce just as the salmon comes off the grill.

Look for wild-caught Atlantic salmon or salmon farm-raised according to best practices from Norway. For an attractive presentation, choose 2-inch-wide fillets about 6 inches long, with a generous inch at their thickest.

Serve the salmon with a salad of dark leafy greens or sliced red and yellow heirloom tomatoes drizzled with a lemony vinaigrette. Sop up the creamy fennel sauce with warm, crusty French bread. Finish with something cool and refreshing, such as watermelon wedges or strawberry sorbet.

For grilled fish and zucchini, a creamy sauce seems in order. (JeanMarie Brownson/TCA)
For grilled fish and zucchini, a creamy sauce seems in order. JeanMarie Brownson/TCA
Grill Roasted Salmon With Buttery Zucchini and Creamy Fennel Sauce
JeanMarie Brownson
Time
40 mins
(Prep 20 minsCook 20 mins)
Servings
4
Ingredients
  • 4 boneless, skin-on salmon fillets, 6 to 8 ounces each
  • Salt
  • Black pepper
  • 2 medium-sized zucchini, about 1 1/2 pounds total, ends trimmed
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
  • 1 large or 2 small shallots, finely chopped
  • 1 or 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1/4 cup chicken broth
  • 3/4 cup crème fraîche, mascarpone, or heavy whipping cream
  • 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil for high-heat cooking, such as expeller pressed canola, safflower, or avocado oil
  • 3-4 tablespoons chopped fresh fennel fronds
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
  • 2 teaspoons finely julienned lemon rind
  • Fresh fennel fronds or parsley sprigs, for garnish
Instructions
STEP 1
Pat fish dry and place on a plate. Season the fish generously on both sides with salt and pepper. Refrigerate covered up to several hours.
STEP 2
Cut zucchini lengthwise in half. Cut each half crosswise into thin slices. Put into a colander. Sprinkle zucchini with 1/2 teaspoon salt; toss to mix. Let drain in colander at least 10 minutes (or up to 30 minutes). Pat dry with a paper towel before cooking.
STEP 3
Heat butter and shallots in medium-size nonstick skillet. Cook and stir until shallots are tender, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and zucchini slices. Saute until zucchini is bright green and tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer zucchini to a large platter. Arrange in a pretty layer; keep warm. (Or, set aside for up to 30 minutes, then reheat in microwave oven before serving.)
STEP 4
Stir wine into same skillet. Boil hard over high heat to reduce liquid by half. Stir in broth and boil hard to reduce by half. Stir in crème fraîche until melted. Remove from heat. Set aside for up to 30 minutes.
STEP 5
Heat a gas grill to medium-high. Or, prepare a charcoal grill and let heat until coals are covered with gray ash. Put the cooking grate in place and let it heat for 5 minutes. Clean the grate with a wire brush or scrunched up aluminum foil.
STEP 6
et a cast-iron griddle or large cast-iron skillet in center of grill. Cover grill. Adjust the air vents to have a medium-hot grill (425 to 450 degrees F if you have a grill or oven thermometer).
STEP 7
When the griddle is hot, a few drops of water added should sizzle on contact. Add 2 or 3 tablespoons of the vegetable oil and then immediately lay the fish on the griddle, skin side down, in a single uncrowded layer. Cover grill. Cook fish, without turning, until salmon skin is crispy and fish releases from pan easily, about 5 minutes. Brush top of fish with oil, then use a flexible spatula to turn fish over (flesh side down). Cover grill and cook just long enough to brown the second side, about 3 minutes. Use tongs to flip fish over and remove from the grill.
STEP 8
Arrange fish, skin side down, over the zucchini on the platter. Cover lightly with foil while you reheat the sauce.
STEP 9
Set the cream mixture over high heat and boil. Remove from heat. Stir in fennel, chives and lemon. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper. Pour over fish and zucchini. Serve garnished with herb sprigs.
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JeanMarie Brownson
JeanMarie Brownson
Author
JeanMarie Brownson is a James Beard Award-winning author and the recipient of the IACP Cookbook Award for her latest cookbook, “Dinner at Home.” JeanMarie, a chef and authority on home cooking, Mexican cooking and specialty food, is one of the founding partners of Frontera Foods. She co-authored three cookbooks with chef Rick Bayless, including “Mexico: One Plate at a Time.” JeanMarie has enjoyed developing recipes and writing about food, travel and dining for more than four decades. ©2026 JeanMarie Brownson. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.