Grilled Salmon with Dijon-Honey Vinaigrette

VEW

When you live in the northern parts of the country you must squeeze every drop of warm, sunny weather out of the few months that comprise Spring, Summer and Autumn. For me that means grilling often. I'll grill just about anything that one can eat, but fish has always scared me a bit. I've done fish steaks, but fillets have always left me with visions of shredded bits of flesh stuck to my grill thereafter flavoring all other meats with a general and no so appetizing fishy-ness. I am well aware that there exists a host of gadgets to combat this problem: cedar planks, roasting baskets, racks. Being a relative gadget minimalist, I have never wanted to acquire any of these, but I have the cabinet space so what am I afraid of? I am currently in the market for some such things. However, as a recent trip to Florida proved, such things may make life easier, but are not necessary. I was cured of my irrational bias against grilling fish when my brother-in-law, a self-proclaimed mere occasional griller, grilled a large Grouper fillet to not-shredded perfection over a sea-air corroded gas grill that had 3 of 4 burners on the fritz. I came home determined to get right in the saddle. I went to the store and bought some wild Coho Salmon and made this recipe from Bobby Flay. It was great. The vinaigrette was just as good on a simple salad of Romaine, cranberries, walnuts and crumbled blue cheese as it was on the fish, and I am confident that when I grill chicken tomorrow, it will not taste like last night's salmon. Did I mention the whole meal including time to light a charcoal grill took 25 minutes? Give it a whirl.