My husband has done a lot of interesting things in his life. At one point he stepped away from the typical 9-to-5 and spent a year working seasonal jobs. In winter he worked on a ski slope in Vermont, helping keep runs smooth. In summer he crewed on a sailboat, sailing from Trinidad to Saint Lucia, then spent some time wandering the islands, sleeping on beaches and crashing hotel breakfast bars. I’ve always thought that was kind of charming — he’s my beach bum, and I love him for it.
But the job he talks about most fondly is the summer he worked at a salmon cannery in Alaska. Whenever we eat salmon he tells little stories from that time: standing waist-deep in fish on a smelly processing boat, watching salmon get vacuumed onto conveyor belts to be filleted, spotting bald eagles as commonly as city pigeons, and seeing massive Kodiak brown bears rummaging through the cannery’s garbage. His stories are vivid and always make me imagine the wildness of life up there.
I’m not sure I’d be comfortable living so close to wildlife — I get nervous around bugs, so the idea of bears and eagles right outside the door gives me the chills. Still, I’m grateful he made it through those adventures unscathed, so years later he could meet me and become my husband.
Recently we served salmon for dinner while hosting my mother-in-law and her twin sister, LaLa (Laura). They said they felt pampered and ate like royalty for a couple of days. LaLa even declared this salmon the best she’s ever had — and she eats salmon often — so that’s a pretty flattering endorsement.
A few years ago friends invited me to dinner and prepared salmon teriyaki in foil on the grill using store-bought sauce. It was delicious and stuck with me. I decided to experiment and develop my own teriyaki-style sauce: tasting, adjusting, adding a little more of this or that until I was satisfied. The final sauce includes soy sauce, mirin, honey, lime juice, molasses, shallot, garlic and fresh ginger.
I place each salmon portion on a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, spoon the sauce over the fish, seal the foil into a packet and cook on a medium grill for about 20 minutes. The result is tender, flavorful salmon with a glossy, savory-sweet sauce — simple, grilled teriyaki salmon that’s worth trying. 
Below is the recipe I use. It’s easy to prepare, grills beautifully in foil packets, and pairs perfectly with steamed rice and a green vegetable of your choice. 

Teriyaki Salmon
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Ingredients
- Salmon – cut into 1.5 inch wide pieces
- 1 shallot , finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 inch of fresh ginger , grated
- 1/3 cup of soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon of Mirin
- 2.5 tablespoons of honey
- 1 tablespoon of Molasas
- Juice from 1/2 a lime
- Green onions for garnish
Instructions
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Preheat your grill to medium heat.
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In a small bowl combine the shallot, garlic, grated ginger, soy sauce, honey, mirin, molasses and lime juice. Stir until well blended.
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Place each salmon piece on a doubled sheet of aluminum foil or a heavy-duty piece of foil.
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Pour the sauce over each piece of salmon, making sure the fish is evenly coated.
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Seal each foil sheet to create individual packets, leaving a little space for steam to circulate.
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Place the packets on the preheated grill, close the lid and cook for about 20 minutes, until the salmon is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork.
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Carefully open the packets, transfer the salmon to plates and garnish with sliced green onions.
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Serve with steamed rice and your favorite greens.