This elevated dish is a play on the chicken wing and is one of the most fun and delicious recipes to grill. It is also an exhilarating reminder that there is so much more to salmon than just the two fillets!
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Butchering "wings" from a whole salmon: Cutting the collar with the pectoral fin still attached turns an underused part of the fish into its own shareable cut, echoing chicken wings but built entirely from salmon that might otherwise go to waste.
- Searing skin side down first: Starting the wings skin side down against the hot soapstone renders and crisps the skin before the more delicate flesh side ever touches the heat.
- A "dump style" buffalo sauce built in the pan: Warming garlic and hot sauce together, then mounting in butter, builds a glossy sauce in the same pan the wings will finish in, with almost no separate prep.
- "Buffalo poaching" instead of just saucing: Nestling the seared wings meat-side down into the warm sauce and closing the dome lets them finish cooking gently in the sauce itself, rather than searing them fully and tossing sauce on afterward.
Buffalo Salmon Wings
Eric Gephart
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Entree
Cuisine
American
Servings
4
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
9 minutes
Calories
279
Take your grilling game to the next level with this creative salmon dish! Perfect for a change of pace, it's a fun and flavorful way to enjoy this amazing fish! A zesty reminder that salmon is more than just your average fillet.
Ingredients
- 4 each Kvaroy Arctic Salmon Collar with pectoral fin on
-
2 tbsp Cattleman’s Grill 8 Second Ride Carne Asada Seasoning
-
1 tbsp Reida Farm Raw Kansas Wildfire Honey
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and rough chopped
-
1/4 cup Cattleman’s Grill Pit Fire Hot Sauce
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
For the Dump Style Buffalo Sauce:
Directions
- Stabilize your Kamado Joe Classic III and searing accessory at 500ºF. Today I have chosen a Kamado Joe Soap Stone.
- Season the Salmon wings liberally. Oil your chosen sear surface and place the seasoned salmon wings skin side down against the hot surface.
- Grill for 2 minutes and using a spatula and tongs to support, delicately flip the wing and grill for another 2 minutes. Check regularly to make sure you have even caramelization.
- Insert a grill grate on the open side of the grill and place the garlic and hot sauce in a small lodge cast iron pan and allow to come to temperature. Mount the butter in the warmed sauce.
- Place the seared salmon wings into the buffalo sauce meat side down. Transfer the pan to the soap stone and close the dome. Allow to “Buffalo Poach” and cook for 5 minutes.
- Remove the wings from the sauce. Transfer the Salmon Wings to your presentation plate and drizzle with a bit of the buffalo sauce and honey to finish!
If you have a whole fish and want to cut wings:
Remove the collar from the Salmon.
Start your cut from the belly, tail side of the pictorial fin leaving the pectoral fin (your wing) as part of the intact collar.
Proceed toward the gill plate then navigating your way at an angle to the top of head separating the cut from fish.
Flip the Salmon over and repeat the process.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
What exactly is a "salmon wing," and why cut it this way?
The wing is the collar cut with the pectoral fin left attached, taken from a part of the fish that's usually discarded or ground into scraps. Cutting it out intact turns an underused piece into its own shareable, wing-like cut.
Why sear the wings skin side down first?
Starting skin side down against the hot soapstone renders and crisps the skin before the more delicate flesh side touches the heat, so you get a crisp exterior without overcooking the meat.
Why build the buffalo sauce in the same pan the wings will finish in?
Warming garlic and hot sauce together, then mounting in butter, builds a glossy sauce in the same cast iron pan the wings poach in afterward — one less pan, and the wings pick up flavor directly from where the sauce was built.
What does "Buffalo Poaching" mean, and why not just sauce the wings after searing?
Nestling the seared wings meat-side down into the warm sauce and closing the dome lets them finish cooking gently in the sauce itself, so the sauce becomes part of the cooking process rather than just a topping added at the end.
What internal temperature should the salmon wings actually reach?
This recipe doesn't list a target temperature anywhere, relying only on timing and caramelization as cues. USDA's minimum safe internal temperature for fish is 145°F — check with an instant-read thermometer rather than judging by time and color alone.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
2 out of 5 — a very hot cast iron skillet could sear the wings and hold the buffalo sauce, but achieving the same searing heat and the closed-dome "poaching" effect is much easier on a kamado grill.
Recipe Highlights
Butchered salmon wings: Turns an overlooked cut into its own shareable dish.
Skin-down first sear: Crisps the skin before the delicate flesh side cooks.
One-pan buffalo sauce: Built directly in the pan the wings finish in.
"Buffalo poaching": Finishes the wings gently in the sauce itself rather than saucing after the fact.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 4.96 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 279
- Carbs
- 4 grams
- Protein
- 34 grams
- Fat
- 13 grams
- Sodium
- 819 milligrams
