SIMPLE GRILLED SALMON (U.S.)

It was such a delightful preview of spring here today that I rolled out the Weber grill and fired up charcoal to do justice to a nice piece of fresh salmon.

I used a pretty simple technique: Took a one-pound salmon steak (with skin) and rubbed it lightly with olive oil, then put it on a plate and squirted lemon juice all over it, added a sprinkle of salt and pepper and left it to marinate for a half-hour or so.

Fired up a very hot bed of coals, placed the grill over them and let it get very hot, then dropped the fish on, skin side down, and let it grill, covered, without turning, for about 10 minutes or just until it was done through and barely starting to flake.

I served it with a quick, low-calorie sauce made of 1/2 cup nonfat yogurt with 1 teaspoon dried dill and a dash of black pepper stirred in.

Salmon makes a surprisingly good match with a red wine, defying the conventional wisdom about "white wine with fish," provided you select a light, fruity red like a Beaujolais, Cabernet Franc or most California Pinot Noirs, avoiding the tannic Cabernets that seem to impart a strange metallic taste to fish.