Cedar Plank Salmon

Lowes or Home Depot have 6' cedar planks that you can cut to the size of the fish. Make sure the cedar planks are untreated:) Can use a cooler filled with water and a brick/rock to keep it submerged.

We had center cut fillets of steelhead trout which worked well here. Kept a close eye on them, thermapen at the ready. Threw some pre-cooked buttered cob corn on the side for a little caramelization. Definitely will do this again.

I have a variant on this that people love. I top the fish with a blend of chopped parsley, sun dried tomatoes, tomato pesto, olive oil, salt and pepper. Similar cooking time. With the oil in the mix it is going to catch fire. That is no big deal. Just don’t let the fire get to the fish itself. But it does add smoke that enhances the flavor.

This has been a standard in my home for 20 years. I split my planks ahead from cedar logs on hand, saturate a day in a bucket, then drip-dry, wrap, and into the freezer. It only takes a few minutes to thaw and re-hydrate. They are 1/2 inch or more thick, and do not split in the freezer I’ve prepared the salmon for the plank many ways, but now do Kenji’s dry-brine first, then coat with a sweet & tangy BBQ sauce that caramelizes. Inspired by a BBQ Salmon dish at Chotto Matte in Miami (May 2023).

We love this....have been doing it for years. I recommend weighting the plank and soaking it for at least 6 hours. You can't over soak it. When we don't do this, the plank itself burns, and occasionally catches on fire.

Sprinkle coarse salt on both sides of the salmon about when you start soaking the plank. Dab it off the meat side when you start grilling. You get the most delish salmon crackling.

I use untreated cedar shingles, soaked well and cook on the cold side of the grill until done then on the fire side to make some smoke flavor if it hasn’t happened on its own.

My experience when using cedar planks for grilled salmon is to keep the spicing simple: typically, just a healthy dash of ground white rock salt from a mill, as the cedar will impart a delicate smokey flavor that you don't want to obscure (some herbs, pepper, but keep in the background), which goes well with the wild salmon flavor (I never use farmed salmon). And have a spray bottle of water handy for flare-ups. Another variation on this theme is to use cedar wraps (veneered cedar).

I use a teriyaki marinade like the Soy Vey brand (or make the sauce from scratch). The fish is placed in the marinade for 20 to 30 minutes and then placed on the cedar plank. Some fresh rosemary leaves and cracked pepper are sprinkled on top. Once the fish is cooked, it makes for a delicious smoky salty/sweet fish that can be eaten as is or used for salads or a topping for crostini with capers, cream or mascarpone cheese, diced onions, micro-greens, and thinly sliced jalapeno pepper.

High risk high reward! In the northwest we buy a cedar fencing board from H. D.and chop it into the appropriate lengths. Soak the wood throughly on both sides in enough water to float it for approximately 10 minutes. Immediately place the board with the fish onto the grill maintaining the 450 degree temp. Keep a food safe spray water bottle handy. I want the wood to char and smoke (but not while the fish is cooking. It is done when a fork shows a little pink while the the outside shows caramel

Also, eastern cedar is poisonous, use only western cedar!!

We also make this but add a liberal sprinkling of smoked paprika along with the s&p; and then brush with maple syrup a couple of times while it cooks. Serve atop coconut rice and top the whole shebang with chili crisp and sliced scallions. Sweet/smoky/spicy unctuous goodness!

This is a staple in our house. Simple preparation, always a winner. We serve it with an arugula salad with roasted beets and goat cheese, and a balsamic drizzle.