Cedar plank salmon is a method of cooking salmon that has been used for hundreds of years. It gives your salmon a natural, rich, smoky flavor, especially when the salmon is slow cooked. Your family and your guests will love the great taste of this specially made salmon.
Cedar planks or boards for grilling are sold at gourmet food boutiques, housewares stores and lumberyard; you can also purchase them online in sets. When choosing your planks, especially at a hardware store, choose cedar that is completely natural and chemical free. It shouldn’t be treated with preservatives or other chemicals.
Before you heat up the grill for cedar plank salmon, you’ll have to prepare your plank. To do this, soak the board in water for 20 minutes to an hour. The longer the plank is to be on the grill, the longer you’ll want to soak it. Once the plank is ready, heat up the grill; while the grill is warming up, spray the plank with olive oil.
For this particular recipe, you’ll need a 1-2 pound salmon fillet, with the skin still on, ½ cup of brown sugar, 2 tablespoons canola oil, 1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves and 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Preheat the grill. Place the salmon fillet skin down on the cedar plank. Combine brown sugar, oil, thyme and pepper in a bowl. Spread the mixture over the salmon. Place the planked salmon on t the grilling grate and cook, with the grill covered for about 4o minutes or until the surface fat turns white.
Another way to enjoy cedar plank salmon is to rub about 2 pounds’ worth of salmon fillets with olive oil. Place on the prepared cedar plank and top with chopped red onion, grated black pepper and lemon wedges. Grill for about 20-30 minutes until done.
This cedar plank salmon recipe calls for a simple yet sinfully tasty marinade of lime and cilantro. In a food processor blend a cup of extra virgin olive oil, a bunch of cilantro leaves, 4 garlic cloves, the juice of one lime, salt and pepper. Cover about 4-6 salmon fillets with the marinade and place them in a Ziploc bag to marinate, preferably at least two hours or overnight. Grill on the prepared cedar planks for 10-15 minutes.