Cedar Plank Salmon Gone Sweet and Spicy...

Try something new today! Grill your fish on a Cedar Plank and have some of the best tasting fish of your life! Grilling on these planks make for easy cooking with wonderful flavor packed into each bite. The plank acts as a buffer from the heat of the grill and allows you to cook your fish low and slow while also letting the smoke of the Cedar wood seep into the flesh of the fish. No flipping is necessary, no loosing half your fish through the grill slats and no flame to your fish resulting in chard edges because of loss juices! It will change the way your grill!

Salmon Grilled and Seasoned to PERFECTION!

Notice the Cedar Plank the salmon filet is resting on

Please note, the recipe was quadrupled to make this much

So thanks to another UCSD Medical Center cooking course, I learned to make this recipe and now I am happy to share it with YOU so YOU  can enjoy!

Cedar Plank Salmon Gone Sweet and Spicy (UCSD Medical Center)

Author: UCSD Medical Center; Healing Foods Class; adapted and written by Brenna Bowers

Makes: about 5-6 servings (4 oz. each)

Ingredients:

4 Tablespoons brown mustard

2 Tablespoons honey

3 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon pepper

1 orange, zested (Tip 1)

1 lemon, zested

1.5 pound salmon filet with skin on* 1 cedar plank (can be purchased online: http://www.cedarplank.com/) (Tip 2)

Olive oil for brushing the cedar plank

Directions:

Place the cedar plank in a bucket of water and fully immerse for 4 hours. This will keep your plank from burning when it is on the grill.

To Marinade:

Marinade the salmon by placing the salmon fillet skin-side-down in a glass dish. Brush on the mustard and honey with the back of a spoon. Then place all the ingredients (from the brown sugar to the lemon zest) into a small bowl and stir. Sprinkle this on the salmon filet and pat it into the fish to adhere. Cover it with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for 2-6 hours.

To Grill:

Preheat the grill to medium high heat and allow it to heat up fully; about 10 minutes. Place the cedar plank on the grill and brush it with olive oil (to keep the fish from sticking). Allow the plank to get hot, about 3-5 minutes then push it to the indirect heat (where the fire is not directly on the wood). Lay the salmon on top of the plank and close the lid of the grill. Allow this fish to cook about 15-20 minutes or until it begins to flake when you place a fork in it and pull apart the meat. Remove from the grill and let the fish sit about 10 minutes before you serve it (this will help lock the juices into the fish). ENJOY!

Tip 1:  To properly “Zest” citrus, grate (with a “zester” works best or the very finest part of your grater) the outside skin of the fruit. You only want the colored part to be zested, not the white flesh underneath because the white section is quite bitter. 

Tip 2: Cedar Planks: This is just what it sounds like, a ¼ inch piece of Cedar wood that is used as a cooking device over the grill. The wood needs to be soaked in water so that it does not burn. Place your fish right on top of the board on the preheated grill and it will cook the fish slowly while infusing the flavors of the wood and keep the fish from falling through the grill slats. You are left with a beautiful piece of fish that is so moist and delicious! By the way, you can use the planks a couple of times, just wash them off with hot water and use until it begins to fall apart.

* Best if you purchase “wild” caught salmon rather than “farm raised” salmon