Hickory Plank Salmon w/ Spicy Mustard Sauce

Last night I used a hickory plank to grill some salmon and it was really good. The hickory wood gave a nice smoky flavor to the fish without overpowering it. I made a sauce for the salmon that I drizzled over the fish about 5 minutes before taking it off of the grill and then placed the rest on the table if anyone wanted extra. I combined 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons of apple jelly and 1/2 teaspoon of chili puree in a small bowl and stirred until combined. After grilling the fish with the mustard sauce, I topped it with fresh chopped chives and served. This is the easiest way to grill fish in my opinion and the cleanup is a snap.

Maple Plank Salmon

Last night I used a maple plank for my salmon. It imparts a subtler wood taste than either the alder or cedar, but it was just as good. I marinated the salmon for about 20 minutes in the juice of 2 lemons, 1/2 cup white wine and a clove of garlic coarsely chopped.

Before placing it on the plank, I sprinkled it with salt and pepper, fresh dill and more chopped garlic. I love using planks for salmon and really need to try and expand my horizons and use them for other fishes and meats.

I served the fish with some cooked carrots and this amazing couscous from Green Acres Market in Briarcliff Village. It is an Israeli Couscous with Edamame and Mint that you get from their deli counter. It's nice, light and refreshing and perfect served with fish.

Alder Plank Salmon

This weekend, I decided to try out something other than a cedar plank for salmon. We had bought an assortment of planks from Restoration Hardware and one of them was alder wood. When we were in Seattle, it seemed that this was the wood used in a lot of the restaurants , so that was the plank I used this time. It really did impart a different taste to the fish, which I actually preferred, it was not as strong as cedar.

Like the cedar, you let the plank soak in water prior to grilling and I place it on the grill without the fish to let it heat up first. I marinated the salmon with the juice of 1 lemon, 1 orange and a 1/2 cup of white wine along with the zest of the lemon and orange. Before placing it on the plank, I salt and pepper the salmon. When the salmon was finished I topped it with chopped flat leaf parsley and chopped chives.

Lemon-Soy Sauce Cedar Plank Salmon

Sunday night we had our favorite stand by, Cedar Plank Salmon. Dan could eat salmon every night if given the choice and while I like it, I can only handle so much fish. Last night I marinated the salmon for about 20 minutes in a mixture of the juice from 1 lemon, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and the zest from the lemon. Using cedar planks for salmon impart such a nice clean taste to the fish and it couldn't be easier. After heating the plank on the grill, I placed the salmon on top, sprinkle it with salt, pepper and garlic powder. I put the lid on the grill, leaving the top holes open and cooked the fish for 16 minutes and it was perfect!

Salmon with Brown Sugar Mustard Glaze

This is a recipe I found in Weber's Art of the Grill. The glaze on the salmon is excellent, creating nice crispy, caramelized sides. They cook the salmon on foil, I placed mine on a grill rack designed for fish. Their recipe also uses 2 teaspoons of grated fresh ginger, which I omitted in my recipe. I also read the recipe wrong, so I added too much honey and butter, but it still tasted great.

Salmon with Brown Sugar Mustard Glaze

1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 whole salmon fillet, about 1 lb.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter, honey and brown sugar together. Remove from heat, stir in mustard, soy sauce and olive oil. Allow to cool.
Place salmon, skin side down, on a large sheet of aluminum foil. Trim foil to leave a 1/2 inch border around the edge of the salmon. Coat fish with sauce.
Grill salmon over indirect heat until edges brown and center is opaque 15 to 20 minutes. Serve.

Cedar Plank Salmon Revisited

When I wrote a post on cedar plank salmon, an anonymous person thought 20 minutes was too long to cook the fish and that something was wrong with my grill. I decided to look up some other recipes for cedar plank salmon and found out that 20 minutes was not out of line. Bobby Flay cooks his that way as does Elizabeth Karmel in "Taming the Flame". Then I took out my package of cedar planks and actually looked at the instructions and they also say 20 minutes. As I said in my post I like my fish well done and after 20 minutes minutes on a plank , it comes out perfectly cooked and nice and smoky. I prepared it again last night just to make sure. This time I used the same marinade recipe, but added 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and made sure to salt and pepper them before grilling.

Cedar Plank Salmon

We were at Costco the other day and found this beautiful salmon, it was just over 2 pounds and cost $14.00. I decided this would be perfect for the grill. I cut it in half and placed one half in the freezer and cut the other half in half again, to grill. I love the flavor that the cedar plank imparts on the fish along with the smoke from the grill. It doesn't get much better than this and so simple too. You can find cedar planks at Target that are cheaper than Williams-Sonoma, I've even seen them in the grocery stores. I cook our salmon through, I know that lots of places serve them practically rare these days, but Mikey don't go for that. I like my fish cooked!!

Cedar Plank Salmon

1 cedar plank
2 salmon fillets (1 to 1 1/2 lbs. total)
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup white wine
salt and pepper

Soak the cedar plank for 2 hours. Place salmon in a small baking dish, zest the lemon over the top. Juice the lemon and pour over fish with white wine. Add garlic and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let the fish marinate for 30 minutes before grilling, turning after 15 minutes.
In the meantime heat the grill. Place the cedar plank on the grill over hot coals and leave it there for 3 to 4 minutes until it starts to smoke. Place salmon on the plank. Cover grill and cook 20 minutes, until fish is cooked through.