This is a magnificent way to cook salmon. It’s truly scrumptious, quick, easy, healthy, & clean-up is a snap. Not even a mess to scrape off the grill! The skin sticks to the plank, so it’s even easy to serve. You do need a little lead time to soak the plank, but after that the recipe is a breeze. I buy several sizes of planks from Outdoor Gourmet. Their “seconds” are good quality, good value, & with several sizes on hand I’m always ready for grilling. For the two of us this week, I used the medium plank, 5″ x 8″. Making this recipe with a whole salmon filet on the cedar king salmon plank is a stunning presentation when you have a bigger crowd. Just increase the amount of the ingredients accordingly. You’ll find a printer-friendly version of the recipe at the bottom of this page.
Ingredients:
1 untreated cedar plank
1 pound salmon filet with skin, in a single piece
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp minced fresh dill
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, plus lemon wedges for serving
Directions:
1.) Soak the cedar plank in water for 30 – 60 minutes. Put something heavy on it so it stays covered with the water (I use a glass 2# honey jar), half an hour to an hour.
2.) Preheat your gas grill on high for 3 – 5 minutes. If you prefer a charcoal grill, just build the fire on one half. Start it when you start the plank soaking, so it has plenty of time to get very hot. For the plank’s smoke to do its magic, you do need a covered grill.
3.) Mix oil, garlic, dill, salt, pepper and lemon zest in a small bowl. Place the salmon on the soaked plank. Cut lengthwise through the meat of the fish, down to but not through the skin. Rub the seasoning mixture over the top and sides of the salmon and into the cut.
4.) Place the planked salmon on the hot grill grate (on the side without the fire, if using a charcoal grill). Turn grill to medium-low. Close cover.
5.) Cook covered until salmon is just opaque throughout, 20 to 25 minutes or longer, depending on thickness and grill temperature.
6.) Let sit 5 minutes before serving with lemon wedges. See how easily the fish comes up with the spatula? The plank that’s in the lower right corner in the pic shows how the fish skin sticks to the wood while the meat comes up easily.
Dilly-Lemon Planked Salmon
Ingredients
1 untreated cedar plank
1 pound salmon filet with skin, in a single piece
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp minced fresh dill
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, plus lemon wedges for serving
Directions
1.) Soak the cedar plank in water for 30 – 60 minutes. Put something heavy on it so it stays covered with the water (I use a glass 2# honey jar), half an hour to an hour.
2.) Preheat your gas grill on high for 3 – 5 minutes. If you prefer a charcoal grill, just build the fire on one half. Start it when you start the plank soaking, so it has plenty of time to get very hot. For the plank’s smoke to do its magic, you do need a covered grill.
3.) Mix oil, garlic, dill, salt, pepper and lemon zest in a small bowl. Place the salmon on the soaked plank. Cut lengthwise through the meat of the fish, down to but not through the skin. Rub the seasoning mixture over the top and sides of the salmon and into the cut.
4.) Place the planked salmon on the hot grill grate (on the side without the fire, if using a charcoal grill). Turn grill to medium-low. Close cover.
5.) Cook covered until salmon is just opaque throughout, 20 to 25 minutes or longer, depending on thickness and grill temperature.
6.) Let sit 5 minutes before serving with lemon wedges. See how easily the fish comes up with the spatula? The plank that’s to the right in the pic shows how the fish skin sticks to the wood while the meat comes up easily.
julienne.red 
What a fish! Having grilled plenty of fish over the years, I ( as chief tester), greatly prefer the plank. Great flavor, no gambling on the fish getting stuck on the grill. It’s also cool that it’s the jug of honey holds the plank down( I don’t know why).
Tp
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