Necessity is the mother of invention. — old proverb

The first time I made this, it really wasn’t planned. I’d been in an unfamiliar grocery store and realized they had a decent fish department. When you’re standing right in front of the case and can’t smell fish at all, that’s an excellent sign! Just a sort of vague, ocean-y scent. So I bought a salmon fillet, even though it wasn’t on the list. Sometimes, you just have to throw your plans out the window! I didn’t pick up any dill for my old standby Dilly-Lemon Planked Salmon, thinking there’d be enough in my Aerogarden. There wasn’t. Then I remembered I had some maple-molasses marinade in the freezer. I usually use that with a pork tenderloin, but thought it sounded good with fish, and this dish was born. The next time I made it, it was definitely planned. This one’s a keeper! It’s super easy, and only about an hour start to finish — including soaking the plank and marinating the fish. And since the set-up takes less than five minutes, that leaves plenty of time to make your favorite veggies, or just relax and put your feet up.

A note about portion sizes: We adore salmon. Can’t get enough of it. I think most people would consider a pound (454 g) of salmon to be enough to feed three or four people, but we’re not most people. Divvy yours up however you like — I’m skipping dessert so I can have a huge piece of salmon!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 tablespoon molasses

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon EVOO

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

1 pound (454 g) salmon or steelhead trout filet

2 small cedar planks (1 per serving)

Preparation:

1.) Half an hour before cook time, soak planks in water. Weigh them down with a jar to keep them submerged.

2.) In a shallow baking dish, combine the first six ingredients (everything but the fish and the plank). Mix well. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the mixture in a small bowl; set aside.

 

3.) Cut the fish into two individual portions. Place flesh side down into the mixture remaining in the baking dish. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

4.) Preheat grill on high. Remove planks from water and shake off any drips. Place each piece of salmon skin-side down on a plank, discarding any marinade remaining in the dish. Place the planked fish on the grill and reduce the heat to medium-low. Close the cover.

5.) After 10 minutes, open it just long enough to brush the fish with the mixture set aside in Step 2. 

6.) Close the cover again and cook another 10 to 15 minutes or until salmon is done. You can check for doneness three ways: the flesh is opaque throughout, it flakes easily with a fork, or the internal temperature reaches 145º F (62.8º C) on an instant-read thermometer. The fish can be served right from the plank or lifted off with a spatula. The skin usually cooperates by staying stuck to the plank. 

 

 

 

Why am I including two nutrition labels? Because I don’t know how to account for the fact that all of the marinade isn’t eaten. The first label assumes you ate it all, but that doesn’t happen. The second is my guess for if about ⅔ of the marinade is discarded.