CEDAR PLANKED SALMON
Indians in the great North West cooked salmon on planks of
Western Cedar or Alder over an open fire. For ceremonial
dinners, they would season the salmon with Potlatch. The
crew of Lewis and Clark enjoyed cedar planked salmon when they
wintered on the west coast. Cedar Planked Salmon is a real
treat, try it on your home grill.
To start, purchase some Cedar Grilling
planks, or Alder Grilling planks. Cedar
or Alder planks are available in many retail stores, including
Wal-Mart, most chain grocery stores, Costco, and most
any store that has a grilling section.
Don't go to a lumber yard and get Western Cedar, it will probably
be treated Western Cedar. Treated with who knows what kind
of chemicals. Make sure you get food grade (non treated)
Western Cedar.
Steel Head Trout also works well with this
cooking method. Steel Head Trout is milder with less
fishy taste than salmon. Take
your salmon or Steel Head fillets with skin on, and rinse in cold
running water. Then Marinate the Salmon or Steel Head Trout
fillets over night in:
1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 Tablespoons Lemon Juice (or 2
Tablespoons Lemon Juice and 2 tablespoons Lime juice)
4 Tablespoons Orange Juice
4 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
Combine the above ingredients in a zip lock bag. Add the
Salmon fillets and marinate over night in the refrigerator.
Soak a cedar plank for one to two hours before your want to grill
the salmon. Preheat your grill to 350 degrees. If you
don't have a thermometer in your grill, you can buy an oven
thermometer fairly cheaply and put it on your top rack. Roll
the zip lock bag around to get a good coat of marinade over the
Salmon fillets, then take the Salmon out of the zip lock bag and
place it skin side down on the soaked cedar plank. Don't pat
the fillets dry, just leave the extra marinade on the fillets to
keep them nice and moist. If desired, sprinkle Potlatch on
the fillets. Potlatch is available at Williams Sonoma, or
make your own.
POTLATCH
2 Tablespoons Kosher Salt
4 Teaspoons smoked paprika
1 Teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 Teaspoon chili powder
1 Teaspoon oregano
1 Teaspoon basil
1/2 Teaspoon coriander
Mix the spices together and store in a small zip lock bag.
Place the cedar plank on the first upper rack and cook for 30
minutes. Do not turn. Then you will get this:
Note the oven thermometer on the upper rack. Try to keep the
temperature around 350 degrees. Also, keep a spray bottle
with water in it available, just in case. Note the
glowing ember on the main or bottom rack. After you use the
cedar planks two or three times, break them into smaller pieces,
soak in water for about 10 minutes, and use them for additional
smoke flavoring. No waste! After 30 minutes,
slide the cedar plank onto an old cookie sheet and serve the best
Salmon you will ever taste!
After the first use, scrub the top of the cedar plank with a stiff
brush, no soap, and use again for a time or two. However,
you do obtain the best flavor with the first use.
