Cedar Plank Salmon

[9lives]

Tried this for the first time last night. Soaked the cedar planks for most of the day. Put them on a low charcoal firefor about 5 mins..til they started to smoke. Put the salmon fillets on for about 12 mins..very easy and delicious..smoky flavor and great texture..steam/smoke/bake

I like my salmon towards the rare side and put them in the freezer for about 1/2 hour before cooking.

[itryalot]

I soak them in a bath of 50% water, 50%white wine and some freshly squeezed lemon juice.
I know...it is a little over the top to use a good wine to soak wood in and then throw out.

[mmalmad]

I get several uses from mine before they become too charred. They sell for 5.95/2
at Stop and Shop or Lowes

[ExercisetoEat]

I saw something recently that recommended soaking the plank in red wine...I'm dying to try it but don't have the right pan size for my current planks to soak in. I re-use the planks at least once or twice, but always soak them for an hour ahead of time before grilling.

A nice recipe for non-Copper River salmon is to rub the salmon with soft butter and pack brown sugar around the fillet. I usually use a foil cover in this method and the brown sugar turns into a fantastic glaze.

[waver]

I thought the planks were supposed to be reuable, but mine got quite charred on the bottom. Should I try to use it again or will it just turn into a ball o' flame?

[djohnson22]

The ones you use in the oven are re-usable, but the ones you use on the grill most definitely are not (as quite obviously they will start to burn from the open flame directly underneath them). Though you could always put them to a second use by breaking them up and adding to your charcoal to lend their smoke flavor to your grillables.

[emilief]

I have reusable cedar planks from NapaStyle: I use them in the oven. Micahel Chiarello has a wonderful recipe which you can find on the website for Napastyle - cedar planked salmon with egg sauce. The egg sauce is very rich- has hard boiled eggs and salmon caviar. This is one of the things I serve to company.

[Pistou]

When you use the plank in the oven, do you soak it? The one I have just says to oil it, then bake in a 350 oven.

[toodie jane]

any idea of the 'low charcoal' fire temp? I've alwasy wanted to try the planks but they're so expensive. Do you know of a cheap source?

[leanneabe]

Our Costco (San Diego area) has them in a 6-pack and they come out to a little over $1 each. I've also seen them at Walmart and Lowe's. They're cheaper than going to Williams Sonoma or other gourmet shops.

[happyhomemaker]

My plank was a gift from my mom purchased years ago during a visit to Seattle at the Palisade Restaurant. It's reusable. It's very simple to use in the oven and has a great rub recipe that I use on my salmon before I cook it. Here's the link: http://www.plankcooking.com/index.htm The recipe for the rub is also on the site. Click under "Recipes" and click Cedar Plank Roasted Salmon. I like to make a big batch of the rub as it stores well in the pantry.

[pikawicca]

There is no reason to buy special cedar cooking planks. Go to your local lumber yard and buy a standard 8-foot length of untreated cedar. Have them cut it to fit your roasting pan or grill. When the planks get too yucky to re-use, replace them. This costs next-to-nothing.

[Carb Lover]

Exactly, this is the way to go. Besides being cheap, you can customize it for your needs. Helpful to know your grill's dimensions before you go to the lumber yard.

Photo of our cedar planked salmon:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y45/...

[pikawicca]

When the weather's bad, I do this in the oven. Preheat oven, put plank on a baking sheet and preheat that for 20 minutes. Put fish on plank, glaze (maple syrup, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, lemon juice, reduced) and roast. Works great.

[shazzer65]

I love cedar planked salmon but have never tried it in the oven!!!! Yum! BBQ is on the frizz so I will try this...thanks for the tip!

[oakjoan]

I had this for the first time (I'd never even heard of it) a couple of weeks ago. It was wonderful. Good idea about putting salmon in for a quick pre-freeze.