So I woke up this morning and the sun is just radiating. If you live in Michigan you know how rare it is to have this kind of sunny weather as frequently as we have lately so early in the year. So today when considering my dinner options I decided a nice grilled salmon was in order, and hey, I'm going to do it on cedar planks too!
If you've never used cedar planks before, you're missing out on a savory treat. Cedar planks are sold in local markets, and as we learned last summer when up at my in-laws' house, in other unsuspecting places. We brought a beautiful piece of salmon up with us and meant to bring our own cedar planks, but in the end I forgot to pack them! Since my in-laws retired, they moved "up north" - a term used widely in my home state of Michigan to describe anywhere north of big cities. This means there's one grocery store, one fast food restaurant and the rest, well, it's definitely country living. It's not as if they live in the boondocks, but the nearest Walmart is not a quick jaunt to the store. It's a planned trip with a list of things because you know you won't want to be travelling there again just because you forgot one thing.
After realizing I had forgotten the planks (and here I was all ready to show off cooking with them with this glorious piece of salmon) I went on a hunt, with my mother-in-law telling me to basically not get my hopes up in finding a store locally that carried them. So after checking the grocery store and drugstore, I went back to their house and we proceeded to call the local butcher, party store, etc. And finally, we called a hardware store. This was no ordinary hardware store, it's one of those "up north" ones that literally has a little of everything. And they carried them, with one set left, so we had them set aside and hubby and I ran up real quick and got them. The moral to this story? You can find these planks just about anywhere!
Plank grilling is not just for fish (though that's mainly what we like to use it for). You can use it with all meats and poultry. It gives the food on it a nice smoked flavor that goes well with so many grilled foods. Even marinated veggies on a skewer are fantastic on the planks. I digress..
The important thing to remember when cooking with planks is that they MUST be soaked, and I'm talking completely submerged, for 4 hours so the planks are good and wet. This will keep them from burning in the grill. You'll probably have to weigh down your planks as it's wood, and hey, wood floats! We used soup cans up north and it did the trick, but left a ring on the wood, which is no big deal, but made me wonder about what metals I had just put into the wood. When I'm at home I use a plastic down weighed down with a bag of rice inside, though you can use anything really with weight to it. The point is to get those puppies submerged and let them soak.
Once your planks are soaked properly and ready to go, get a spray water bottle ready in case you get some hot spots when grilling and need to spray down the edges of the planks. I find that if you've soaked them long enough this is a non-issue, but better safe than burned food!
Ingredients
Salmon (how large and how many pieces are up to you and how many planks you have room for on the grill)
1 bunch fresh dill, some whole, some chopped for sprinkling (if you use dried, use less it's more pungent)
1 lemon per plank you're using, 1/2 cut into thin slices
2 Tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Optional garlic powder
Your grill should be preheated and then turned to a high setting. While you're getting your salmon ready, place the soaked plank(s) on the grill and close cover. You'll keep it in there until it gets smoky (about 5 minutes). Then turn down your grill to a medium setting though depending on how thick the salmon cut is, you may opt for a low-medium setting for thinner, and a flat medium for thicker.
To season the salmon, simply brush the olive oil on both sides. Before you place on the planks, arrange some dill fronds on the plank as well as thin slices of lemon. The side that will be on the plank should be seasoned with sea salt and pepper before settling onto the dill and lemons. Once you have done that, take the other 1/2 of your lemon and give it a squeeze over the salmon, then take some chopped dill and season as you like, along with salt and pepper. Then place lemons slices on top. Close the grill cover and let cook about 15 minutes or until flaky and opaque. If you want to check the internal temperature, 130 degrees in the thickest part is the proper temperature.
Grilled asparagus is a nice compliment with some brown rice if it's in season. If not, I like to do grilled veggie skewers too with what is in season. Just brush a little olive oil on the veggies, a little salt and pepper to taste and grill!
Once you've used the planks you can start making other great concoctions with it! Happy Grilling!
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