Cedar Plank Salmon

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There’s just something about cooking salmon on a piece of cedar that makes it taste incredible. This recipe makes cooking some cedar plank salmon easy, convenient, and relatively risk-free.

 For more great salmon recipes, why not try this recipe for Fast and Easy Lemon Garlic Grilled Salmon, or maybe try this Salmon Loaf instead?

Cedar Plank Salmon

Salmon is a great fish that is too often underutilized by home cooks. It is absolutely packed with flavor, and that naturally delicious taste is only amplified by cooking it on a real cedar plank.

Not only does it look great, but the cedar imparts tons of delicious woody, cedar-like flavors into the fish that work so well with cooking over an open fire.

Just make sure you don’t accidentally start a fire and mess up your grill or your salmon.

Cedar Plank Salmon Ingredients

Don’t forget to really examine the recipe card at the very bottom for the exact amounts you need here.

• Salmon fillets, ideally at least 6 ounces each

• Soy sauce

• Brown sugar

• Water

• Vegetable oil

• Minced garlic

• Lemon juice

• Black pepper

• Cedar plank  

How To Make Cedar Plank Salmon

• Whisk together all of the marinade ingredients, adjusting as needed for saltiness

• Reserve ¼ cup of the marinade in a separate bowl

• Place the salmon into sealable Ziploc bags and pour in the marinade

• Marinate for at last 1 hour and up to 2

• Soak the cedar planks in warm water for at least 2 hours. Don’t forget to keep the cedar plank weighted down so that it stays underwater

• Get an outdoor grill ripping hot and heat the plank on the grate until it begins to smoke and starts to get lightly charred

• Turn the cedar planks using BBQ tongs, and once it is charred, put it to one side on the grill so that it doesn’t get direct heat

• Place the salmon fillets on the board and baste with the remaining marinade

• Close the lid and grill for about 10 minutes, depending on the size of your fillets

• Avoid overcooking it and serve when ready

How To Avoid Starting a Fire

The idea of cooking with a big chunk of wood over an open fire likely doesn’t like such a smart concept. Fire and wood don’t tend to go well together, except for one very important quality of wood – it makes food taste so incredibly good.

There is always a little bit of danger with cooking with a plank of wood in a BBQ grill, though, so make sure you take a few extra steps. You definitely need to soak the cedar plank in warm water for at least 2 hours – go longer if you have time, up to overnight. The longer you soak it, the better the cedar is going to be able to withstand the flame and avoid scorching.

Try and keep some kind of firefighting tool on hand, like a portable fire extinguisher, or at least a big bucket of water, on hand just in case.

The cedar makes the salmon taste amazing, but you do have to work a little bit harder to avoid danger.

How To Make Sure Your Salmon Is Cooked Right

One of the big problems with making salmon that stops people from enjoying it at home is how easy it is to overcook it.

Unlike steak or any other thicker protein, salmon is really easy to get overcooked before you even realize it.

The key is to keep cooking the salmon until the meat is able to be flaked with a fork. The meat will likely still be pretty pink inside, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t cooked.

Like all meats, salmon will continue to cook once you take it off of the heat. In fact, this will happen even more so because of the cedar plank still contributing extra heat.

It might seem frightening, but don’t worry about the color of your salmon – as long as it can flake with a fork, it’s good to eat.

Looking for more delicious Fish recipes? Try these out:

• Baked Salmon With Cream Cheese

• How To Pan Fry Salmon

• Salmon & Green Beans

Enjoy!

Love,

Karlynn

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