Cedar Plank Salmon
Ingredients
- 1 cedar plank (food grade)
- 1 shallot (diced small)
- 3 tbsp seasoned rice wine vinegar
- 1.75 lb salmon filet
- salt & pepper
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp country dijon (course ground mustard)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 grapefruits (cut into suprèmes)
- 5 oz salad greens
- 1 avocado (cut into cubes)
- 4 oz mozzarella pearls
- 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp fresh dill (chopped)
Directions
- Soak the cedar plank overnight
- When you're ready to start cooking, strain the cedar plank and place it on the Traeger or grill and preheat to 375° (if you're on a basic grill, just get it nice and hot to where the plank is smoking)
- Once you get the grill set up, start working on the salad dressing by combining the diced shallot and seasoned rice wine vinegar. Let this sit for 20 minutes
- While the grill is preheating and the salad dressing macerating, season the salmon with salt and pepper. Then place it on the blank over the grill and cook until nice and flaky. Depending on the thickness of your salmon steaks this could be anywhere between 20 and 45 minutes
- Once the dressing is done macerating, add the honey, mustard and olive oil. Feel free to throw in a couple twists of freshly ground black pepper if you'd like as well
- Zest the lemon and then cut into wedges
- When the salmon is done, plate it with the salad greens, grapefruit, avocado and dressing. Garnish with lemon zest and fresh dill. Enjoy!
Cedar Plank Salmon might as well be our mascot dish. In the Northwest we enjoy our fish nice and smoky. The flavor form a grill or cedar plank help to keep seasoning easy – traditional salt and pepper. When using a cedar plank, soak it overnight or if you’re on a time crunch giving it a nice 15 minute soak in warm water will do just fine. The purpose of soaking the plank is to better infuse the smoky, cedar flavor and also keep the plank from potentially catching fire while cooking. You can usually find cedar planks with your fish monger or in the butcher’s area at the grocery store.
When it comes to the grapefruit, you’ll want to cut the citrus into suprèmes (or segments not containing any of the white pith or membrane between segments) to avoid any bitterness from the fruit. It can take just a little bit of practice preparing your citrus this way, but it’s worth it!
The honey mustard starts with the same base as my shallot vinaigrette. Once the vinegar has macerated the shallots, add olive oil, honey and Dijon. Season with fresh pepper and the dressing is good to go!
The savory salmon pairs so well with the fresh grapefruit and sweet honey mustard – it’s a match made in heaven! The salmon will also store well for a couple days and is just as good cold as it is fresh off the grill. Enjoy!