[Bob in St. Louis]

Any tips for doing Cedar Salmon on a gas grill?? 
I've mentioned it to my wife in passing a few times over the years, but haven't tried it yet. Recently she ran across some thin cedar planks at the store and brought them home for me to experiment with. The planks are rather thin and definitely a disposable item. They're only 1/2" thick, but "should" work.

I've thought about buying some nicer wood at a lumber yard, but worry that it's not "food grade lumber". 
Also, I've got a buddy that's thinning out a forest of cedar trees on his property. I've got a couple 2" thick by 10" diameter discs he's cut for me. Would that be ok?

Also, what goes well with Cedar Salmon?
I'm looking for an appropriate side dish and/or a dipping sauce for the fish (or should you NOT dip cedar cooked Salmon as it would kill the cedar flavor?).

Thanks guys!
Bob

[TheChairGuy]

Yummy, Bob 

I buy my cedar planked salmon from a local grocery that does a great job of it (once a month or so as we have fresh, wild salmon from the Upper Northwest and Alaska here in San Fran to choose from nearly year round).

I don't think there is any sauce on it...fresh (at least the wild kind) is quite moist (not so the frozen stuff) and the cedar and flames just sear in the flavor.  really, a fine taste 

John

[Bob in St. Louis]

Believe it or not I've never had it John. I'm not the one who goes grocery shopping, the wife is. I know she would have bought some had she seen it.
{She won't let me go alone because I'll spend twice what she does}. 

Bob

[IronLion]

I've only done alder planked salmon, and only on charcoal, but when I did it it was just soak the plank for an hour or so in water before you cook the salmon, and season the salmon with something that goes hand in hand with the smoked flavor (when I've done it at least, the grill gets pretty hot so the plank begins to char and smoke on the bottom, and I've even added alder chips to the coals for a smokier flavor).  Make plenty, as the freshly cooked salmon is great with the smoky flavor, but one of the best parts in my opinion is the leftovers, which, once cold, really increases the smoked wood taste and stand up better to stronger seasonings.  The cold stuff makes great appetizers with some lemon juice, honey, capers, onion, etc.   

[Bob in St. Louis]

Aahhhh yeaaaaa. NOW we're talkin'.  aa

Roughly, how long should one expect it to take to cook a filet?

Bob

[IronLion]

Depends on how you like your salmon (which, generally speaking is pretty tough to overcook to the point of inedibility as its so oily and fatty) and the heat of your grill.  Honestly the numbers and timing I'm not good at, I sort of just feel it out, and I like my salmon just a tiny bit pink on the inside.  If you want a stronger cedar flavor I would suggest you make some wood chips or get some out of what you have and soak them in water, then I think with a gas grill you put them in tin foil and basically directly on the flame?  Oh, also, I never flipped the salmon filet from the plank once its on the grill, just let it cook on one side (usually skin side down so the flesh can absorb the smoky flavor).   

I don't know if it would work for cedar, but what I came up with with the random mix of spices I brought to my girlfriend's summer cabin for some alder salmon was a coating of salt, pepper, honey (to taste, I put a thin coating and thought I should have put a little more afterwards, it really was good), garlic powder, and cumin (not too much, its strong stuff on the salmon) a few hours before grilling.  The final product was really good, and the cold leftovers were awesome on water crackers with capers, lemon juice and some honey drizzled on, I would have added some red onion too if we had had any.   

[PhilNYC]

I do a cedar-planked salmon whenever we have a NY Audio Rave at my home (we have a couple of non-meat-eating Ravers, but they eat fish).  And yes, I do it on a gas grill. Here's what I do:

I get my cedar planks at Costco.  They are about 1/4" (or less) thick.  Soak the plank for at least an hour.

Salmon filet is also usually from Costco.  Not sure of the exact weight of the filet, but it's probably an inch thick at its thickest section.

Marinate the salmon filet in a teriyaki sauce, preferably overnight, but 2-3 hours will do.

Turn on gas grill to high heat and put just the plank on the grill.  Let the plank heat up until the top looks completely dry, and perhaps just starting to smoke.  Once it gets to this point, turn the plank over, and then put the filet on the plank (skin-side down if the filet has skin on it).  Sprinkle some oregano on the filet.

Close the cover on the grill and turn the heat down to low.  Let cook for 12-15 minutes (depending on how well you like your salmon done).  My grill thermometer usually reads somewhere between 350-400 degrees during this time.

Turn heat off, remove plank (with filet on it) from grill.  Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.

[IronLion]

Phil, do your planks buckle when you cook them on the grill?  I always find that by the end of cooking my planks are somewhat warped. 

[PhilNYC]

Phil, do your planks buckle when you cook them on the grill?  I always find that by the end of cooking my planks are somewhat warped. 

I haven't had that problem to any significant extent.  Yes, the board warps a little sometimes, but not to the point where it affects the ability to serve the salmon directly from the plank...

[Bob in St. Louis]

Mr. Lion, and Phil:
Thanks guys, those sound great! 

Any other recipes/ideas/advise? 

Bob

[RandyH]

I've been cooking Cedar Plank Salmon for years and have always bought my cedar at Home Depot.  Just be sure to get un-treated cedar.  It is "food grade lumber" at a fraction of the cost.  We soak it for about 3 hours before cooking on it.  Depending on the temp. of your gas grill I would set the flame pretty low to prevent the wood from catching on fire.  Thats happened to me a few times with my newer (hotter) grill.

[geezer]

Does anyone have some variant of these recipes that can be done in an electric oven?

[miklorsmith]

I'm no expert but living in Seattle we have ready access to salmon most of the time.  I grill it on charcoal several times a summer but have only smoked it once or twice using the methods above.  Rosemary sticks are terrific thrown in the coals.  Everyone's ideas here are great but I will take one exception:

Contrary to some other meats, my opinion is salmon (and fish generally) is done at ONE point in time.  Before that time, the fish isn't cooked and is still mushy inside, after that time it QUICKLY loses the melt-in-mouth texture that sets great fish apart.  For this reason I much prefer grilling because almost invariably the whole filet isn't done at the same time.  I grilled salmon last night for dinner and what started as three pieces became five.  Cooking in the oven makes the "done" determination more cumbersome.

None of the fish houses in town ask how you want your salmon cooked.

You can tell when it's getting close because the outside will start to turn lighter pink.  With two forks, gently pull apart.  If it flakes all the way through it's done.  If it's still darker pink inside and resists flaking keep cooking.  The thinner parts will be done first, don't be afraid to separate and set aside.

A good piece of fish and proper cooking are far more important to the final outcome than seasoning.  Butter and dill make a fantastic preparation, there are endless choices.  But the best seasoning won't cure old fish or incorrect preparation.  Fresh salmon properly cooked is utterly delicious irrespective of seasoning.

For "direct grill" I use a lower heat and don't dip.

All in my opinion and experience of course.

[Bob in St. Louis]

Mike - Excellent information, thank you. Plain and simple directions, that's what I'm looking for. Perfect. 

Randy - Good to know lumber yard material is acceptable. Any idea if those pieces of cedar tree I have would work? Or are they too "fresh" and sappy? The lumber yard material and the store bought purpose built pieces have been kiln dried unlike the pieces of tree.

Thanks guys!
Bob

[miklorsmith]

You betcha!  It's a little tricky at first. I still goof it up sometimes though my lovely wife always says "no, it's good".   

The "not cooked enough" is easy to spot, remedy is easy - cook more.  "Too cooked" can't be fixed but the texture turns more like chicken instead of the creamy goodness that an ideal cook will provide.

Have fun with it and try a few times, perfect salmon is one of life's great rewards.

[Bob in St. Louis]

  My mouths watering already. 
Good advice Mike, you've earned "The Man of the Day" award. 

Bob

[BobM]

Here's a link to a recipe my wife makes: Pistachio Basil Butter

http://www.recipezaar.com/31567

Please don't tell her I distributed this, it's one of her "secret" recipe's (damn good too).

Enjoy,
Bob

[TerryO]

What's done at our place is to soak a cedar board ( get them at a Shake Mill for free) overnight. At the same time, the fresh Salmon gets marinated in a spicy Italian Salad Dressing for the night and the next day it's ready to go. I use the same plank over and over again until it's just about burned through, then it's used to help start the fire in the wood stove that's our sole source of heat.
We also check the Salmon from time to time using a fork as was mentioned above and we leave the skin on the bottom of the fillet to collect and hold the moisture and any marinate that we baste on during the cooking.
My Dad grew up on the Washington Coast and the only other kids in the area his age were the Indians on the Reservation. He used to paddle up the river in a dugout his Uncle made for him (there weren't any roads out there then) to play with them, and he grew up speaking perfect Salish. He also learned just about every way there was to fix Salmon (or Razor Clams...double yummy!). Of them all, I think that this recipe is the best one.

Best Regards,
TerryO

[lonewolfny42]

I do a cedar-planked salmon whenever we have a NY Audio Rave at my home (we have a couple of non-meat-eating Ravers, but they eat fish).  And yes, I do it on a gas grill. Here's what I do:

I get my cedar planks at Costco.  They are about 1/4" (or less) thick.  Soak the plank for at least an hour.

Salmon filet is also usually from Costco.  Not sure of the exact weight of the filet, but it's probably an inch thick at its thickest section.

Marinate the salmon filet in a teriyaki sauce, preferably overnight, but 2-3 hours will do.

Turn on gas grill to high heat and put just the plank on the grill.  Let the plank heat up until the top looks completely dry, and perhaps just starting to smoke.  Once it gets to this point, turn the plank over, and then put the filet on the plank (skin-side down if the filet has skin on it).  Sprinkle some oregano on the filet.

Close the cover on the grill and turn the heat down to low.  Let cook for 12-15 minutes (depending on how well you like your salmon done).  My grill thermometer usually reads somewhere between 350-400 degrees during this time.

Turn heat off, remove plank (with filet on it) from grill.  Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Very tasty....very, very, very tasty....

[SET Man]

I do a cedar-planked salmon whenever we have a NY Audio Rave at my home (we have a couple of non-meat-eating Ravers, but they eat fish).  And yes, I do it on a gas grill. Here's what I do:

I get my cedar planks at Costco.  They are about 1/4" (or less) thick.  Soak the plank for at least an hour.

Salmon filet is also usually from Costco.  Not sure of the exact weight of the filet, but it's probably an inch thick at its thickest section.

Marinate the salmon filet in a teriyaki sauce, preferably overnight, but 2-3 hours will do.

Turn on gas grill to high heat and put just the plank on the grill.  Let the plank heat up until the top looks completely dry, and perhaps just starting to smoke.  Once it gets to this point, turn the plank over, and then put the filet on the plank (skin-side down if the filet has skin on it).  Sprinkle some oregano on the filet.

Close the cover on the grill and turn the heat down to low.  Let cook for 12-15 minutes (depending on how well you like your salmon done).  My grill thermometer usually reads somewhere between 350-400 degrees during this time.

Turn heat off, remove plank (with filet on it) from grill.  Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Very tasty....very, very, very tasty....

Hey!

   Yes, as someone who have had Phil's salmon on the plank a few times before I'm totally agreed with you on that one.

   Phil is definitely the "Grill Meister" of NYAR 

Take care,
Buddy