Cedar Plank Salmon

Not a fish lover? This recipe will win you over. The salmon is so flaky and infused with smoky flavor from the Cedar plank in a sweet and tangy rub. Salmon is low in Sodium and an excellent source of protein, vitamin B12, and iron. I paired these salmon fillets with some grilled potatoes and green beans.

First thing first, you can get some cedar planks at the grocery store down the grilling isle. It is a seasonal thing so our local Kroger does not carry them year round. They can be hard to be spotted sometimes. But guess what, Lowes always have them! I might start stocking up for when I feel like grilling salmon and don't want to drive all over town looking for these planks.

First step, you need to soak your Cedar plank for at least an hour. Soaking helps the plank not to set on fire on the grill and also promotes more smoke. Always soak for an hour or more. If you shorten the soaking time, all you will have is some ash between your salmon and the grill grate. Very important!

Preheat half of you grill to medium high heat and half to medium heat.

For the Salmon rub:
Combine:
2 Tbsp. Brown Suagr
2 tsp. each: salt and pepper, minced garlic, and paprika.

Rub generously over your salmon fillets.

When your grill is preheated, put the soaked plank on the medium high half of the grill and cover for 5 minutes. Keep a spray bottle of water at hand in case the plan flame up, spray to put it out. After 5 minutes, turn the plank over and move it to the medium heat side of the grill. And put the salmon on the plank, skin side down, together with a few lemon halves, cut side down.

Your salmon should be done in 8-10 minutes. Be careful not to over cook them. In fact, it is ok for the fish to be slightly under cook. The residual heat will finish it off when you take it off the grill. If you overcook your fish, it will be rather dry and tough (Kinda like how our local Bull and Bones cook their fish, not very appetizing).

While waiting for your salmon to cook, you can throw your sides on the grill too. For the potatoes, I preboiled them before putting them on the grill so they would cook faster, around 15 minutes. Toss the green beans with some oil, salt, and pepper before grilling them for 5-7 minutes.

When you take the salmon off the grill, let it rest a few minutes. The resting step is not as important with fish as other meat though. Squeeze the lemon over your fish before serving. Enjoy!