Cedar Plank Grilled Salmon

You know when you find that cooking thing that you never knew you needed until you had it.  And then it was life changing, and was immediately put on your can't culinarily live without it list?  Among other things, mine includes an immersion blender, enamel-coated cast iron dutch oven and a zester with canelle blade for making the perfect twist of lemon peel for a martini (no olives here).

CCLWI list, meet your new addition, the Cedar Grilling Plank.

Where have these been all my life?  Sure I've heard of them, but I've always thought they were some overpriced novelty on the cooking aisle in Crate and Barrel.  Oh no.  God willing, my kitchen will never be without these again.

Cedar Plank Grilled Salmon

Salmon fillets
Salt, Pepper and Garlic Powder for seasoning
Lemon slices

Soak the cedar planks for at least an hour.  I submerged them for 3 hours by filling Tupperware with water and weighing them down.

Before (above) and after (below) you can see the color change.

 When you're ready to cook, preheat your grill to 350.  

While your grill is preheating, season your salmon with salt, pepper, garlic powder and dress with lemon slices.  The lemon slices are crucial - we'll get to that.

When the grill is hot, place the planks on the grill for three minutes.  They flip and put your fish on the planks - skin side down.  WALK AWAY.  No flipping needed.

Depending on how you like your fish, cook anywhere from 10-20 minutes.  I cooked these for 20 minutes, and they were too done for my taste, but I like rare to medium-rare salmon.  Next time 12-15 minutes for me.  That being said, salmon was still delicious.  It was like butter.

You won't be able to take the planks into the house.  They'll be smoldering when you take them off the grill, so prepare to transfer them to a platter outside.

And the reasons the lemons are crucial?  See that beautiful brown around the edges?  That's carmelization from the sugars in the lemon juice that will run all over the salmon as its roasting.  Right before you serve, squeeze the roasted lemon slices over the salmon.

The best salmon I've ever had in my life was at Gilt Bar in Chicago.  This is right behind that.

I'll update with new adventures in cedar plank grilling.  But for now - GO GET SOME.  And, Enjoy!