This. Is. Amazing. And I swear I don't even like salmon.
Ingredients:
6 oz. salmon per person - skin on, fresh, wild-caught (the salmon, not the person)
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
Dijon mustard (1-2 Tablespoons)
Light brown sugar (2-4 Tablespoons)
Cedar plank
Wine or water for the cedar plank
Preparation:
- At least two hours before you grill, fill a baking sheet (must have sides, of course!) with water or wine. We used rose wine. Submerge the cedar plank in the liquid, flipping it occasionally over the 2+ hours to ensure it's soaked on both sides.
- An hour before you grill, place the salmon skin-side-down and drizzle the fish with olive oil. generously salt and pepper. Refrigerate.
- 30 minutes before you grill, drain your cedar plank. Place the salmon filet on the plank skin-side-down and lightly spread the salmon (not the skin side) with Dijon mustard. Start with a Tablespoon - do not drench, just lightly and evenly coat. Starting with 2 Tablespoons of light brown sugar, sprinkle the salmon with enough sugar to evenly and lightly coat. Pat the sugar gently to stick it to the mustard. Let it sit at room temperature for 25 minutes, so the sugar melts.
- Preheat your outdoor grill to medium-high.
Cook:
Place the salmon/cedar plank on your grill.
You will want to use indirect heat. If you have a two-tier gas grill, place the salmon in the center of the top rack and cover the grill.
Cook until the salmon is golden-brown and flakey, about 20-30 minutes.
Serve:
You can serve it right on the plank if you wish. We removed it from the plank by carefully sliding a big spatula under the salmon - the skin will stick to the cedar plank and you can remove just the filet. Top with parsley or dill.
A Little Backstory:
We've never made salmon on the grill before, but this recipe will certainly be part of our dinner rotation. You can see from the picture we made the salmon alongside a monster tomahawk ribeye, "just in case we screw up the salmon." The salmon was better :)
Some tips we learned:
- Buy a pack of cedar planks for the grill - when you buy multiples, they're just a couple of bucks a piece.
- They say you can reuse cedar planks, but the glaze and the skin burns to them, so better just to toss them after use.
- Not sure the rose wine added much to the mix. I think soaking the plank in water is fine, or use a bolder red wine.
- Let the mustard and sugar sit on the salmon. The brown sugar will melt into the mustard and create a glaze even before you put it on the grill.
- Patience is the key - test the salmon with the side of your grill spatula until it flakes away effortlessly.
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