Planked Salmon

Planked salmon is one of those things that seems to be very much a feature of Northwest cuisine. I remember a Washington resident friend telling me, in tones of absolute gustatory delight, about the preparation rituals; selecting the plank of alder, soaking it in water or wine for at least two hours, then grilling the fresh wild salmon on the plank, so that that the salmon picked up some of the slightly smoky flavor of the wood. I'm not sure about who, when, or where the planking tradition begin; I'd assumed it was something from the native First Nation peoples, and the tradition was adopted by settlers. It's a salmon-cooking method favored in British Columbia, Washington, and Alaska. We know that salmon were extremely important as a basic food item, and that alder and cedar are both found in abundance in the Northwest. This site notes that native Americans would bring freshly caught salmon home to smoke and preserve for the winter, often nailing salmon to a board to smoke it. It seems a logical way to evolve to deliberately cooking fresh caught salmon on a seasoned wood plank for immediate consumption.

Once you've picked out a lovely piece of fresh salmon (around 1 1/2 pounds, and, ideally, look for a fillet from the salmon's upper half, rather than the tail-end), and I'm one of those who strongly prefers fresh-caught wild salmon fillet with skin on one side rather than salmon steak, you need to procure the plank. Traditionally, the two preferred Northwest style planks are alder or cedar. The cedar in question Western Red Cedar isn't, technically cedar at all; its Latin name is Thuja plicata, and it's a member of the Cypress family. But because of its pleasant scent, and the color, is familiar name associates it with cedar. I prefer alder, personally, which has a milder odor and the effect on the salmon is also milder, allowing more of the salmon's own flavor to be appreciated. You can go to your local lumber yard and buy a small piece of Western Red Cedar or Alder, and plane it yourself, or you can go to a cooking supply store and buy one made just for planking. I notice grocery stores often carry small packages of both cedar and alder near the fresh fish counter just for planking. Alternatively there are a number of online stores carrying planks for grilling. Important: if you purchase the plank at a lumber yard, you need to be absolutely sure that the wood is untreated, completely natural wood.

You're going to want to soak your plank for at least two hours, (overnight is even better) in water or wine. It needs to be completely submerged in liquid.

You want to prepare the salmon by rinsing it in cold running water, then removing any obvious bones with needle-nose pliers or strong kitchen tweezers. If you're planning on doing anything more than the most basic sort of salt-and-pepper seasoning, you'll likely want to marinate your salmon too, if you can. It's a good idea to put the fish and the marinade in the fridge for a couple of hours is a good idea. The most basic recipe calls for rubbing the salmon with olive oil, a little salt and pepper, and placing it skin-down on the soaked plank.

If you're grilling the salmon on a genuine grill, it's a good idea to put the plank on the grill for a few minutes (two or three), just until it starts to smoke, then turn it, before placing the salmon on it. You'll want to cook the salmon until it's completely cooked, but not dry, which is probably no more then twenty or thirty minutes, at most. Depending on the thickness of the salmon, cooking time could be a mere fifteen minutes. You want the salmon to look slightly opaque, and be a just a little flaky. If the middle is slightly underdone, that's fine; you should take it off the heat since it will continue cooking. You can also check for doneness by inserting a metal skewer in the thick side of the fillet for twenty seconds or so; the skewer should come out almost too hot to touch. A meat thermometer should register about 135 F.

If you're using your oven's broiler, preheat the broiler, then place the soaked plank under the broiler, about five inches from the heating element for about three minutes until the wood starts to brown on the top. Remove the plank with tongs (it's going to be surprisingly hot), then brush the browned side with olive oil, place the salmon on the hot plank, and carefully return both to the broiler. Cook the salmon to taste, keeping an eye on it. It should be done in six to ten minutes; you can check for doneness just as you would with the grilled salmon. Remember you want it to be moist and flaky, and not dry. You can serve the salmon on the plank, or carefully invert the plank over a dish, and peel off the skin before serving.

The basic method described here has many variations. You can add herbs of your choice (dill and rosemary are popular), or some lemon juice and olive oil to make a marinade, and let it marinate for an hour or so (even overnight) in the refrigerator, in a sealed ziplock bag or covered container. You might arrange thinly sliced onions and /or lemon or orange slices on the salmon, then cook it. Ginger goes spectacularly well with salmon. There are hundreds of ways to season, sauce, and marinade planked salmon. If you're intrigued, here are a few alternatives:

• Planked Salmon with Honey-Balsamic Glaze.
• Cedar Planked Salmon Cooked in a Crock Pot
• Planked Salmon with Basil-Chive Butter.
• Planked Salmon with Mustard and Dill.
• Cedar-Planked Salmon with Red Pepper & Caper Sauce.
• Want more? Look here.

The customary Northwest wines suggested for planked salmon are Pinot noir, and Merlot. I'd actually be tempted to try it with a Gewürtztraminer, especially if the salmon was made with a citrus or ginger glaze.