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. Read more
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