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Cedar Plank Salmon with Quick-Pickled Cucumbers

Cedar Plank Salmon with Quick-Pickled Cucumbers

by SoPo Seafood's Jacqueline Clark AKA the Briny Babe

Cedar Plank Salmon Recipe

No summer cook-out is complete without testing a cedar plank recipe. Perhaps the most classic and delicious ingredient to prepare a la cedar plank is a hearty piece of Atlantic Salmon. As the planks get hot, they impart a very subtle smoky perfume. The planks act as their own flavor, and there really is no substitute for it. The planks also make it unbelievably easy to transfer the fish off the grill. It keeps everything intact, and the fish can be served directly on the planks.

We paired the smokiness of the cedar plank with a refreshing sesame ginger marinade for the salmon. The fish gets a quick bath in the deep, intense flavors of the sesame, ginger, garlic, scallions, rice wine vinegar, and maple syrup before getting slightly smoked on a cedar plank on top of the grill.

Important: When cooking with cedar planks, make sure you soak them in water for about 1 hour before placing them on the grill or in the stove. If you properly soak the planks before grilling, cook over indirect heat and properly wash them, you will probably get 3-4 uses per board before you need to discard them. The boards will inevitably char enough that they will no longer impart their cedar flavor.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Marinate Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes 

Cedar Plank Salmon with Quick-Pickled Cucumbers Recipe Video

Ingredients:

For the Sesame-Ginger Salmon

• For the Sesame-Ginger Salmon
• 1 lb salmon filet 1” thick
• 1 TBSP sesame oil
• 1 TBSP rice wine vinegar
• 1 TBSP maple syrup
• 1 TBSP avocado oil
• 1 TBSP lite soy sauce
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 tsp fresh garlic, grated
• 1 scallions, thinly sliced
• ½ jalapeno, thinly sliced (optional)
• Seaweed Sesame Seeds, for garnish

For the Quick-Pickled Cucumbers

• 1 English Cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1 TBSP rice wine vinegar
• ½ TBSP sesame oil
• ½ TBSP maple syrup
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tsp dried red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp Seaweed Sesame Seeds, for garnish

Cooking Utensils

• A sharp knife
• Small bowl for mixing
• Whisk
 Cedar Planks
 1 lb salmon filet 1” thick

Fresh Salmon SideFresh Atlantic salmon Fillet

Steps

For the Quick-Pickled Cucumbers

1. Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl, toss to coat, and let cool in the refrigerator 15-30 minutes.

For the Sesame-Ginger Salmon

1. Add sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, maple syrup, avocado oil, lite soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and scallions to a small bowl, and stir to combine.
2. Wash and pat-dry salmon. Cut into 4 oz filet portions. Add to either a Ziploc bag or a sheet pan. Pour in the marinade, evenly distribute over the fish. Transfer to the refrigerator and let chill for one hour.
3. Meanwhile, soak a cedar plank in water (at least one hour).
4. Preheat oven or grill to 350 ° using indirect heat. (Set one side of the grill on high heat, and the other side to medium-low).
5. Lay the marinated salmon skin-side down on the plank (make sure none of the fish hangs off the plank edges). Place the cedar plank onto the medium-low side of the grill. Close the lid and cook for 12-15 minutes for medium-rare to medium center.
6. Remove plank from grill or oven, garnish the fish with sesame seeds and scallion tops. Serve and enjoy! 

Fresh Salmon on Cedar Wood PlankAtlantic Salmon Recipe with Cucumbers

Buy Fresh Salmon Online

This recipe was created using SoPo Seafood's fresh sushi-quality Atlantic Salmon. Our fresh salmon is available in 1 lb fillet cuts.

Cedar Plank Cooked Salmon