I’m a bit behind on writing this post because I’ve been pretty busy the last few days. Monday night my refrigeration guy was able to come by and I didn’t get home until 7:30, which was a 13 hour day for me. I’m not complaining though because he is always fun to talk with. Tuesday night I ended up getting home late as well and once I was done working out I didn’t have the energy to do anything. I did sit in front of the TV and watched Tori and Dean with Nancy, don’t tell anyone thought! It’s a pretty funny show. Dean cracks me up.
We’ve had a bit of a reprieve at work this week after the large caterings over the weekend. We usually do two to four lunch caterings each day, but for the past two days we’ve only had a few. It’s fortunate in one way as we all needed the rest after last week. Unfortunately the catering business is fifty percent of our revenue so all-in-all it’s bitter sweet! Nice to have a slow few days, but not so nice when you run the totals at the end of the day.
On the positive side I just booked a 200-person lunch for next week which will go a long way in making up any shortfall from this week. Part of the menu will include 80 grilled pieces of lemon-herb chicken. I will definitely have to give Megan the “Chicken Mastery” certificate after this. Hahaha.
So before I get to the recipe I did want to post a few pictures of our place. The first one is from this past weekend when we were putting together boxed lunches. I think we literally had every table in the restaurant and most of the chairs, covered with the boxes.
This one covers a little larger area. If you look to the back left you can see a storage room and the mixer. If you can believe it, I almost can’t, this is where our baker Joannie stands most of the day, in that very tiny spot and makes hundreds of cookies, dessert bars, cupcakes, crisps, pies etc.
So getting back to the reason for this post… a few weeks ago Nancy picked up some cedar planks for me because I wanted to try them out for grilling salmon. Seemed pretty easy. Nancy was going to make corn chowder and I would make the salmon. I stopped at my new favorite place, Whole Foods, and picked up a pound and a half of wild salmon and headed home.
On the back of the plank package there was a recipe for a rub that I changed because I knew it would be too salty. The recipe was super easy and it tasted great. The smoke from the plank was awesome, not overpowering at all. You can find the corn chowder recipe (it was excellent) at Nancy’s blog http://dishingup.wordpress.com.
I will definitely use the planks again with salmon. I didn’t have to worry about flipping the salmon or putting the filets in tinfoil. The flavor was great, cleanup was simple and all in all it was a keeper. I will continue to experiment with rubs and marinades though.
If you have any experience cooking with planks please share them!
Spiced Rubbed Salmon on a Cedar Plank (serves four)
Ingredients
Rub
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Salmon
- 1 1/2 pounds fresh salmon filets with skin on
- 2 cedar planks
- Honey for drizzling
Soak the planks in water for one to two hours before starting.
Preheat your grill to 350 to 375 degrees, medium-low heat. In a small bowl combine all the rub ingredients. Rub the salmon with a moderate amount of the prepared rub and set aside.
Place the planks on the grill and heat for a few minutes. Using tongs turn over the planks and place one piece of salmon on each plank. Close the lid and cook for 13 to 18 minutes depending on thickness of the salmon. You are looking for an internal temp of 135 degrees. You can also judge by touch and sight. It will be flaky, opaque and fairly firm to the touch.
Drizzle with honey and devour immediately.
Digg It
Del.icio.us
Stumble it 
Post to Facebook
Looks good. I haven’t cooked with wood planks before, although I always see them in the store. I have a pretty good gas grill (Weber Genesis Silver). It’s a great grill, but I have mixed results trying to smoke on it – I use chips in foil packets, but I usually have to preheat the grill to a high temperature for 10 minutes (to get the smoke going), and then turn it down to the right temperature to cook whatever I’m grilling.
So I am trying to refine the process for wood planks… I am thinking: Soak the planks, then put the planks on the grill. Preheat the gas grill with all the burners on high to jump start the planks, and then turn down the heat after a few minutes and put the fish on when the grill is at approx 375.
Anyway I’ll give it a try and let ya know how it comes out!
Oh boy, that salmon does look good! I’m missing salmon: haven’t had a lot of it this summer so far because of the sockeye crisis here in BC.
This recipe looks fantastic. I’ve never tried a dry spice rub on salmon but I think I’m going to have to now. I’ve also never tried the cedar plank. Where’s the best place to get cedar planks for grilling?
You can get them at Whole Foods or Costco for sure!
I liked how easy it was to do.
Hey Phil – I have a Genesis too and I was able to get the wood to smoke at 375 degrees, but if I opened the grill I lost the momentum.
Hey Js – what is going on up in BC with the sockeye? I’m gonna have to Google it!
Joe- I haven’t yet done planked salmon! I’ve had the planks sitting in my pantry since last summer and would like to try them out soon. I have a Peanut Butter and Jelly Salmon recipe that I’ve been meaning to try! Your first attempt looks like it was successful
Yum! We eat salmon often, and it’s always great to get new ideas! Love the rub!
Joe – Thanks for visiting my site. Your planked salmon looks great. I’ve had planks in my cupboard for a year and keep forgetting to use them. Maybe this will give me some incentive. Hope you come back to visit me again.
Joe this sounds and looks wonderful. I’ve never cooked on wooden planks before but the flavour from it must be divine. Good luck with your big catering job!
RecipeGirl – I love the idea of Peanut Butter and Jelly Salmon. You must share the recipe.
Paula – this was the first time for a rub for me on salmon. It worked out!
Judy – Pull those planks out and give them a try. I will for sure be back to your site.
Maltika – thanks, it’s a funny business sometimes. You just say yes then figure out how to do it after. We always succeed though so I guess it’s okay. Thanks for coming back, love your blog.
[...] for this blog and after scrolling past the breakfast burrito recipe, there is an enticing photo of spiced rubbed salmon on a cedar plank recipe. Although I do not own cedar planks (apparently you can get them at “finer” grocery [...]
The Salmon looks fantastic….yummy I love Salmon…..
I love salmon but I never cooked wih planks. In fact I didn’t even hear about it until I came across this recipe. But it looks so great that I want to try this as well. Thank you for sharing and givinh such a nice inspiration.