The Pinewood Kitchen

Cedar Plank Salmon — The Pacific Northwest Classic

My uncle lives in a small coastal town in Washington and cooks the kind of food that does not appear in cookbooks. He does not measure anything. He tastes the marinade with the tip of his finger, adjusts something invisible, tastes again, nods. His food is always exact and never the same twice.

This is his cedar plank salmon, which he makes for family gatherings on the deck. I have written down the measurements myself by watching him cook and weighing the ingredients afterward, but you should treat them as a starting point.

What you need

• 2 untreated cedar planks, soaked in water for at least 2 hours
• 1 large side of salmon, skin on, about 2 pounds
• For the glaze: 3 tablespoons maple syrup, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 2 cloves grated garlic, juice of half a lemon, freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 lemon, sliced into rounds
• Fresh dill, a generous handful

Method

Whisk the glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Pat the salmon dry, place it skin-down on the soaked plank, and brush the glaze generously over the flesh. Lay lemon rounds along the top and tuck dill sprigs around the sides.

Heat a grill to medium-high (around 400°F). Place the planks directly on the grates, close the lid, and cook for about fifteen to eighteen minutes, until the salmon flakes easily but the center is still slightly translucent. The cedar will smolder and infuse the fish with a clean, woody smoke.

Bring the plank straight to the table. The presentation alone earns half the compliments. Serve with rice pilaf, grilled asparagus, and the rest of the bottle of white wine you opened to make the glaze.

Notes from my kitchen

Buy untreated cedar from a hardware store or barbecue supply. The thin, single-use planks at the grocery store work but only for one cook. Thicker planks can be reused two or three times.

If the wood ignites, just spritz with water from a spray bottle. A little char on the edges is fine.