Walking through the store, I came across a pre-sanded, 'Alder Grilling Plank' for just $5 (the similar sized cedar plank was double the price). Knowing that I had some salmon fillets that needed to be used up at home, I was a bit excited at the thought of an entree that might resemble my favorite cedar plank salmon. Regardless of the wood, you cannot just throw it on your grill. Be sure to soak in salted water for about an hour before using (I know folks who have done wine or apple cider vinegar but, I haven't).
I created a simple marinade for the salmon using one lemon (score for having a lemon tree in the back yard), three tablespoons of soy sauce, a couple pinches of Hawaiian Alea Salt (also from Sur la Table), and a couple grinds from the pepper mill. Mix together in a bowl and brush on the salmon fillets that you have placed on the 'seasoned' (aka soaked) plank. I also added a few shakes of Black & Tan Gomasio (found at Whole Foods) over the top for taste/texture. With your food on the wet plank, place on a preheated grill over indirect heat (keep a mister bottle of water handy so you can handle any flame flare-ups). I used the left over marinade to season white and green asparagus spears ~ with also went on the grill. Cooking times for both can vary based on environmental conditions so, cook the fish to 145 degree internal temperature and the veggies roughly 5 minutes on each side. Seriously, this is crazy simple to put together and put in front of the family ~ you just have to pay attention to the food as it cooks.
Every other time I have ever done plank-grilling (with cedar) the plank itself was typically charred to the point that an additional use was not possible (even though I followed the same seasoning process I always do). I expected the same this time but, was pleasantly surprised and expect to be able to use this at least two more times before tossing in the bin for recycling.
No comments:
Post a Comment