Cedar Plank Salmon

Today, for the first time in a week or two, the weather was nice enough to light my weber kettle grill. There was a little wind, but that has never stopped me from grilling something. Every once in a while we eat fish, not as often as we should, but we do our best.

During summer my supermarket sells cedar planks to use on the barbecue and I always stock up on them. Barbecue is not as hot here in Europe as it is in the US so when ever I see something like that, I get a lot of them because you never know when it's sold out and if they will restock them.

The cedar plank gives a nice flavor to the fish, protects it from the heat and you'll have no fish sticking to the grate.

My recipe for cedar plank salmon is Mediterranean inspired but a cajun style would work fine too.

Ingredients:
salmon fillet (enough for 4 people)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon thyme

1 food grade cedar plank

Preparation:
Soak the cedar plank for at least 2 hours.
Mix the olive oil, lemon or lime juice. oregano and thyme and put together with the salmon in a ziplock freezer bag.
Let the fillets marinade no longer than 30 minutes, otherwise the acid from the citrus will cook your salmon too much.
In the mean time light your barbecue. You might need to do this before you marinade the salmon depending on the kind of barbecue you have.
Put your salmon on the plank and drizzle the marinade over it, put the plank over the burning coals. Put the lid on your barbecue. You'll hear a lot of sizzling and see a lot of smoke, don't worry this is all part of the process.
Depending on the thickness of your salmon it takes about 16-18 minutes before they are done.

I serve the salmon with garlic mashed potatoes and a salad with tomatoes, walnuts and a raspberry vinaigrette.