Cedar planked salmon revisited

[Okanagan]

We cooked some fresh unfrozen salmon last evening that was melt-in-your-mouth good.  The cold leftovers were fabulous as well.

I put a good heavy dusting of dry spices on the salmon and laid Saran wrap over and under it on a big cookie sheet and left in in the fridge for 2 1/2 hours, which is all the time I had.  12 to 24 hours is better.

Garlic flakes, onion flakes, light dusting of medium hot chili powder, black pepper, local Johnny's seasoning salt and a light spray of liquid smoke.   The chili amount is too light to really taste, but somehow it brings out all the other flavors stronger. 

Then I split some thin western red cedar "planks" about 3/16 inch thick on average, from a handy chunk of cedar from our wood pile.  We use it for kindling normally.

I lay the cedar pieces in the bottom of my fish cooking basket and lay the salmon on the cedar (pic below).



 Over hot alder wood coals it cooked cedar side down for 8 minutes.  Then I flipped it over so the raw salmon side was down facing the coals and left it about 6 minutes.  Photo below shows the blackened cedar "planks" at that point.



Then I flipped it cedar side down again for two more minutes and called it done.  Pic below.  The thin parts were done and we started breaking them off and eating them, while we gave the remaining thick parts another couple of minutes over the coals.





It was perfect, barely but completely done, moist, flavorful inside and out.

As to the odd two pieces, I seperated them when I cut out the row of pin bones in a  slice 1/8th of an inch thick.  With no skin left on to hold the two pieces together, the strip from the thick side of the fillet sepearated from the rest.
 

[nastygunz]

Im drooling 

[Hawks Feather]

I am with Nasty on this one - drooling!!!

[FinsnFur]

Man that looks so good.
I dont know what cedar does to Trout and Salmon but I can attest to the incredible taste it adds

[Okanagan]

Split some cedar slats and cooked another slab of salmon for lunch today.  Raw cedar below.  I use a long blade (a machete would do) and a stick of wood for a batten and split off sort of a cedar shake.  I don't try to make the cedar pieces big enough for the whole slab of salmon, but just butt the cedar pieces together.  It is easy and seems to impart the same excellent flavor.



Spiced salmon laid on the cedar pieces, below.  This time the salmon had spices on it for 24 hours, in the fridge, before cooking.  It was signifcantly better tasting than the previous chunk that marinated in the dry spices for only 2 hours. 



Again, I cut off the thin side of the salmon fillet and we started eating it while the thick portion of the fillet stayed on the fire another two minutes, pic below.



Jim got me to try this cedar planked salmon and I am hooked!  It is GOOOOOD!!!

[pitw]

Frick that looks good enough to eat.

[Hawks Feather]

These pictures are killing me! I just ate and now I am hungry just looking at this.

[nastygunz]

I tried some Brooke trout like that but instead of cedar I used pressure-treated wood. Tasted kinda weird and my mouth is numb now.....

[Hawks Feather]

Nasty,

    Try sprinkling a healthy dose of (Conium maculatum) on top of that pressure treated cooked fish and I think all of your problems will be over.

[Okanagan]

I tried some Brooke trout like that but instead of cedar I used pressure-treated wood. Tasted kinda weird and my mouth is numb now.....

Creosote red wood from old railroad ties is the way to go over this new fangled pressure treated wood.  That's a real man's flavour!

[nastygunz]

  

[FinsnFur]

I gotta get a disclaimer typed up