Cedar Plank Salmon with Soy Honey-Ginger Glaze

Recipe for Cedar-Infused Grilled Salmon with Honey, Soy and Ginger

Apr 2, 2009

Honey Glazed Salmon on Pre-Soaked Cedar Plank, Ret Talbot Collection

Learn how to grill salmon to perfection on a cedar plank with this Asian-inspired easy-to-prepare recipe. All you need is salmon, soy, ginger, marin, honey, and a plank.

This cedar plank, grilled salmon recipe is about as easy as any grilled fish recipe, although the results will make even the novice cook look like a real pro.

Ingredients for Soy Honey Ginger Glazed Salmon

1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons honey
1 fresh ginger root, finely minced
Salmon fillet

Preparing and Grilling the Cedar Plank Salmon

Add sesame oil, soy sauce and mirin to a bowl; slowly stir in the honey until the consistency is smooth.
Rinse the salmon fillet and place in a shallow dish; pour sauce over salmon.
Sprinkle the ginger evenly over top of the fillet.
Place the salmon in the refrigerator for one hour; periodically spoon sauce from the dish back on top of the fillet.
Remove salmon from refrigerator; allow it to warm to room temperature.
Preheat a gas grill or build a charcoal fire.
Oil the top of a pre-soaked cedar plank (see below); place salmon skin-side down on the cedar plank.
Place the cedar plank on the grill and cook covered.
After a few minutes, check the plank for burning; douse open flames with a spray bottle, but don't worry about a little charring.
Grill for 8-12 minutes depending on thickness of fish and desired doneness (note: fish is “done” when the firmness of the flesh matches that of the firmness of the tip of one’s nose).
Remove plank from grill; serve.

Easy Cedar Plank Cooking

Cedar plank grilling is a traditional cooking method associated with the North American Pacific Northwest. Cooking fish (or really anything) on a cedar plank infuses the food with a rich texture and flavor that can turn an ordinary meal into an extraordinary meal. Many people, however, are scared of cooking on a cedar plank because it seems illogical. Wood on a grill? Won’t that burn?

While a cedar plank may char around the edges and even flare up during cooking, if it is properly soaked beforehand, the food itself will only benefit from the smoke. So how does one properly soak a cedar plank?

Properly Pre-Soaking a Cedar Plank

For starters, the plank must be soaked for at least six hours to withstand the high heat of the grill. An individual plank may simply be placed in a shallow baking dish filled with water. A full mug (or any other clean, heavy object) may be used to weight the plank down. Alternatively, the cedar plank can be submerged in a sink or any other clean container.

Multiple cedar planks can be soaked in a clean five-gallon bucket. Simply fill the bucket to the rim, insert the cedar planks vertically, and put a top on the bucket to keep the planks submerged.

Serious Cedar Plank Cooks Read On

For the cook that plans to use cedar planks frequently, the planks may be pre-soaked and then frozen in the freezer. Allow them to thaw before using. Also, the cook can experiement with different soaking liquids (e.g., wine, soy etc.) to add additional flavor to the end product.

The copyright of the article Cedar Plank Salmon with Soy Honey-Ginger Glaze in Dinner Recipes is owned by Ret Talbot. Permission to republish Cedar Plank Salmon with Soy Honey-Ginger Glaze in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.