Well Fed Network

Posted by Curt McAdams on Get Your Grill On.

I like to grill things that show off the flavors of the food, not just the flavors of the rubs and sauces. Really good ingredients don’t always need to be covered up with added flavors; they do better with just enhancing with spice.

A great example of this is cedar planking. I’ve had cedar planked salmon with intricate sauces or spice mixtures on them, and they’re good, but I taste more of the additions than the base food. I like to keep my seasonings simple, especially when doing something like cedar planking… The main added flavor should be the cedar, not the rub.

I have two go-to recipes for cedar planking. For fish, I like a bit of grey salt, black pepper and muscovado sugar. That’s it! The sugar forms a bit of a sweet layer, but it still lets the cedar show through. Salmon is great for this, but trout is even better, in my opinion.

My other go-to is for scallops. This one is so easy bu oh-so-good. Simple wrap each scallop in a thin slice of Proscuitto ham. I use rosemary twigs, with half the needles removed and the top pointed a bit, to secure the ham in place. This also works as seasoning and a way to pick up the scallops. I take the extra rosemary needles and chop them up, then sprinkle them lightly on the scallops. Add some grey salt and black pepper, and they’re ready to go! I think the rosemary and cedar go very well together, but I don’t go too heavy on the rosemary.

To do cedar planking, you have to start with a cedar board. You can find them almost anywhere now, but I go to a lumber supplier, get a 1″X10″ board and cut it down to 18″ and 12″ boards. This gives me cheaper cedar planks that I can u se more times than the really thin grilling boards that are everywhere. Cedar shingles work well, too, and they’re cheap. Whatever cedar you use, though, make sure it’s not treated (most cedar isn’t).

The cedar needs to absorb some water, so I soak the board I’m going to use in water for at least 2 hours prior to using it. This helps the board smoke before burning. I then place the board over a medium hot fire, smoothest side up, and let it heat up. After it’s hot, I put a bit of canola oil on the top, then place the fish or scallops on the board, close the grill, and wait for 15 ore more minutes before checking doneness. When the scallops are opaque, they’re ready to come off, or when salmon just starts to flake, the fish will be ready.

The key to all this is the seafood. It MUST be fresh and as good quality as can be found. I’ve tried scallops from some places, and they just aren’t good. Really good scallops won’t taste fishy or off at all. They should smell like the ocean (the good ocean smell), not like a fishing boat. With salmon, I use wild caught salmon that looks nice and red. I look for firm flesh. A lot of salmon at the grocery will have a soft look to it, but salmon should be good and firm.

One trick I’ve learned is for presentation. I like the look of the scallops or salmon on a cedar plank, but there are 2 problems when cooking on a plank. The first is that it’s still smoking when you take it off, and will be hot enough to damage a table, or at least get soot everywhere. The second is that the board will look a bit messy from the fish cooking on it (not as big a deal as the first problem). So what I like to do is take a second cedar plank and char it a bit on the bottom and sides, until it looks good, then take it off the fire to cool. I don’t char it enough to have soot, but just to look good. Then the food can be transferred to the charred plank to serve.

Cedar planking is a great way to enjoy good seafood… Just don’t gunk it up with too many other flavors!