Cedar Plank Salmon

My new favorite weeknight dinner - toddler approved!

Do the words “Cedar Plank Salmon” take you straight back to the mid 2000’s? I feel like it was all over menus during that time. So when a client asked me to develop a recipe for this I was a little surprised. Admittedly, I’m also not a huge cooked salmon fan. So the fact that I’ve made this THREE times in the last two weeks should tell you something. For the newsletter I made 2 different rubs to give you the choice. One has the flavors of BBQ Potato Chips (smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder) and the other is flavored with Chinese 5 Spice. You can buy that in most well stocked grocery stores and it literally is the combination of 5 spices: cinnamon, star anise, fennel, cloves and pepper. Both rubs have kosher salt & brown sugar as the base. I prefer the 5 spice and my husband prefers the BBQ- both are addictively delicious. The recipe is at the bottom of this email. 

Why bother with the cedar plank?

Well, I don't know about you, but I want nothing to do with grilling fish and then having to figure out how I’m going to scrape it up and onto a plate without losing most of it to the grill. So there’s the fact that there’s no sticking. You can also serve it right on the plank, it looks really cool. Easy clean up- toss it in the woods!! And lastly, the cedar wood infuses the fish with a little smoky flavor that is really pleasant and fancy without being fancy. 

Where to buy the cedar planks?

Sorry, but Amazon. You can buy them at better grocery stores or a fish market but the price is much higher. And I think you’re going to like this so much that you’ll end up making it again, making buying a 12 pack on Amazon well worth it. 

2 hours + 20 minutes

You need to soak the planks for at least 2 hours. But at the same time the salmon sits in the fridge, gently curing from the rub you’ll put on it. This “quick cure” gives the salmon a nicer texture and lets the rub (you can make this way ahead) really soak into the fish. And when it’s time to eat, you slide the fish onto the planks and then throw them on the grill. Shut the lid and 20 minutes later you have the most perfect salmon. This is VERY weeknight friendly. 

@_MiniMouths

I got 2 orders of sushi rice, take out, from a local restaurant. I air fried some broccoli and along with the salmon it’s a perfectly simple but really delicious dinner. All three of those elements are very kid friendly. I think the brown sugar on the salmon makes it very appealing to my son, who ate this up. 

What I’m Loving This Week:

1. Vista Hermosa Flour Tortillas: I must have written about these before. They are one of my grocery staples. Sounds simple but these flour tortillas are SO good and they level up anything you make with them. So good that I will pay almost $7 for just 12. Toasted  up and then filled with soft scrambled eggs, avocado and hot sauce was my breakfast all week. They make the most amazing quesadilla you’ve ever had. Surprisingly, they are made with avocado oil which has the added benefit of being very good for you. I live in the greater NYC area and I buy them at Whole Foods. I am not sure about their availability nationwide. 

2. Peloton: Yeah, we finally jumped on that bandwagon. And like everyone else, I’m hooked! Right now I’m into 20 or 30 minute rides with Alex or Olivia. But if anyone here has any all time favorite rides please leave them in the comments!!

3. @RealBabyFood : If you’re feeding babies or toddlers, like me, this is a worthwhile follow. Jenna is the food director at Real Simple (serious cred!) and is a mom. She’s got some great tips and ideas. I just came across her simple Sticky Rice Ball idea and it would be PERFECT with the Cedar Plank Salmon.