Getting Planked (It’s not what you think!)
Well, I finally carried out my promise to myself and cooked a salmon fillet on a cedar plank. I have had the planks ready to go since last summer when Jordan built our new fence. He had conveniently (for me at least) used 8-foot lengths of untreated cedar, which he had to cut down to about 6-1/2 foot lengths. How coincidental: the approximate length of a nice salmon fillet!
I first saw this technique used several years ago by my cousin who is a bit of a gourmet cook. However, he managed to set his plank on fire, and the fish wasn’t cooked as much as I like it. It wasn’t a very encouraging introduction. Over the past few years, I have seen mention of the technique in every cooking magazine with barbecue recipes. When the planks literally fell into my lap, I just had to try it myself.
“Planking” fish is a modern version of the Pacific Northwest native method of cooking fish on cedar or alder sticks over an open fire. For me, and apparently my cousin, this could be considered a major fire hazard! Cooking fish on cedar imparts a sweet, smoky flavour to the fish, as well as keeping it moist. In the world of lowering-your-fat intake, this method is another way to make a delicious dish without the use of added fats and oils.
It is important that you don=t use just any cedar plank. The wood must be untreated with any sealant or flame retardant. Be careful; many cedar shingles contain fire retardants. The safest way to do this is to either plane your own cedar plank (not likely to happen), or go to the lumber yard with the measurements of you BBQ and speak to someone who knows the products.
Soak the plank in water for at least 3 hours. There are now dozens of recipes available in magazines and on the web, suggesting a variety of soaking solutions from fine wine to Earl Grey tea, and dozens of different marinades and spice mixtures for the fish. If you want to really experience the flavours of cedar cooking, your best options are soaking in water, and marinating your fish in lemon and tamari (soy) sauce. Save the fancy stuff for another time. If you are using a charcoal BBQ, you should place the cedar directly over the coals, if using a gas BBQ, you may want to try the indirect method. Unfortunately, I read this little tidbit after the second time I planked. I guess that is why I had a small fire raging. Ideally, you want the board to smoulder and smoke, but not an inferno! Luckily I had my hand-dandy water spritzer bottle available. Over a medium-high heat, the fish should only take 20-30 minutes, but this depends upon the thickness of the fillet, and your own personal taste. If all goes well, you should be able to use the same plank several times. Mine were only good for fire-wood. Once the fish is done, leave it on the board and (make sure you have planned this carefully), place the board on a heat-resistant serving platter.
We all found the salmon to be fantastic cooked in this way. This method can be adapted to chicken and vegetables, and although less authentic can be done in the oven. There are many web sites dedicated to selling planked fish and special planks for planking. (I just love saying that word.) I’m sure that if you don’t happen to be building a fence, you could order a plank from one of these companies. If you are storing boards for later use, keep them in a dry, clean spot.
Let’s see; I should be able to plank about 50 more times from just one fence!
It is possible for a person to have allergies to naturally-occurring cedar resins. From the wealth of planked-salmon recipes found in all of the most popular food magazines, and the fact that our national cooking team has done cedar-planked salmon, I don’t think that this is wide-spread. Hopefully, you won’t have one of those rare people as a guest.