- You guys know I love salmon, and there's nothing better
during the summer months than grilled salmon
with that delicious smoky flavor,
and my maple ginger glaze.
But if you've ever tried to grill salmon,
you may have run into a bit of an obstacle
trying to flip it, with it either sticking
to the grill grates, or flaking and falling apart.
So I've got a solution for you today,
and that is cedar plank salmon.
By placing your salmon on a cedar plank
not only will you have a more smoky flavor,
you'll have extra moist fish, and you won't have to worry
about it flaking or falling apart.
But there's another very important reason why
I love cedar plank salmon as someone who is celiac,
and that is that I don't have to worry
about cross-contamination.
The cedar plank acts as a barrier between the salmon
and the grill grates, and this is perfect
if you are grilling on a public grill
or over at a friend's house.
So let me show you how to make this recipe.
To get started you'll need a cedar plank
and you can buy these from a barbecue store or online,
and I'll link the one I used in the description box below.
You need to soak the cedar plank
for at least one to two hours,
so it doesn't go up in flames in your grill,
and I just fill a baking tray with water
and then set a bowl on top so that it stays fully submerged.
All right, let's start with our maple ginger glaze,
and to make that you'll need about two tablespoons
of freshly grated ginger.
Use the edge of a spoon to peel the ginger and get around
all of the nooks and crannies, and then grate it.
I love my Microplane grater for this,
as the texture is so fine that it's almost minced.
You'll also need a quarter cup of lemon juice,
and fresh lemon juice is always preferred
over store bought lemon juice,
as it has a much brighter and stronger flavor.
So measure that out, and then let's move over to the stove.
Add a half a cup of maple syrup to a small pot
along with a third cup of tamari,
though you could also use coconut aminos,
and a quarter cup of lemon juice.
Then add the two tablespoons of ginger,
and two to three minced garlic cloves,
and bring the mixture to a boil.
Once it's boiling reduce the heat to low
and let it reduce by half,
which should take about 10 to 15 minutes.
Just do keep an eye on it so that you don't over-reduce it,
and end up with a glaze that's too thick,
because it will continue to thicken as it cools.
Transfer the glaze to a cup and let it cool
to room temperature while you get everything
ready for the grill.
Heat your grill to medium-high,
which is about 350 degrees Fahrenheit,
and while the grill is heating
remove the cedar plank from the water.
As an option you can toast the cedar plank before adding
the salmon, which just means that you place it on the grill
for two minutes each side.
Or you can simply place the salmon
on top of the plank without toasting,
as it's going to dry pretty darn fast anyway.
Add the maple ginger glaze to the top of the salmon,
and I just like to pour it on top and then use
a silicone brush to make sure that it's fully covered.
(uplifting guitar music)
Place the plank in the middle of your grill,
and at this point it's also best to lower the temperature
of the middle burner so that you have indirect heat.
Direct heat right under the plank
just means that your plank is more likely to catch fire.
Cook the salmon for about 15 minutes,
and halfway through you can add more glaze.
You'll notice that the plank gets quite charred
and it does go blacker on this recipe
because of the sugar in the glaze.
If I was adding lemons and spices to the salmon,
the plank wouldn't go this dark.
When the salmon is cooked through, use tongs to carefully
remove the plank and set it on top of a baking sheet.
The wood plank will add charcoal to any surface
that it touches, so just be mindful of that.
Let the salmon rest for a minute or two, and then dig in.
The salmon should flake easily,
and I always slightly undercook my salmon
rather than overcook, because it will continue cooking
on the plank after you remove it from the grill.
This salmon recipe is easy, flavorful, incredibly moist,
and I love to serve it up
with my garlic ginger bok choy recipe,
which you can also find on my website.
On a separate note,
I also want to mention that I just created
a private Facebook group for this wonderful
Downshiftology community, to share, support,
and get to know each other around the world,
and if you'd like to join that,
I'll leave a link in the description box below.
I hope you guys enjoy this salmon recipe,
and I will see you again in the next video.
(uplifting guitar music)