So as I mentioned previously, I have been making a weak attempt at lowering my cholesterol levels. This effort has been doubled as my husband’s tests came back with similar results. This is such a hard thing for my family as we love to eat and we love food! But since we have such a diversified palate, we love fish as well. Recently our local grocery store had a sale on Alaskan Salmon, which I have been told is better for you than the farm raised. My mother-in-law picked up a couple of filets, I a couple of cedar planks, and my husband filled the grill’s propane tank. It all resulted in a delicious main dish with lots of healthy sides. I hope you enjoy this recipe. It is super easy and if you are light on the spices it is healthy for you too! I dedicate this dialogue to my mom and dad, as they first introduced me to this method of cooking salmon and we have loved it since! Thank you!
Cedar Plank Grilled Salmon
Ingredients
2 Salmon Filets – about 1 – 1 ½ lbs. each
Lemon Pepper – season to taste (meaning put as much as you like but less is more here so natural flavors aren’t masked
Garlic Powder – season to taste
Onion Powder – season to taste
Weber Herb Seasoning (or any seasoning that includes bell pepper) – season to taste (also lightly as the lemon pepper
has salt in it already as well)
1 Lemon – sliced thinly
2 Cedar Planks – made for grilling (can be found at Home Depot, Lowes, some grocery stores and even Walmart)
Soak cedar planks for at least ½ hour before using. Preheat grill and place on low setting when hot. Meanwhile sprinkle the salmon filets with seasonings and place lemon slices on top. Place salmon on top of planks. Carefully place planks with salmon on grill and shut lid. Cook for about 20 minutes and check fish by taking a fork and lightly flaking off a piece of the fish to see if cooked throughout. Remember fish can cook quickly depending how thick your filets are. If not done, I recommend you check every 5 minutes after so that it does not overcook. Once done, remove planks and let cool for about 5 minutes on large platter. Some people like to place planks on platter and serve that way but we carefully remove salmon from the planks and place them on a nice serving plate. This is a wonderfully, healthy way to prepare fish so feel free to use it on any type of filet your family enjoys! And while it is grilling you can quickly prepare sides like rice pilaf, a mixed green salad, and steamed broccoli. All the flavors complement each other very well and will make for a wonderful meal!
Note: I also serve lemon wedges on the side of the salmon as some people like to squirt a little on their seafood and it is a great way to enhance the flavor without the calories. Also lately for a fairly healthy dressing for my salad I take about ¼ cup of pickled beet juice, mix in about 1 teaspoon of olive oil, a couple dashes of pepper and salt, and a sprinkle of sugar. Toss the mixed salad with dressing right before so that the lettuce doesn’t wilt.
Ideals for sides:
Rice Pilaf
Steamed Broccoli
Mixed greens salad with cucumber and beet slices.
As the saying goes, give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will never go hungry again! Or something like that, you know what I mean. Happy Fishing!
