Cedar Plank Grilled Salmon

My sister-in-law is an amazing cook.  By amazing, I mean Ah-Mazzzz-ing!  She was trained by a (the, at the time) head chef at the Sun Valley Lodge.  Yeah, the Sun Valley Lodge Dining Room, the one where you can run into Hollywood stars nearly any day of the week.  But truthfully, I think she would have been an amazing cook even if she hadn't worked under the great chef.  She is good at everything.  She took some cake decorating classes, and now she teaches the cake decorating classes for Wilton - not even kidding.  She is also a phlebotomist.  I have no idea how or why those things go together.  I suppose it shows how well rounded she is.  Any way --- the point of the brag-fest on my SIL is that once, when my family was visiting hers, she made us this super yummy dinner.  It was salmon, red potatoes, and broccoli with cauliflower.  Now my husband does not like fish and he had seconds!  Seriously, some of the best restaurants in the country have not tempted him with their fish, but he had seconds!  It was so good I can still taste it.  Mmmmmnnnn. . . . . .  Oh, yeah, um you're still here?  Oh of course you are, I haven't told you how to make it.

Well, when my sister-in-law made it, she used butter and brown sugar and oh my it was good, but my waistline can't handle that and neither can my sugar levels, sooooooo - I changed it.  WAIT!  Don't leave!  It's still good.  And by good I mean really really good.  I will not pretend that it is exactly the same, but it is delicious nonetheless, and there is absolutely NO guilt.  So I will show you how I make the salmon, and you can choose.  Make it my way, or my sister-in-law's way.  Either way it is delicious and fish is still good for you with all those omega-3 fatty acids.

There are no specific measurements.  Instead I employ the drizzle, shake and eyeball methods.  Trust me, it's easier than you think.

These are your ingredients.  Notice in the top right corner you can see a cedar plank.  The actual plank that I used is soaking in the sink in water.  You have to soak the plank for 30 min to a few hours or it will start on fire.  I soaked mine for 2 hours, and it still caught on fire, which is why in the next picture you will see a bottle of water.  You need this to cedar grill your salmon.  Trust me on this one.  :)

1/2 way through cooking.  See the smoke at the top of the picture?  Great flavor there.  However, I did smell like a campfire when I was done.

It's done.  Okay, I like mine a little more done that most people, but I still think it looks beautiful.

 Here's how you make it.  Score your salmon down to, but not through the skin.  drizzle olive oil and lemon juice over the salmon and use your hands or a spoon to push the mixture into the fish.  sprinkle with Splenda or whatever your favorite sugar substitute is, and then sprinkle with salt and pepper and parsley and your favorite flavorings.  But, the salt pepper and parsley are actually enough.  I did add some chili powder and garlic.  Preheat your grill for 10 min.  Then turn it down to low and put your plank on the grill. After about 5 minutes you should see smoke coming from the grill.  Open it, and if any of your plank is on fire, squirt it down with water.  Place the fish on the plank and cook about 20 min.  Check it often.  You can also bake this in your over, minus the cedar plank.  Eat immediately. 

 If you want to do it my sister-in-law's way.  Rub butter into the salmon, sprinkle about 4 TBL brown sugar over that, and squeeze 2  fresh lemons or limes over that.  Rub all that into the salmon with your hands.  Season with a bit of salt and pepper and parsley.

Seriously yummy.  Let me know how it turns out for you.  :)

Spices:
 juice from 1 fresh lemon or 1 Tbl. lemon juice
Old Bay (you will just sprinkle on top- so no real measurement, but I'd guesstimate 1 tsp.
1/2 tsp. garlic powder or 1 tsp. garlic salt (reducing the sea salt if you use this)
2 tsp. dried parsley
1/4 - 1/2 tsp chili powder
Pepper (again, sprinkle it over- not a real measurement)
Salt (see above)
1 Tbl. splenda or honey
1-2 Tbl Olive Oil

Drizzle Olive oil and honey (or sprinkle splenda) over your fillet.  Then drizzle the Lemon Juice over the salmon.  Next, sprinkle all other ingredients on the fillet, making sure to cover the entire fillet.