Salmon Grilled on a Cedar Plank

Here is another recipe for your memorial day picnic.  There are lots of varieties of this sort of recipe.  I got this one from Spaces Magazine, a Kansas City publication.  The article was about Cody Hogan, who at that time anyway, was the Chef De' Cuisine at Lidia's Kansas City.  Lidia's is owned and operated by Lidia Bastianich, the famous Italian chef.  The point of the article was how Cody came up with easy but delicious meals for weekends off.  Since he spends his days in a kitchen, he was looking for simple ways to make something special for the weekend. This salmon is easy to make, tastes delicious, and makes a great presentation. 

Ingredients:

(serves 8, for fewer people just use a smaller piece of salmon and don't use all of the marinade)

One untreated cedar plank - weigh down in water and soak for at least 45 min.

1 side of salmon, about 3 pounds, skin on, bones removed, and scored down to the skin but not through the skin, into serving size pieces.  The skin will hold the pieces together while cooking, and keep the salmon  moist.
1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3-5 Garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 lemon, thinly sliced. Reserve the other half, cut into wedges for serving.
Approximately 1/4 cup finely chopped dill or fennel fronds. (I like dill.)
2 tsps. sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Soak the cedar plank, as stated above, at least 45 minutes.  Longer is better.
Weigh it down in the water with a 28 oz. can or other heavy object.
Combine the olive oil, sliced garlic, and chopped dill and rub into the salmon, making sure to get the seasonings down into the scores separating the side into pieces. Insert thin lemon slices into the scores between each serving.  Season with salt and pepper.  Allow the salmon to sit and marinate while the grill heats.  Turn all burners on a gas grill to high for 10 minutes to allow grill to heat.  Turn middle burner off and outside burners to medium heat.  Lay plank on grill and close lid.  Check in a few minutes to make sure the plank has started to smoke.  Once the plank is smoking, lay some more dill fronds on the plank and then transfer the salmon onto the plank, on top of the dill.  Cook covered, over the indirect heat for approximately 20-25 minutes, until the salmon is translucent throughout and is beginning to give off it's milk.  (You will see white drops appearing on the sides of the meat.)  Time may vary depending on the thickness of the salmon. When salmon is done, remove from grill and slide the entire side gently onto a large platter.  Cover with foil and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.  Garnish with dill and lemon wedges. Serve with a salad, and a crisp white wine such as sauvignon blanc, or if you prefer a nice oaky chardonnay or a Willamette pinot noir.