How to cook salmon and realistic dinners for busy weekends.
Friday Night - we had an office party to attend, and dinner was provided at a nice restaurant for my husband and myself. We both had cedar plank grilled salmon. It was fantastic. The trick with salmon is not to overcook it, and you do that by cooking it hot and fast and pulling it from the oven before it has reached the doneness you are looking for. Try pulling it at medium and letting hold over heat finish cooking it the rest of the way.
Why do people cook salmon on a cedar plank? If you've never seen it before it may seem strange, like serving steak on a fence slat, but the cedar plank adds aroma and slight smokiness. It is also a way of ensuring even heat while cooking. The untreated wood plank is soaked in water for anywhere from 1 to 24 hours depending on the recipe you see and then it's preheated on the grill. The fish lightly grills and steams in the residual water steaming from the plank and as the edges of the board char, the fish also gets an aromatic smokiness. This is a variation of the salmon cooking method of the Coastal Salish people of the Pacific Northwest. A cedar bentwood box filled with hot cooking stones was used to prepare salmon at ceremonial fishing parties that commemorated the early spring salmon runs. Loimulohi is a traditional Finnish salmon cooking method and uses a cedar plank as well!
My own method for cooking salmon at home is to start with a thawed piece of salmon, preferably with the skin on. I preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC) then prepare a baking sheet by covering it with aluminum foil or parchment paper (depending on what I have on hand). I oil the pan then lay the fish (skin side down) on the oiled surface. I salt and pepper the salmon and then squeeze some fresh lemon juice on top of the fish. Finally, I spray the fish with a high-heat cooking oil like avocado oil and cook it in the hot oven for about 10 - 15 minutes depending on the fish. If the surface appears to be cooked but the middle seems underdone, that's it for me. I pull it out, and the residual heat cooks the fish through and keeps it moist. Obviously, cook longer if you prefer greater doneness, or if you have a particularly thick piece of fish. Internal temperature should be between 135º to 145º F (57º to 62ºC).
Saturday Night - Honestly, yogurt, granola, and sliced strawberries. We had been at a Volleyball tournament all day and I was exhausted. Everyone fended for themselves that night.
Sunday Night - Chili's after day 2 of the Volleyball Tournament for Lunch/Dinner. You ever have just one big meal in the late afternoon/early evening and just call it? If you haven't been to Chili's in awhile they still give you free bottomless chips and salsa to start the meal and the burgers and fajitas are still great. But maybe inspired by the absolutely fabulous fish I had on Friday I went ahead and ordered the ancho chili salmon. It was surprisingly moist and flavorful. It was served with steamed broccoli and rice. I am just craving salmon lately, so I gambled and I was delighted.
Cedar Plank salmon with broccolini and roasted multicolor carrots. Half devoured by the photographer.
#KeepGoing
