Washington Cedar Plank Salmon with Honey Balsamic Glaze

Washington state is known for it’s abundance of shellfish and seafood.

We used to camp along the Puget sound. Every time we’d go I got my oyster permit and gathered oysters every day we were there. It’s this place that I tasted my first geoduck (pronounced gooey duck). These and razor clams are in abundance. And the cold waters of the Northern state makes it a great place for salmon – Chinook and coho. Salty sweet fish – there are no better! Add to the list of Washington foods – Crab, Rainier cherries, micro-brew beer, coffee (Starbucks started here) and Tim’s Potato chips!

Well with so many foods that are iconic of this state, which could I make? How about some salmon cooked on a cedar plank and glazed with honey and balsamic? Oh yeah. And the smell of the cedar while it cooked was awesome.

When the fish was taken out of the oven, the aroma of the cedar filled the room. A bite of the salmon yielded just a hint of the cedar flavor, the sweetness of the glaze and the salty sweet flesh. My mouth was on vacation!

Here’s How to Do it:

Start by wetting down the cedar plank a little. Let some of that moisture seep into the wood. Dry it off with a paper towel and rub it down liberally with olive oil.

Now make the glaze. Add the balsamic vinegar, garlic cloves and honey to a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until it is reduced by about half or slightly more. Stir in the butter and set aside.

Salt and pepper both sides of the fillets liberally. Lay them, skinned side down onto the cedar plank.

Brush them all with the glaze, then set the plank on a baking sheet and bate at 350°for about 10 minutes,

then brush on more glaze. Bake another 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how thick the salmon is. It should be flaky and pink but not raw pink in the middle.

Serve hot on a bed of rice.

© Copyright 2019 The Lazy Gastronome

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