Grilled Salmon (Zoom)
How about we wrap up mustard week and kick off the weekend with a spice rub for grilled salmon? Recently I was visiting the Savory Spice Shop in downtown Boulder, Colorado, where I picked up a packet of the Pearl Street Plank Rub. Dan Hayward, the owner of Savory, created this blend of spices for his customers who were always requesting a spice blend for grilled salmon. The Pearl Street Plank Rub is a blend of maple sugar, smoked sweet paprika, salt, chiles, garlic, and yellow mustard powder. Dan opened up the jar and encouraged me to take in the aroma. I breathed in … chipotle, smoke, sweetness, depth. He instructed me to rub the blend on a filet of salmon and grill the salmon on a cedar plank. At this moment, Pacific wild salmon season is upon us. The season for fishing wild Pacific salmon as they migrate to spawning waters begins in May/June and continues until Autumn. I picked up a gorgeous red fleshed filet of Copper River sockeye salmon at my local market.
Cedar Plank Salmon (Zoom)
Grilling salmon on a cedar plank is a technique picked up from Native American Indians. It’s important to plan ahead and soak the plank in water for several hours so that it won’t catch fire. Even though I soaked the plank as directed it still burst into flames on the grill. You’ll have to go to my facebook page to see those pictures. Crazy! The fish was unharmed, if you were concerned.
In the end, the salmon was delicious: spicy, smoky, tender, and sweet. I served it with a quinoa salad made on the fly with a few items I had on hand. I cooked the nutty grain, allowed it to cool, and then tossed it with lemon juice, lemon zest, mint, green onions, and Haitian mango. The cool, refreshing flavors of this salad provided a nice foil to the spicy grilled salmon. If you’ve never had wild Pacific sockeye, it’s time to try something new!
Quinoa Salad (c)2011 LaDomestique.com
Do you ever grill on a cedar plank? Any tips to keep it from catching on fire? Let me know in the comments – Click Here
Seems grilling on cedar planks is tricky! I’ve heard many similar stories but never tried it myself. The spice rub sounds heavenly.
Spices are not my forte, but I really enjoyed using this rub. Must cook more with spices.
Don’t be too scared of cedar planks. They are heavenly.
In Colorado, where I live, it’s soo dry that i usually soak the planks
for 24 hours or more.
That must have been the problem. I’m in Colorado and the day I set out to grill was extremely windy. As I preheated the grill I felt like the plank could be drying out- even though I soaked it for about 4 hours. Next time I will soak 24 hours at least. Thanks for the tip!
[drool] that looks so delish! wish we lived closer to each other so I could just “drop-by” around din din time! 🙂
Me too!