This plank-roasted salmon is a classic summer meal that’s elevated with a drizzle of rosemary-mustard vinaigrette.
Plank-roasting is an ancient method of cooking among the Indians of the Pacific Northwest. For important feasts known as potlatches, whole salmon fillets were suspended on cedar planks and placed around a fire to cook.
Plank-roasting in your home oven is simple and infuses the salmon with a complex woody flavor, similar to the way oak barrels add flavor to wine. At your local lumberyard or home center, select a piece of 1-by-8-inch or 1-by-6-inch cedar plank just long enough to fit inside your oven. (The salmon fillets will be laid out in a row on this board.) About 20 inches long should work, but measure your oven to be sure. Pine or fir can be substituted, with a little less aromatic flavor; it’s better to spend a few dollars more for the real thing. Make sure that the wood has not been primed or treated with any chemicals.
At Arrows we often use fresh herbs or dry seasonings to add another level of flavor to the plank-roasted fish. Rosemary, with its robust character, is a perfect match for salmon.–Clark Frasier and Mark Gaier
☞ Contents
Plank-Roasted Salmon with Rosemary-Mustard Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For the rosemary-mustard vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary leaves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
For the plank-roasted salmon
- 1 cedar board large enough to hold 6 salmon fillets (see above)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- Six (6- to 7-oz) skinless salmon fillets
- 6 rosemary sprigs
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Make the rosemary-mustard vinaigrette
- In a medium bowl mix together the Worcestershire, vinegar, soy sauce, mustard, sugar, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Gradually whisk in the olive oil. The vinaigrette will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Prepare the plank-roasted salmon
- Brush one side of the board with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and let it sit overnight.
- Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 450°F. Place a large rimmed baking sheet underneath the center rack to catch the salmon drippings.
- Lay the salmon fillets skinned side down on the plank. Tuck a sprig of rosemary under each fillet. Lightly brush the salmon with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Place the board in the oven for 10 minutes. To make sure the fish is cooked properly, lightly squeeze the fillet with your finger; it should feel firm and just start to give way. Carefully remove the board from the oven. With a metal spatula, transfer the salmon fillets to warm plates.
- Whisk the vinaigrette briefly to recombine and spoon some of it over each fillet. Serve at once.
Show Nutrition
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We’d love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
This plank-roasted salmon is a nice preparation to make as a change of pace from plain roasted salmon. This recipe does not have you heat the cedar plank up in the oven, as I’ve seen with other recipes. The plank did start to smell very quickly. The salmon cooked in the allotted time.
This vinaigrette is wonderful! We had some leftover, which we used the next day on some broccoli, and it was delicious. I want to experiment with this vinaigrette on other fish, as well as vegetables. Chicken also sounds like a good vehicle to carry this sauce.
File this recipe for Plank-Roasted Salmon under the category of ‘simply divine.’ Everything from the ingenious cooking method to the flavor of the finished product was unbelievably tasty. The only thing I changed was my overall cooking time—it suggests a mere 10 minutes in the 450-degree oven, but I like my salmon more on the flaky side, so my cooking time was actually 15 minutes.
One of the best dishes my husband makes is a grilled plank-roasted salmon on his trusty Weber grill. The flavor that the cedar plank imparts on the salmon, along with the smoke on the grill, makes for a gem of a grilled dinner. I was very excited to try this recipe which roasts (instead of grills) salmon in a similar way–on an olive oil-brushed plank (I used cedar) with fresh rosemary. At first, I was afraid the plank roasting in the oven would be messy in terms of liquid dripping in the stove, but it was not at all. Having that baking sheet on the next rack down caught anything that dripped, which was barely anything.
The texture of the fish roasted on a high heat on the plank was perfect; and that vinaigrette! Wow. Such a wonderful stand-alone recipe for a flavorful vinaigrette that I am happy to have leftovers of. It would be wonderful on pork chops or even a seared tuna steak—or even just roasted veggies. This would be so great for entertaining; a real conversation starter of a recipe.
Originally published June 6, 2003
HUNGRY FOR MORE?
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Has anybody cooked this on the plank on a gas grill? Please offer suggestions for doing so.
Eleanor, excellent question. I suggest you simply follow the instructions and timing for plank-roasting on the grill in this recipe for salmon. (We hope at some point you try the actual recipe, too, complete with the ginger- and wasabi-infused soy sauce, which complements the richness of salmon so nicely!) Don’t forget to soak the planks. Happy grilling and let us know how it goes…
We aren’t the most sophisticated cooks, but we love to try things. The vinaigrette sauce is very flavorful but still manages to accentuate the flavor of the salmon without overpowering it. We’re making it again tonight for dinner.