My household loves this cedar plank salmon made with the simplest citrus and brown sugar rub! The salmon stays smooth and juicy within the center and takes on essentially the most scrumptious smoky taste from the cedar plank.

I like cooking salmon fillets on cedar planks. They add a scrumptious smoky taste and make clean-up really easy! The rub used for this recipe is just like the one used for our brown sugar baked salmon. It’s quick to place collectively and works completely with salmon!
I exploit my out of doors grill for this cedar plank recipe, however you possibly can adapt this recipe on your oven. See my suggestions under for easy methods to do it! This salmon makes me consider summer time, so I like serving it subsequent to a few of my favourite summery sides, like this unimaginable corn salad, our avocado salad, or these roasted fingerling potatoes with a potato salad-inspired dipping sauce.
Key Substances
- Cedar Plank: When selecting a cedar plank for cooking salmon, make certain it’s untreated, massive sufficient on your fillet, and bought particularly for cooking. It’s important to soak the plank in water for not less than half-hour earlier than cooking. This enables the plank to soak up moisture and create the aromatic steam that flavors the salmon.
- Salmon: Any salmon fillet will work for this cedar plank salmon recipe. I particularly love salmon with greater fats content material, like sockeye, king, and coho. After cooking, salmon with the next fats content material stays smooth and moist. I additionally choose utilizing skin-on salmon. The pores and skin acts as an additional barrier to the warmth under and simply slides off as soon as the salmon is cooked.
- Home made Citrus Rub: I like this straightforward rub made with brown sugar, lemon zest, salt, and smoked paprika. It’s wonderful with the salmon! I like rubbing it throughout my salmon and letting it sit for quarter-hour earlier than cooking.
- Thyme: That is optionally available, however I like sneaking a number of thyme sprigs beneath the salmon. It provides a bit extra taste to the fish and works very well with the flavors within the rub.
How you can Make Cedar Plank Salmon
Grilled salmon might be difficult, so I’m excited to share this virtually no-fail manner of cooking salmon on the grill. The cedar plank protects the fish from the warmth and prevents it from sticking to the grill grates, which, if you happen to’ve skilled it, is an actual ache!
You’ll put together the cedar plank first. Keep in mind, you actually wish to soak it earlier than utilizing it. Thirty minutes is a minimal. You want the plank moist inside so it steams and releases all of the smoky, cedar flavors.

Add the rub about quarter-hour earlier than you prepare dinner your salmon. I exploit my fingers to therapeutic massage it into the salmon, then set it apart for quarter-hour to let issues marinate a bit. Whereas the salmon sits, get the grill prepared. You might be on the lookout for medium-high warmth.


For the reason that salmon solely takes 15 to twenty minutes to prepare dinner, I like placing the beforehand soaked cedar plank on the grill for a couple of minutes earlier than including the salmon. This manner, the plank will get just a little coloration and begins to smoke.
As soon as the grill smells like smoky cedar (wonderful, by the way in which), I flip the plank, add a number of sprigs of recent thyme, after which lay the salmon proper on high.
You’ll additionally discover lemon halves to the aspect of the plank. For those who’ve by no means roasted or grilled lemon, you might be lacking out. Within the time it takes for the salmon to prepare dinner, the lemon halves grow to be evenly charred and candy. They’re excellent for squeezing over the cooked salmon.


The salmon ought to take between 15 and 20 minutes, relying on the kind of salmon you select and the thickness. And that’s it! The salmon is tender, extremely moist, and so flavorful. The candy citrus rub on high works so properly towards the woodsy cedar smoke.


Cedar Plank Salmon with Citrus Rub
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PREP
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COOK
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TOTAL
For the reason that salmon cooks slowly, cedar plank salmon is ridiculously tender, moist, and flavorful. We love this candy citrus rub. It really works superbly with the woodsy cedar smoke the salmon soaks up from the plank under. Arms-on time for this recipe is low, and the additional half-hour known as for within the prep time are for soaking the cedar plank in water.
4 Servings
You Will Want
1 cedar plank, soaked in water for not less than half-hour
1 pound (450g) skin-on salmon, reduce into 4 fillets
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 lemon
1/4 teaspoon superb sea salt
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
3 to 4 thyme sprigs, optionally available
Instructions
1Put together the rub: zest the lemon to get about 1 teaspoon of zest, then mix it in a small bowl with brown sugar, salt, and smoked paprika. Set the lemon apart.
2Pat your salmon dry and rub the spice combination throughout it. Let the salmon sit with the rub for quarter-hour.
3Whereas the salmon marinates, preheat your grill to medium warmth.
4As soon as the grill is prepared, place your soaked cedar plank immediately on the grill grates, cowl the grill, and let it warmth for about 5 minutes or till you possibly can scent the cedar smoking.
5Flip the plank over, scatter a number of sprigs of recent thyme on high, after which place the salmon skin-side down on the plank. Shut the grill lid and prepare dinner till the salmon reaches an inner temperature of 135°F, about 15 to twenty minutes, relying on the thickness.
6Whereas the salmon cooks, reduce the lemon in half and place the halves cut-side down on the grill grates. Grill the lemon till it softens and browns barely. Serve the grilled lemon halves with the cooked salmon.
Adam and Joanne’s Suggestions
- Grilling with a cedar plank: Verify the plank sometimes, if the perimeters begin to catch fireplace, mist with just a little water (or, pour just a little out of a glass over the singed space of the plank) and transfer the plank to a cooler a part of the grill with extra oblique warmth.
- Adapt this recipe for the oven: To bake cedar plank salmon, soak the plank in water for not less than half-hour. Preheat your oven to 400°F and put together the rub as directed. Rub the salmon with the spice combination and let it sit for quarter-hour. Place the soaked plank on the oven rack and prepare the salmon on high. Bake for 12 to fifteen minutes or till the salmon reaches an inner temperature of 135°F. Roast lemon halves alongside the salmon if desired.
- The vitamin info offered under are estimates.
Vitamin Per Serving
Serving Measurement
4 ounces (1/4 of recipe)
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Energy
179
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Protein
24.7 g
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Carbohydrate
3.7 g
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Dietary Fiber
0.5 g
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Whole Sugars
2.6 g
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Whole Fats
6.8 g
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Saturated Fats
1.5 g
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Ldl cholesterol
51 mg
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Sodium
344 mg