what is the best fish for cedar plank grilling?

[nonlinear]

i've never grilled fish on a cedar plank before, but I have some laying around and it seems like another good BBQ day, so been thinking of making some fish tonight (with grilled baked potatoes, sour cream, etc.). for those of you who have donr this before, what type of fish do you suggest? i'm thinking of that special salmon from costco, but i'm a bigger fan of whitefish like halibut. not sure if cedar better complements certain types of fish, though.

thanks :thumbsup:

[jdmakkord]

Salmon for sure. Pour on some good maple syrup, a bit of black pepper, and some thyme. Good to go.

[legendboy]

i prefer the garlic, lemon, dill route for salmon

[01RedDX]

.

[nonlinear]

i've been seeing trout a lot recently... like the whole fish with the head on, etc. is that what you're tlaking about? do you just tie the fish on the board and cook the fucker? or what haha :nut:

[ExtraSlow]

I usually plank salmon. Many white fish are so mild that the cedar would overpower them.

that being said, give it a shot.

[nonlinear]

i'm kinda thinking either whole trout (kinda gross with the head/bones, but probablly soooooo good), or that Copper River salmon from costco that msommers was talking about. i'm not the hugest salmon fan since it is pretty rich and heavy, but based on the comments in that other thread i think i have to try it before judging it ;)

[BlackArcher101]

Yes, try the salmon... The wild stuff (like copper river) is a ton better than the farmed Atlantic salmon.

[dannie]

I know this may sound retarded, but..... you do know that you have to soak the plank for quite a while to get the full effect... right?

I found this site, it gives the best instructions:

http://www.cedargrilling.com/art.htm

I quite like the salmon, but with dill and lemon (makes it a little less heavy).

[nonlinear]

^^oh yea, i definitely know that (we do lots of smoking but just never used a plank before). you want to use wet wood cause the water causes thermal arrest, which slows the combustion rate of the wood (leads to smoldering which is more incomplete than flaming combustion, and gives you more smoke/soot/flavorful goodness! :D

[Kritafo]

Only copper river they have at the NW Costco is a full headless fish it's about $50.00 and needs to be boned etc. They did have some steel head trout and I passed on the Atlantic salmon. I agree, most white-fish is too mild for plank, it will taste like your eating a tree.

[trevh]

Originally posted by nonlinear
^^oh yea, i definitely know that (we do lots of smoking but just never used a plank before). you want to use wet wood cause the water causes thermal arrest, which slows the combustion rate of the wood (leads to smoldering which is more incomplete than flaming combustion, and gives you more smoke/soot/flavorful goodness! :D

I don't soak my plank for longer then 10 minutes. Crank the heat in your BBQ for a few minutes, turn off one burner, leave one burner on high. Place the plank over the burner that is on high. Keep an eye on your salmon

Works best!

[ExtraSlow]

Originally posted by trevh


I don't soak my plank for longer then 10 minutes. Crank the heat in your BBQ for a few minutes, turn off one burner, leave one burner on high. Place the plank over the burner that is on high. Keep an eye on your salmon

Works best!
That's really interesting, I always soak at least overnight, it's usually about 24 hours. I find the bottom of the plank still gets very charred, even with this super wet wood.

I'll have to try your way sometime.

[nonlinear]

just got back from the costco at heritage meadows, and yea, all they had were giant fish that you had to fillet yourself. so we passed. did they ever have copper river fillets?

[dannie]

^ Have you tried North Sea Fish Market? He may have the kind you are looking for....


And yeah, I kinda figured you knew about the plank thing, but better safe than sorry :D

[nonlinear]

nope, didn't try that. we ended up getting some rainbow trout from superstore. and yea, thanks for the advice on the plank thing. it's always better safe than sorry :)

[BlackArcher101]

Ew superstore fish.

Should have got the fish from Costco... majority of the work is already done... it's only another 5 minutes to prep it.

And yes, they did have fillets, but they were even more costly (I think 30% more), but people buy them out really really fast. They were mixed with the trout when I was there.

[nonlinear]

^^i dunno, i've always thought the fish was pretty OK at superstore. they often have halibut when i can't find it at co-op or safeway. IMO the worst fish dept. is at co-op.

BTW, in case anyone is interested, here is what we are doing with the trout:

Rainbow Trout Roasted on a Cedar Plank
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bbq-with-bobby-flay/rainbow-trout-roasted-on-a-cedar-plank-recipe/index.html

Ingredients

* 2 teaspoons salt
* 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1 tablespoon red chili powder
* 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
* 6 (8 to 10-ounce) Rainbow trout, cleaned, deboned
* 12 thin lemon slices
* 6 (10-inch) untreated cedar boards

Directions

Prepare and preheat your grill by building a fire on 1 side of the grill.

In a small bowl, mix together the salt, pepper, red chili powder, and herbes de Provence. Open each trout's belly and lightly rub on the chili spice mixture. Next, place 2 lemon slices into each trout's belly and then carefully place each trout onto a cedar plank.

Cook the trout planks in a covered barbecue away from direct heat for 15 minutes. Then, move the planks over the direct heat and cook for an additional 5 to 7 minutes, covered. The cedar planks will begin to smoke, and the trout will begin to turn golden brown. Once the trout is finished cooking, remove the planks from the grill and set aside. Carefully, lift the fish off the plank and serve.

[Kritafo]

ahh I have sat all night wanting nothing to eat but that damn salmon. I am going to go up to Costco tomorrow and get the whole damn thing. Maybe they will have some more fillets in the morning.

[TurboD]

where does everyone buy their planks and does it come pre cut?

what size does it end up? and what thickness is best?

[schocker]

Originally posted by TurboD
where does everyone buy their planks and does it come pre cut?

what size does it end up? and what thickness is best?
You can just buy precut ones at grocery stores. I saw in the sobeys magazine or whatnot that they have maple planks, i would like to try one of those.

[ExtraSlow]

I buy fence boards at the cedar shop. They are six feet long, about 3/4' thick and 8' wide.
I trim to fit the size of fish I'm cooking.

[cancer man]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
I buy fence boards at the cedar shop. They are six feet long, about 3/4' thick and 8' wide.
I trim to fit the size of fish I'm cooking.

sometimes in their free wood bin you can get planks for free.

[ExtraSlow]

Good tip.

Those fence boards are cheap anyway. I think last time I bougth three six footers for about $12.
My fish are usually around 18" long, so that's a dollar per time I BBQ. Not exactly expensive.

[RC-Cola]

I go to the Rona by my house and grab an UNTREATED cedar plank, cut them to ~14" size. 8' board costs about $4, definately the easiest way to go.

Make sure to turn down all the way or right off the side that you hve the board on, if not you'll end up with a board on fire in your BBQ. :thumbsdow

[TurboD]

crappy thing is i dont own anything that would cut wood...

i guess ill check sobeys etc

[trevh]

Originally posted by TurboD
crappy thing is i dont own anything that would cut wood...

i guess ill check sobeys etc

They did sell a 6 pack at costco for really cheap. If you go to the big box stores you will pay more.
The fence board idea sounds great!

[Davetronz]

Has anyone noticed that the fish in the tank at Superstore often have eyes that are "gelled" over? It looks really weird. Isn't that a sign of an unhealthy fish? If they are sick, can they still be sold for consumption? Even if they lob off the head, clean them and package them into smaller portions?

Just because of that, I'd probably not purchase any fresh fish from them.

[nonlinear]

Originally posted by TurboD
crappy thing is i dont own anything that would cut wood...

i guess ill check sobeys etc

for the cash you'll save, you could buy a cheap saw at a dollar store (?) or wal-mart. all you need is a folding camping saw, they sell these cheap as hell everywhere:

http://www.shelterinstitute.com/catalog/images/Tools/FoldingSaws/silky_f180_yellow.jpg

also, you can cut the wood to the size you want so you're not wasting an extra 4 inches each time.

[TurboD]

so i broke down and bought a fence board from totem - 4.09 w tax

massive salmon slab from superstore - 14.xx

when i was at totem i picked up a hack saw on sale for 4$ ish

so i cut to fit and cook to goodness and ate

best ever

[Bizzareo]

There is a really nice fish market by the keg just off 16th ave, (in the plaza across from the timmies/foot hills). And at work (Earls) we soak our cedar planks for at least 12 hours.

Lemon dijon and Lemon butter are the two things i personally love with salmon.