Cooking Fish on a Wooden Plank

Salmon is a popular choice for wooden plank cooking.

Cooking fish on a wooden plank gives the fish a smoky flavor without having to go to the trouble of using a smoker. Wooden-plank cooking typically is done on a gas grill because it is easier to add smoky flavor to fish on a charcoal grill making planks unnecessary. Wooden planks can be purchased at specialty food stores, hardware stores with large barbecue sections and online.

Things You'll Need

• Wooden plank
• Gas grill
• Fish
• Water
• Olive oil
• Spray bottle

Instructions

1. Select a type of wood plank for grilling your fish. The most common types are cedar, maple and alder. You will need to make sure that the plank is untreated. Soak the plank in water for at least one hour before use. If you like, you may add 1 tbsp. of salt and 1 cup of your favorite juice to the soaking mixture to accent the wood's aroma.

2. Preheat the gas grill, and place the wooden plank on the grill for two minutes. Flip the plank and lightly brush the top with vegetable oil. Toasting the plank before cooking helps to add to the smoky flavor of wooden-plank fish.

3. Place the fish ton top of the wooden plank and cook until it has reached the desired temperature. Because you are using indirect heat to cook the fish it will take approximately 50 percent longer to cook than fish cooked directly on the grill. Additionally, you do not need to flip the fish during the cooking process.

4. Check the fish during the cooking process to make sure that the wooden plank has not caught on fire. You should keep a spray bottle of water next to the grill in case the plank ignites, which is common in wood-plank cooking. Keep the top of the grill closed -- this will help maintain the proper temperature and moisture levels necessary for cooking the fish.

5. Carefully remove the wooden plank from the grill, and serve the fish directly on the plank. Be careful with your placement of the plank because it might still be smoldering on the bottom side.

Tips & Warnings

• Rinse the used plank in soap and water and let it dry. You may reuse the plank up to three times as long as it is still intact.

• The plank will crackle and smolder during the cooking process; this is normal, but always keep water on hand in case of a fire.

References

• All Recipes: Plank Grilling
• Easy Fish Recipes: Cooking Fish like a Professional Chef
• Sizzlersranch: Grilling Fish on a Plank is Easy
• Seafood Solutions: Planked Salmon; Autum 2005
• Chicago Tribure: Try Some Fish on the Grill; Lisa Abraham; July 2010

Resources

• My Recipies: Plank-Cooking Fish
• Great Lakes Grilling Company: History of Plank Cooking