Teriyaki Cedar Planked Salmon with Bok Choy

If you really want to add some flavor to your fish, try cooking it on wood on your grill. Planked salmon is the original recipe for wood grilling.  It goes back to the people of the Northwest who grilled salmon over open fires. When you want to grill some fish, use only untreated cedar, alder, hickory, or maple. The boards are readily available anywhere that carries grilling supplies.

Suggestions for cooking with planks:

•  Add 1 cup of white wine, or juice to the soaking water to accent wood aromas.
•  If a plank is being used for the first time, season it by placing it on a preheated grill for 2 minutes, turning once. Lightly toasting the plank on both sides will intensify its smoky flavor and prevent warping.
•  When the plank starts crackling, it's ready for cooking.
•  Keep a spray bottle filled with water nearby in case your plank catches on fire. (Important! It happens.)

This recipe is outrageously good! You might want to buy a big piece of salmon. If you are a paleo purist, you probably will not want to make the marinade due to the tamari sauce. But from all I have read, the soy in tamari is very broken down by the time it is converted to the sauce and it is also gluten-free. It is definitely paleo-friendly and I can’t pass up a chance to make a fish and veggie dish that has so many flavors and basically no downside. You decide…

Marinade

¼ cup tamari sauce

1/8  cup apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon agave nectar

1 tablespoon olive oil

¼  teaspoon sesame oil

½  tablespoon minced garlic

½  tablespoon minced ginger

1 tablespoon minced green onion bottoms

¼ teaspoon prepared horseradish (optional)

2 (6-ounce) salmon fillets

Cedar plank

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 lime

Cilantro

Directions

Combine marinade ingredients. Pour half of the mixture over the salmon in a shallow dish. Turn to coat well, and refrigerate, turning occasionally, for at least an hour or overnight. Save the rest of the marinade in the refrigerator

Soak the cedar plank in water for at least 1 hour. Heat your grill to a medium heat.  Remove the plank from the water and spray the board with olive oil. Place the salmon fillet on the top of the plank and place directly on your grill grate and close the lid. Try to keep the lid closed to allow the smoke to permeate the fish. Depending on your grill temperature and thickness of the fillet, the fish will take between 15 and 20 minutes. While the fish is cooking, put the remaining teriyaki sauce in a small saucepan and simmer for about 2 minutes.

Remove the fish from the grill and serve with lime wedges, cilantro and bok choy. Drizzle with warmed reserved marinade.

Bok Choy

Cut off the ends of the bok choy stalks. Wash and drain. Cut the stalks on the diagonal, separating them from the leaves.  Heat wok and add a little oil. When oil is ready, add the bok choy stalks and stir-fry for a minute. Add the leaves and a splash of water and simmer until stalks are tender and leaves are just wilted. Turn off heat.