Cedar Planked Salmon with Lemon, Garlic & Herbs
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Grilled cedar planked salmon has a delightfully smoky flavor and never sticks to the grill!
Cedar planked salmon is a mainstay on restaurant menus, yet it’s so easy to make at home. Marinating the salmon in lemon zest, garlic, and herbs in one of my favorite ways to prepare it. The citrus and garlic add zing while the cedar plank and herbs impart a smoky, woodsy flavor. To make life easy, I buy the salmon already skinned and portioned at the supermarket. Once home, I quickly whip up the marinade, refrigerate the salmon, and go about my day. Come dinnertime, all that’s left to do is soak the plank, fire up the grill, and make the side dishes. What’s more, not only does the plank prevent the fish from sticking to the grill, but it also makes clean-up a breeze. Serve the salmon with sautéed zucchini and cherry tomatoes or ratatouille and focaccia.
What you’ll need to make Cedar Planked Salmon
As you can see, the ingredients are very straightforward. The cedar planks are easy to find; most large supermarkets carry them near the seafood department.
How to make Cedar Planked Salmon
Begin by making the marinade: combine the olive oil, lemon zest, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper in a dish large enough to hold the salmon. Add the salmon to the dish and turn to coat evenly. Let the salmon marinate for at least 30 minutes or until ready to grill.
Meanwhile, soak the cedar plank in a sink or bowl of water for at least one hour, otherwise, it will be more prone to catch fire on the grill. Then, pat dry and place the marinated salmon on the plank.
Grill over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the salmon is done to your liking.
Serve the salmon right off the plank with lemon wedges. Enjoy!
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Cedar Plank Salmon with Lemon, Garlic & Rosemary
Grilled cedar planked salmon has a delightfully smoky flavor and never sticks to the grill!
Ingredients
- Cedar plank(s) for grilling
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest, from 2 lemons
- 1½ teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1½ teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 (6-oz) salmon fillets, skin removed
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Fill a large bowl or sink with water. Soak the cedar plank(s) under the water for at least 1 hour.
- In a baking dish large enough to hold the salmon, combine the olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon zest, rosemary, thyme, and garlic. Mix well. Add the salmon and turn to coat evenly with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until ready to grill (you can do this up to 4 hours ahead of time).
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat (400°F to 450°F).
- Pat the soaked plank(s) dry and place the salmon on top. Place the plank(s) on the grill grates, close the cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until salmon is done to your liking. Douse or mist the plank(s) with a bit of water if it catches fire. Serve the salmon on a platter right off the plank(s) with lemon wedges.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Calories: 478
- Fat: 36 g
- Saturated fat: 7 g
- Carbohydrates: 1 g
- Sugar: 0 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Sodium: 392 mg
- Cholesterol: 94 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Followed the recipe exactly as described, it was easy and the flavor was amazing! To get the most out of the cedar plank flavor, I heated the boards on both sides for 4-5 minutes each (until smoking) then put the salmon filet’s on to cook. This one has become a family favorite, thank you for sharing it Jenn!
The most flavorful salmon dish! The cedar adds to the flavor. Every time I make this dish, guests ask for the recipe. I usually pair it with the cilantro lime sweet corn recipe.
no question- I made this without the wood plank, in a fish basket. so good
Made this last night with fresh salmon shipped to me from Alaska. It was delicious, so light and tasted just like Summer. We all loved the lemony herbs, so fresh!
I made this for my husband today for Father’s Day. He likes salmon, I don’t. My husband told me to try it and when I did, I was pleasantly surprised how good it was. I was really impressed, because I don’t like Salmon, but this was very good. This will be my go to recipe for salmon from now on. Thank you so much for this great recipe.
Dear Jenn— do you ever use Atlantic salmon? What are your thoughts about it?
Freeman
PS — my wife and I love your recipes!
Hi Freeman, Glad you like the recipes! I do use Atlantic salmon. While I try to be aware of my seafood purchases and the impact they have on the environment, I generally don’t shy away from it. Whenever I have any questions about this kind of thing, I refer to this site. Hope that helps!
This salmon preparation is wonderful! I knew it would be because Jenn tests all of her recipes. I even bought cedar planks because of this recipe! Tastes like one is in Washington State during the salmon run, try it and you’ll love it too!
This is absolutely outstanding!! My guests were so impressed! Deemed the meal of 2017/2018 😉 I had never used cedar planks on the bbq, was amazed at the ease of it all and the resulting smoke infused fish. Worth seeking them out just for this recipe! Definitely keep the water/spray bottle nearby. Needed to extinguish one of the planks toward the end of cooking and was happy I had things ready for that. Served with the mesculun/goats cheese salad which paired well. Thanks, Jenn, for yet another irresistible recipe 🙂
This is a really great recipe. During the Summer, we cook this all the time. We purchase skin-on Salmon portions, and skin them at home. Then we do one additional step — we scrape off the strong-tasting flesh between the skin & fillet. We find that it is even there on skinned fillets as well. In addition to the fact that my wife does not care for that dark brown flesh, it interferes with the more subtle flavor of the cedar in the grilled fish.
The strong-tasting flesh I was referring to is brown in color. I was told that this is called the “bloodline”, and is a residual portion of the circulatory system. It is perfectly edible, but has a strong “fishy” taste that my wife does not like.
just wondering were to buy the cedar plank to cook salmon on thank you annette
Hi Annette, They are usually sold near the seafood department in the supermarket, but you’re more likely to find them during the warmer months.
Amazon.com sells them.
Home Depot sells bundles of cedar shakes for about $10. Good value. Varying widths accommodate different size fillets. Place the thicker end of the salmon fillet over the thinner end of the cedar.
Loved it, loved it, loved it. Thank you.
A suggestion re where to buy cedar planks – check your local lumbar yard for untreated cedar fence planks – you can saw them into lengths that work for you – I pay around $1.25 CAD for them in the Vancouver, B.C. area. Might be more if you aren’t fortunate enough to live where the salmon is fresh 😉