Wrap your fish in cedar and pour some Pinot Noir.
New way to plank fish, meat, and vegetables
THE FOOD: Cedar Wrapped Grilled Salmon with Rosemary and Lavender; Roasted Tomato and Bell Pepper Salad with Fresh Cherries
THE WINE: Banshee Pinot Noir, Sonoma County, 2021
Food: Planking fish is a time-honored grilling method, rooted in Native American traditions. Most people are thrilled to be delivered a fish filet on a charred rectangle of wood. There remains on the plate a visual remnant of the cooking method. Yet, detractors of the method like the Amazing BBQ and grilling expert, Meathead, point out the waste of a sizable piece of single-use wood and the lack of penetrating flavor in the method.
Enter thin cedar wood wraps. Sold in packs of 8 or 10 they average about $1 per wrap. You soak the wraps and tie-strings in water for about thirty minutes and you are ready to season and tie your fish, shrimp, or meat (or a sauteed eggplant and tomato mini-gratin?) in readiness for the grill. Park it on that hot grill or under a broiler and you will be dining in wood-fired bliss moments later.
I tried it out with Cedar Alpha Western Red Cedar Wraps. There are other brands out there and other types of wood like cherry and maple. The wraps are technically a cedar-veneered grilling paper but feel like a thin piece of wood. The other house husband, who has tried the technique before, assisted and worked the gas grill. With the fish we added some sautéed shiitake mushrooms and roasted garlic cloves to packaged wild/brown rice. To open I began with a salad of roasted bell peppers, roasted cherry tomatoes, fresh oregano, and pitted fresh cherries. All Pinot Noir-friendly pairings.
The pre-soaked wrap was brushed with olive oil. If you want to crisp the skin, you could consider marinating the fish or meat in it for 15 minutes along with some seasoning. Norwegian salmon was placed skin-side down and dusted with a mesquite salt mix. Rosemary, lavender and mint sprigs were laid on and brushed with some olive oil, more salt and pepper. One wrap cracked at the top- they are brittle-but this wasn’t ultimately an issue. The fish was grilled at medium-high heat for about 7 minutes. You can turn it once but, if grilling fish with skin, keep the fire on that side longer. Make sure to char the wood but don’t burn it to smithereens. Optimally grilled salmon has a just-opaque cottony pink interior and has only started to flake.
At the table, I presented the fish with the wood wrap peeled off except for the bottom layer cradling the skin. The cedar wood lent a tip-top seasoning to the salmon, reminiscent of cooking by wood smoke. I give two opposable thumbs up to this technique and recommend it if you are willing to spend an extra $1 per serving to elevate your grilled foods.
Wine: The sensory experience poured to complement this was Banshee Pinot Noir, Sonoma County, 2021. Pinot noir is a classic salmon match, fat-fighting the rich salmon with its acidity while remaining light enough in texture to not overwhelm the fish. The structure of the Banshee wine was unfortunately so tightly wound it never really developed in the course of the meal. With the smoky wood notes of this cooking technique, I will try next time a Rose of Syrah or a Chenin Blanc. I can also picture a future pairing with some barrel-aged, non-stout beer.