eyeFISH
11-10-2005, 07:11 PM
This recipe request came from the Piscatorial Pursuits Board, so I thought I would share it here as well:
http://steelhead.fish.washington.edu/~parker/pics/docfood.jpg
Planked salmon a la eyeFISH:
Soak an alder plank for at least an hour or two before you work on the rest of the recipe.
Obtain salmon fillets about 1 to 1-1/2 inch thick. If you use the eyeFISH fillet method (fillet-o-fish (http://www.ifish.net/forum/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=514237&page=1)) the belly pieces from a 15-25# salmon (featured in the pic above) are the choicest cuts for this recipe. Collars are also fantastic for this recipe. If you must use the thick shoulder/back meat, I would recommend cross-cutting the thick chunks into triangular steaks/medallions of uniform thickness.
Apply salt, MSG, and fresh ground pepper to the flesh side of the fillets according to personal taste. Allow to stand for an hour or more to let the salt penetrate the meat.
In a small mixing bowl, stir together a 1/2 cup of mayo and 1/2 cup sour cream (not the foo-foo lo-calorie stuff!). Throw in 1/2 a Walla Walla sweet onion, finely diced. Add some finely chopped green onions or chives. For an additional splash of color and flavor, throw in some finely chopped sweet red and yellow peppers (optional).
Lay the seasoned fillets skin side down on the hydrated alder plank. (Steaks/medallions can be laid flat. ) Spread an even layer of creamy topping over all exposed flesh. Dust sparingly with paprika (optional).
Place plank/fish into a covered BBQ preheated to 400-500 degrees. Adjust cooking time approximately 10 minutes per inch. One inch fillets with a quarter inch of topping will take about 12-13 minutes to cook... just long enough to turn the flesh opaque and get a nice golden brown crust on the topping. The plank should get thoroughly charred and produce lots of smoke without actively flaming... that's why you pre-soak the plank. You want to smoke the fish, not flame it. Keep a spray bottle of water handy just in case.
The topping really helps to maximize absorption of the alder-smoked flavor. Keeping the fillets in that 1 to 1-1/2 inch thickness is critical to the success of this recipe.
Too thin, and the fish will be cooked before the plank produces sufficient smoke or the topping gets a chance to brown. Anemic, overcooked fish is just not very appetizing.
Too thick, and the fish will still be raw by the time the plank has been consumed (bad!) or the topping has been rendered a burnt crust. Just imagine blackened sashimi, and you get the picture.
Just for reference, the belly pieces in the picture came off this 28# hen from Buoy-10 and were cooked in my Weber for 16 minutes.... PERFECT!
http://www.piscatorialpursuits.com/uploads/UP8711.jpg
http://steelhead.fish.washington.edu/~parker/pics/docfood.jpg
Planked salmon a la eyeFISH:
Soak an alder plank for at least an hour or two before you work on the rest of the recipe.
Obtain salmon fillets about 1 to 1-1/2 inch thick. If you use the eyeFISH fillet method (fillet-o-fish (http://www.ifish.net/forum/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=514237&page=1)) the belly pieces from a 15-25# salmon (featured in the pic above) are the choicest cuts for this recipe. Collars are also fantastic for this recipe. If you must use the thick shoulder/back meat, I would recommend cross-cutting the thick chunks into triangular steaks/medallions of uniform thickness.
Apply salt, MSG, and fresh ground pepper to the flesh side of the fillets according to personal taste. Allow to stand for an hour or more to let the salt penetrate the meat.
In a small mixing bowl, stir together a 1/2 cup of mayo and 1/2 cup sour cream (not the foo-foo lo-calorie stuff!). Throw in 1/2 a Walla Walla sweet onion, finely diced. Add some finely chopped green onions or chives. For an additional splash of color and flavor, throw in some finely chopped sweet red and yellow peppers (optional).
Lay the seasoned fillets skin side down on the hydrated alder plank. (Steaks/medallions can be laid flat. ) Spread an even layer of creamy topping over all exposed flesh. Dust sparingly with paprika (optional).
Place plank/fish into a covered BBQ preheated to 400-500 degrees. Adjust cooking time approximately 10 minutes per inch. One inch fillets with a quarter inch of topping will take about 12-13 minutes to cook... just long enough to turn the flesh opaque and get a nice golden brown crust on the topping. The plank should get thoroughly charred and produce lots of smoke without actively flaming... that's why you pre-soak the plank. You want to smoke the fish, not flame it. Keep a spray bottle of water handy just in case.
The topping really helps to maximize absorption of the alder-smoked flavor. Keeping the fillets in that 1 to 1-1/2 inch thickness is critical to the success of this recipe.
Too thin, and the fish will be cooked before the plank produces sufficient smoke or the topping gets a chance to brown. Anemic, overcooked fish is just not very appetizing.
Too thick, and the fish will still be raw by the time the plank has been consumed (bad!) or the topping has been rendered a burnt crust. Just imagine blackened sashimi, and you get the picture.
Just for reference, the belly pieces in the picture came off this 28# hen from Buoy-10 and were cooked in my Weber for 16 minutes.... PERFECT!
http://www.piscatorialpursuits.com/uploads/UP8711.jpg