Alder Plank - salmon & shrimp

NDG

Yesterday I picked up 2 small pieces of Sockeye Salmon on sale at Whole Foods for $10.  Started soaking an Alder Plank right away, and after work I thawed out some shrimp from our freezer.  

Brushed the salmon with melted butter & honey and topped with a Miso rub.  For the shrimp I let them sit it in a marinade of dark soy, sesame oil, peanut oil, ginger (only Asian flavors I had laying around).  I wrapped the bottom of my Alder Board in foil and let it sit on the egg as it came to temp - around 400F.  Removed the foil, and placed the salmon and shrimp on the board.  About 8 minutes in, I flipped the shrimp and pulled the whole board after about 16 mins.  Served with leftover quinoa/roast-vege salad and some leftover green beans from our Thai carryout over the weekend.  I havent done seafood on the Egg in some time, really hit the spot.  

Griffin

Looks tasty. What's in a Miso rub?

SmokeyPitt

Wow- that is beautiful!   It looks like a very healthy and delicious meal.  

NDG

Thank you.  @griffin . . I got the miso rub awhile back from World Market but it was my first time using it.  It was only $2.79 so figured I would try it out.  Not a ton of flavor but thats ok - sockeye is tasty on its own. 

NDG

I wish my salmon was plump as that picture!  I cant complain because my fish was marked down big time (previously frozen sockeye - out of season) but the thin part of my fish was overdone.  I saw a technique on Cooks Illustrated when the rolled the thin part up into the thick part and tied it together.  I will try this out next time.

nolaegghead

miso is fermented soybean.

Looks good, shrimp cook way faster than salmon.

NDG

Yes shrimp cook faster.  I was using Naked Whiz classic "Cedar Plank Shrimp on Alder Plank" as a guideline to make sure shrimp were not overdone.  They came out perfect - maybe they were still a little frozen in the core?  

Anyway - here is Naked Whiz link for times/temp: http://www.nakedwhiz.com/plankedshrimp.htm

chashans

Looks wonderful! And oh those Asian flavors are soooo good. Think that I will have a bowl of Miso soup now.

HendersonTRKing

That is a great looking cook.  You can get big bags of miso at Asian grocers and cut it with rice wine vinegar, soy, sherry, garlic, and ginger for your own marinade with no extras or surprises in the mix. And you can bring up the miso flavor as much as you want.  Also good with a bit of chili garlic paste if you want your miso with a kick.  Miso hungry now . . .

Cymbaline65

Very nice spread. Right up my flavor alley

SWVABeanCounter

Great looking feast.  Love using alder instead of cedar.  Don't know why I haven't tried shrimp yet, but I will this weekend.  Thanks for sharing.

Little Steven

nolaegghead said:

miso is fermented soybean.

Looks good, shrimp cook way faster than salmon.

And/or rice and barley

ekuapa

So; pardon my lack of knowledge; but... whats the difference between alder and cedar.

nolaegghead

Alder is deciduous and cedar is coniferous. Historically that's what's around the PNW.   Coniferous wood has high turpentine content, so it can be "overdone" easily.

ekuapa

@Kendermann here is your answer... 
@nolaegghead Thanks... this weekend we were asking that on Kroger, we went with cedar, but will try alder next time

robnybbq

Looks great.  How do you know when the salmon is done?  internal temp?

nolaegghead

robnybbq said:

Looks great.  How do you know when the salmon is done?  internal temp?

I cook by feel with salmon.  If it feels firm, and not mushy, it's done.  Also a good idea to use a knife and open up a flake of meat in the thick part, should just be getting opaque in the center.  Temp is another way, you can pull when the coolest part of the fish is around 130-135F.   Salmon has high fat content and can be overcooked with less sadness than other leaner fish.

robnybbq

great thanks - I am always afraid I am over cooking it.