Alaska US · Dinner

Cedar-plank salmon

Name: Cedar-plank salmon
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Alaska US
Ingredients: 1 untreated food-safe western red cedar plank, about 16 by 8 inches; 1 skin-on side wild Alaska salmon, 2 1/2 to 3 pounds, pin bones removed; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup; 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 1 lemon, thinly sliced; 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

A whole side of wild Alaska salmon gently grilled on a toasted food-safe cedar plank with a light maple-Dijon glaze, lemon, and dill.

About 1 hr 50 minTotal

About 50 minActive

$$$Cost

ModerateDifficulty

Makes 8 servings

Equipment

Use untreated food-safe Western red cedar sized to hold the salmon without overhang.
Best everyday cedar-plank pack
Wildwood Grilling Signature 5-by-11-Inch Cedar Planks, 12-Pack
View at Amazon
Another workable path: Use untreated food-safe Western red cedar sized to hold the salmon without overhang.
Paid links. As an Amazon Associate, Kwilt earns from qualifying purchases.
How we chose
Research-backed · reviewed Aug 2026
We matched food-safe Western red cedar, the Recipe's portion footprint, untreated construction, United States sourcing and manufacture, pack size, ownership burden, and exact current Amazon identity. Kwilt has not cooked on these planks.
Wildwood Grilling Signature 5-by-11-Inch Cedar Planks, 12-Pack: The untreated five-by-eleven-inch Western red cedar surface fits the Recipe's salmon portions, protects the fish from direct flame, and supplies the gentle smoke-and-steam effect the method requires. Trade-off: The planks are consumable, need soaking before cooking, and this size suits portions rather than an unusually large whole salmon side.
Another workable path: Use any untreated, food-safe Western red cedar grilling plank that fits the salmon without overhang; never substitute construction lumber or aromatic cedar intended for closets.
Sources
Wildwood 5-by-11 cedar plank specifications
Wildwood food-safety and sizing guidance
Amazon exact product listing

Ingredients

1× recipe · Makes 8 servings

1 untreated food-safe western red cedar plank, about 16 by 8 inches
1 skin-on side wild Alaska salmon, 2 1/2 to 3 pounds, pin bones removed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

Instructions

Submerge in water for at least 1 hour, weighting it down. Whisk oil, maple syrup, Dijon, salt, and pepper. Pat salmon dry and brush the flesh lightly with the glaze.
Prepare a covered grill for indirect medium-high heat, 400 to 450°F. Put the drained plank over direct heat 3 to 5 minutes until it begins to smoke and lightly char; turn it charred-side up and move it to indirect heat.
Set salmon skin-side down on the plank and arrange lemon over the flesh. Close the lid and cook without flipping until the thickest part reaches 145°F, 20 to 30 minutes depending on thickness. Keep water nearby for plank flare-ups but do not soak the fish.
Transfer plank to a heatproof surface, rest salmon 5 minutes, scatter with dill, and lift portions away from the skin. Never place the hot plank directly on a table or reuse a deeply charred plank.

AlaskaContemporary Alaskan salmon cooking

From the table

About this recipe

Cooking fish beside fragrant wood has Indigenous roots in the Pacific Northwest, while cedar-plank salmon is now used broadly across North American grilling; this Alaska-labeled version pairs salmon with maple, mustard, lemon, and dill without claiming the plank method originated in Alaska.

Cooking salmon near or on cedar has roots in Indigenous foodways of the Northwest Coast, spanning what are now Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, and beyond; it should not be reduced to a modern grill gimmick. This Alaska-labeled version specifies wild Alaska salmon but does not claim one single Nation’s ceremonial method. This Kwilt version follows the reviewed household adaptation: Use a restrained modern Alaska-salmon preparation while explicitly locating plank cooking within broader, living Indigenous Northwest Coast foodways.

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