Cedar Plank Salmon with Lemon Mint Pesto

This is a 2nd Place Winner Del Mar recipe from Greg Smith, Oceanside California. Be sure to soak cedar plank in salted water for 2 hours, then drain. Then after seasoning,  lay the salmon (on what was skin-side down) on the cedar plank to cook. I always cook on indirect heat, but you can cook on direct heat, just be sure your plank is soaked well. Check the plank occasionally while cooking. If the edges start to catch fire, mist with water, or move the plank to a cooler part of the grill.

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Cedar Plank Salmon with Lemon Mint Pesto

This recipe for Cedar Plank Salmon with Lemon Mint Pesto is the second place winner Del Mar recipe from Greg Smith, Oceanside California. Serve with angle hair pasta with sauteed zucchini, red onions, fresh garlic & lemon juice.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: fish

Ingredients

• 1 lemon juiced and zested
• 1-1/2 cups of fresh basil leaves or 1 big bunch of basel
• 1 bunch of fresh mint
• 5 cloves of fresh garlic
• 1/4 of a cup fresh pine nuts
• 1/4 of a cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt or enough for your taste
• 1/2 fresh cracked pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil not the stuff that's been sitting in your cupboard for a year
• Salmon Filets pin bones removed, doesn't matter if the skin is on or off
• Cedar plank soaked in water for 30 minutes prior to cooking

Instructions

• Take the mint, basil and garlic and give it a rough chop (this will help it blend better). Place in a blender or food processor along with the pine nuts and pulse until a paste forms. Then juice the lemon (be careful to strain the seeds) and zest the lemon using a micro planer or fine grader and pour into the paste. Season the pesto with salt and pepper (to your taste), Then blend again and stream in the extra virgin olive oil until the pesto is a smooth consistency.
• Let the mixture sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. This will help the flavors blend together.
• Preheat grill to medium heat
• Take the salmon filets and season both sides with salt and pepper and set on the cedar plank. Next spread a good amount of the pesto mixture over the top of the salmon. Place the plank on the grill and cover for 15 minutes or until done (as soon as fish can flake)

Notes

Serve with angle hair pasta with sauteed zucchini, red onions, fresh garlic & lemon juice.