Cooking with Cedar

I bought a new product "cedar papers" from Whole Foods Market and wanted to try it out.  So when I think of smoking with cedar, I think of cedar plank salmon.  With these cedar papers, you don't have to cook them on the barbeque, you can use a grill pan on your stove.

This is a really simple recipe, but results in big complex flavors....cook to impress!

1 cedar sheet for each piece of fish
olive oil
salmon (or any type of fish you want)
salt
pepper
onions
garlic
rosemary
garlic
butcher twine

First, soak your plank papers in water for 15 minutes.  I used serving spoons to weigh down the cedar papers to stay down in the water.

Second, I picked herbs from the garden - rosemary and thyme.  Also chopped up some onions and garlic.  Rub your salmon with extra virgin olive oil and season with salt & pepper.

Third, time to assemble your bundles.  Place twigs of rosemary in the center of your cedar paper and place fish on the rosemary, skin side down.  On top of the fish, place onions, garlic, rosemary and thyme.  Close the cedar paper around the fish and tie with butcher twine.  Use to pieces of twine.

Fourth, heat your grill pan until hot.  Place bundles seam side down and cook for 3 minutes.  Cover with a pot lid or like I did, my tagine cover.  Turn bundle around and cook on new side 3 more minutes.  Take bundle off heat and let it rest for 3 minutes, it will continue to cook.  Do not over cook your fish.

It is so easy and it is so delicious.  Try cooking with these great cedar papers, it will make your fish smoky and tasty.  The flavors of the herbs and vegetables will be captured in your fish.  Even the onions were unbelievable.