Cedar Plank Braided Salmon With Apple Butter Sauce
This impressive cedar plank salmon features two fillets that are sliced, braided, and generously coated with a maple and whisky glaze. After chilling overnight, it is cooked on a soaked cedar plank, which imparts a subtle smoky flavour. The salmon is finished with a dusting of maple sugar and served with a chilled, herby apple butter sauce. It makes a stunning centrepiece for 10 to 12 people, perfect for a special occasion. The total preparation and cooking time is about 90 minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 (16 inch) lengths cedar planks
- 6 -8 lbs whole salmon, filleted, skin off and pin bones removed, you should have two fillets, 3 to 4 lbs. each
- vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup dark amber maple syrup or 3/4 cup amber maple syrup
- 1/4 cup Canadian rye whisky or 1/4 cup maple liqueur
- 3/4 cup maple butter
- 4 -6 tablespoons granulated maple sugar
- coarse sea salt
- fresh ground pepper
- fresh thyme (optional) or sage sprig, for garnish (optional)
- 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup apple butter
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
Method
- For the Apple Butter Sauce, mix the mayonnaise, apple butter, and tarragon in a bowl. Refrigerate this sauce until you are ready to serve it. This yields approximately 2 cups.
- Prepare your salmon by filleting it.
- Take off the skin and ensure all pin bones are removed.
- Lightly coat your pre-soaked cedar planks with vegetable oil and lay the salmon fillets on them.
- Using a knife, make a lengthwise cut from the wide end of a fillet, stopping about 2 inches from the tail.
- Continue making parallel cuts to create seven strips, each roughly 1/2" to 3/4" wide.
- Do not cut through the tail end. leave it connected.
- The strips will naturally become narrower towards the intact tail.
- Set aside half of the maple syrup for later use.
- In a separate container, combine the other half of the maple syrup with the rye whisky or maple liqueur.
- Use a brush to apply this whisky mixture liberally over all the salmon strips.
- Sprinkle the coated salmon with coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper.
- To begin braiding, imagine the seven strips are numbered 1 to 7 from left to right.
- Take strip number 4 and lift it over strips 1, 2, and 3, placing it on the far left.
- Then, lift strip number 3 over strips 5, 6, and 7, moving it to the far right.
- Renumber the strips from 1 to 7 once more.
- Repeat the process by moving the new strip 4 to the left and the new strip 3 to the right.
- Keep braiding in this pattern until you reach the end of the fillet.
- Follow the same braiding method for the second salmon fillet.
- Gently press the braided fish into a neat, compact shape.
- Secure the loose ends by pressing them together or using skewers.
- Place the planked, braided salmon on a baking sheet, cover it, and refrigerate overnight.
- Before cooking, pour the maple butter and the reserved maple syrup over the salmon. Use a pastry brush to work the liquid into all the crevices.
- Season the salmon again with salt and pepper.
- Heat your barbecue to a medium setting or preheat your oven to 350°F.
- For barbecuing, position the plank on the grill over medium heat, using an upper rack if available.
- Close the barbecue lid or cover the salmon with an inverted foil roasting pan.
- Cook for 20 to 25 minutes. The salmon is ready when it flakes easily with a fork and its internal temperature reaches 120°F.
- For the oven method, preheat it to 350°F.
- Put the plank on a foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet and roast in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes.
- Take the plank and salmon off the heat source.
- Generously sprinkle maple sugar over the cooked salmon.
- You can serve the salmon hot or cold directly from the plank.
- Add a garnish of fresh thyme or sage if desired.
- Accompany each portion with the chilled Apple Butter Sauce.
Nutrition (per serving)
Sodium535900 mg
Recipe details
CategoryApple
AuthorTOOLBELT DIVA
