5 ingredient grilled cedar plank salmon with a delicious honey bourbon glaze is an easy recipe that's perfect year-round! (dairy-free, nut-free, gluten-free)
Adding more fish to your weekly rotation is one way to dramatically increase the quality of quality of your diet. We know that seafood is great for your heart, brain, mood, and growing babies, so eat up! Salmon is one of my favorite varieties of fish to cook because it's so versatile. This bourbon glazed cedar plank salmon is one of our family's favorites.
Why You'll Love This Cedar Plank Salmon Recipe
If you haven't tried grilling cedar plank salmon yet, what are you waiting for? Cedar and salmon are a match made in heaven, and the cedar plank makes for easy cleanup! The subtle flavor of the cedar gets brought out even more by a simple honey bourbon glaze that adds a sweet-saovry-smoky flavor. Even the biggest fish skeptics (like Mr. Table) will happily eat this flavorful salmon!
The Ingredients
- Salmon - I like to use wild Alaska salmon. You can either use individual filets or one large piece. Ask the butcher to remove the skin for you, if possible.
- Bourbon - No need to use your best bottle. Something like Jim Beam is just fine for cooking!
- Soy Sauce - I use a reduced sodium variety. For gluten-free, use coconut aminos or tamari.
- Honey
- Garlic
- Salt & Pepper
- A Cedar Plank - Not technically an ingredient, but you will need one for this recipe.
How To Make It
- Soak the cedar plank in warm water for 15 minutes. If your salmon has skin, remove it now.
- Meanwhile, add the bourbon, soy sauce, honey and garlic to a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook until the liquid is reduced by about half (about 10-15 minutes), stirring every once in a while. Discard the garlic.
- Heat the grill to medium high heat (about 400°F to 450°F).
- Place the salmon skin side down on the cedar plank. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon a generous amount of the bourbon sauce over the top of the salmon.
- Place cedar plank with the salmon on the grill. Grill to your preferred doneness, spooning more sauce over the top once or twice during grilling. An internal temperature of 120°F with a 5 minute rest will give you a perfect medium rare.
- Remove the fish from the grill and rest 5 minutes before serving.
Pro Tips For The Most Delicious Grilled Salmon
- The cook time for salmon depends on the thickness of the fish, how done you like it, and the temperature you are grilling on. Temperature is always more accurate than time, which is why I always grill with a meat thermometer. Pull it 5 degrees before your target temperature and let it rest 5 minutes. Here are target temperatures for salmon:
- Rare: 120°F
- Medium-Rare: 125°F
- Medium: 130°F
- Medium-Well: 135°F
- Well Done: 140°F
- I prefer medium-rare (a tender, pink center with a firm outside). Cook it a little longer for more done. Start checking at about 8 minutes for a thinner piece of fish.
- If you prefer a longer cook and smokier flavor, turn down the heat and let it cook longer, still keeping the target temperatures in mind. This is achieved easily on a pellet grill or charcoal grill.
- Removing the skin before cooking allows the fish to absorb more of the cedar flavor, but if you'd rather not take the time to remove it yourself, you can absolutely just it on.
Can This Recipe Be Made Ahead?
I don't recommend making the salmon ahead of time, but you can definitely make the sauce ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Cedar Plank Cooking FAQ
The point of a cedar plank is to infuse a delicate smoke flavor into the food you're cooking. This is done by soaking the plank, which allows the flavor to be released into the food once heated. Cedar planks are also ideal for grilling fish, because they prevent the fish from sticking to the grill or falling apart.
Soak cedar planks in warm water for 15 minutes before cooking. The moisture helps the plank release flavor (and can prevent it from drying too much on the grill). Soaking any longer doesn't add much benefit.
Yes! The cedar planks are safe to use in the oven, but they won't smoke (which is a good thing!). The optimal temperature in the oven is 400°F, which is perfect for salmon.
Technically, yes. But should you? No. First, the plank will likely be burned and start to come apart after you use it. Second, you won't get much flavor if you use it again. Finally, it could be a food safety issue. Just get another one.
More Salmon Recipes You'll Love
- Slow Roasted Chili Blood Orange Salmon
- Asian Grilled Salmon Kabobs
- The Easiest Honey Garlic Salmon
- Harissa Glazed Salmon with Lemon Mint Quinoa
- Blackberry Glazed Salmon
- Garlic Cilantro Salmon
If you made this recipe, please leave a star rating in the comments!
PrintGrilled Bourbon Glazed Cedar Plank Salmon
Grilled bourbon glazed cedar plank salmon is a delicious, easy recipe to help you add more heart healthy fish to your diet. This 5-ingredient recipe is perfect for summer grilling season! (dairy-free, nut-free, gluten-free)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: main dish
- Method: grilled
- Cuisine: seafood
Ingredients
- 1 cedar plank
- ¼ cup bourbon
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce (tamari or coconut aminos for gluten-free)
- 1 clove garlic, smashed
- 1 lb salmon filet, skin removed
- Sea salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Soak the cedar plank in warm water for 15 minutes. If your salmon has skin, remove it now.
- Meanwhile, add the bourbon, soy sauce, honey and garlic to a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook until the liquid is reduced by about half (about 10-15 minutes), stirring every once in a while. Discard the garlic.
- Heat the grill to medium high heat (about 400°F to 450°F).
- Place the salmon skin side down on the cedar plank. Season with salt and pepper.
- Spoon a generous amount of the bourbon sauce over the top of the salmon.
- Place cedar plank with the salmon on the grill. Grill to your preferred doneness, spooning more sauce over the top once or twice during grilling. An internal temperature of 120°F with a 5 minute rest will give you a perfect medium rare.
- Remove the fish from the grill and rest 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- The cook time for salmon depends on the thickness of the fish, how done you like it, and the temperature you are grilling on. Temperature is always more accurate than time, which is why I always grill with a meat thermometer. Pull it 5 degrees before your target temperature and let it rest 5 minutes. Here are target temperatures for salmon:
- Rare: 120°F
- Medium-Rare: 125°F
- Medium: 130°F
- Medium-Well: 135°F
- Well Done: 140°F
- I prefer medium-rare (a tender, pink center with a firm outside). Cook it a little longer for more done. Start checking at about 8 minutes for a thinner piece of fish.
- If you prefer a longer cook and smokier flavor, turn down the heat and let it cook longer, still keeping the target temperatures in mind. This is achieved easily on a pellet grill or charcoal grill.
- Removing the skin before cooking allows the fish to absorb more of the cedar flavor, but if you'd rather not take the time to remove it yourself, you can absolutely just it on.
- The sauce can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Keywords: grilled cedar plank salmon, bourbon glazed salmon, bourbon glazed cedar plank salmon
This recipe was originally published May 2018 and has been updated.
Matthew Cooke says
This has to be the worst salmon recipe I’ve ever done for a grill. What sauce? It’s wet bland and it never caramelizes around the fish. I’m an avid griller and I would ignore this recipe at all costs. Everyone on this comment thread is giving it five stars because they’re afraid to say anything negative these days. Waste of time.
★
Kaleigh says
Sorry to hear it didn't work out for you, Matthew.
Tiffany says
Great recipe!! Can this be cooked in the oven?
★★★★★
Tiffany says
Great recipe!! My family loves it. Can it be cooked in the oven instead of grilled?
★★★★★
Tiffany says
How can I adjust this to be cooked in an oven? I don’t have access to a grill on vacation.
★★★★★
Kaleigh says
Hi Tiffany,
I would follow the same instructions, but place the salmon on a piece of parchment or foil on a baking sheet and bake at 400°F for about 10-15 min. Brush the sauce on once about halfway through and then at the end.
Janet says
Any particular bourbon to use?
Kaleigh says
Any that you have is fine! Probably not your rare, expensive kind though 🙂
Janet says
The bourbon sauce was delicious! I mistakenly didn’t reserve extra to drizzle later. I used a cedar plank over direct med-high heat on gas grill. Put the skinless salmon on after I heated and turned plank first. Basted with sauce. Took only about 15 mins - used a thermometer at 10 minutes. Kept a water spray bottle handy so plank didn’t catch fire. Recipe is a keeper! Thank you!
★★★★★
Kaleigh says
Hi Janet,
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for the spray bottle tip.
Bruce Daniell says
Beautiful presentation, but lacking specifics...indirect or direct heat...heat plank till smoking before placing salmon?