After our son was sleeping soundly on the Fourth of July, we decided to celebrate the Fourth of July with what we coined as an upscale barbecue of salmon and scallops grilled on cedar planks with a tomato, black bean and orange pepper salsa. We found a pack of cedar planks at Costco, soaked them for four hours in our kitchen sink and got ready to grill. I marinated the salmon and scallops in a honey lime soy glaze for a little over an hour. We transferred the fish to the planks, placed them on the grill and drizzled the remaining glaze the fish marinated in onto the fish and planks.
While I was inside preparing salsa to accompany our fish, I heard my husband rejoicing at the smell of cedar coming from the grill. And then, he opened the lid of the grill.
WHOOSH! Flames soared up and Dan calmly asked for me to bring a pitcher of water outside. I didn't realize the plank was on fire and thought Dan was really thirsty. Upon walking out the back door, I realized why he needed the water. Click on the video below to see what remained of the burned plank but also to see how delicious the scallops and salmon turned out.
We certainly created our own fireworks display!
As you can see from the video, we are not sure why one plank caught on fire and the other didn't. Any ideas? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section of the blog on this post.
Despite almost setting the back of our new house on fire, the fish turned out amazing! Neither of us had ever had better or more flavorful fish. The scallops took on the warm brown tone of the plank and like the salmon, acquired the smoky, earthy flavor of the cedar plank.
The tomato, black bean and orange bell pepper salsa was a perfect compliment to the fish. It is really easy to whip up and would taste great with just about any meat or fish. I was also very excited with how well the honey lime soy glaze turned out which we used on the fish. Simply whisk together lime juice, lime zest, honey and reduced sodium soy sauce and you have a beautiful glaze for your fish. I saved the extra for dipping sauce for the fish.
This entire dinner is easy to prepare but is very fresh and elegant yet not fussy to serve for a dinner party or a quiet dinner for two.
After we finished the last bites of our fish and salsa, my husband and I sat back in our chairs and marveled that we had made a dinner that turned out so well we wished we'd had people over for dinner to try it so that someone other than us would know how delicious it really turned out.
With that, we ended our Fourth of July by toasting to new beginnings, to being settled in our new home, and to not burning the house down!
Honey Lime Soy Scallops and Salmon on Cedar Planks
4 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Zest of two lemons
2 cedar planks
**Ask your fish monger for a recommendation for how many scallops and how much salmon you need to serve four people.
Details
*Whisk all four ingredients together in a small bowl. Pour over fish to marinate for an hour or more in a resealable plastic bag. Save excess marinade that wasn't used on the fish to use as dipping sauce.
*Soak the cedar planks for up to four hours in tap water in your sink.
*Place planks on grill with fish, drizzle marinade from bag over fish on the planks.
*Grill for 10-15 mins on medium heat. You will know the scallops are done when they take on the color of the cedar plank.
Tomato, Black Bean and Orange Pepper Salsa
2 tomatoes, diced
1 orange pepper, diced
1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
Juice of 2 limes
Zest of 2 limes
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (add more to taste)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
Details
*Add diced tomatoes and peppers along with beans to a serving bowl.
*In a seperate bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, lime juice, lime zest and cumin. Once blended, slowly whisk in olive oil.
*Salt and pepper to taste.
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