This grilled cedar plank salmon with bourbon glaze is loaded with smoky flavor from cooking on the cedar wood planks and sweetness from the marinade and coating of honey bourbon sauce.
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Why This Recipe Works
We eat a lot of salmon in my house and grilling salmon on cedar planks is one of my favorite ways to cook it. The cedar planks impart a distinctive woodsy flavor that compliments the richness of the salmon.
And to top if off I use a honey bourbon sauce to marinate the fish and also as a glaze to coat the fish as it cooks. It's a delicious, restaurant quality meal right in your own backyard!
For more delicious salmon recipes check out my oven baked lemon dill salmon and my sheet pan soy ginger salmon!
Ingredient Notes
- Salmon - I recommend using Atlantic or king salmon for this recipe because of the higher fat content. The fish will be more moist and tender than leaner Sockeye salmon, which can dry out.
- Bourbon - if you need to avoid alcohol you can leave it out. It will slightly change the flavor of the sauce, but it is still delicious!
How to Make Bourbon Sauce for Salmon
This bourbon sauce is similar to the bourbon salmon marinade at Longhorn steakhouse, but for even more flavor I reduce half of the sauce to make a glaze for basting the salmon as it cooks. To make the sauce:
- Combine all of the bourbon sauce ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.
- Place the salmon filets in a large resealable bag and pour half of the sauce over top, then toss to coat and refrigerate. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes, turning occasionally. Reserve the remaining sauce for later.
How to Cook Cedar Plank Salmon
- Preheat your grill for two zone cooking with one side medium heat and the other side high heat.
- While the grill preheats, add the reserved bourbon sauce to a small saucepan set over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a rapid simmer. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until the mixture is reduced by around half, stirring frequently to avoid foaming over. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes to thicken.
- Place the salmon filets on your cedar plank skin side down and add to the grill on the medium heat side. Cover the grill and cook for 10 minutes.
- Open the grill and baste the salmon with the bourbon glaze. Cook for another 3-8 minutes, basting occasionally with the remaining glaze, until the salmon reaches your desired doneness.
What to Serve with Cedar Plank Salmon
This grilled salmon is loaded with flavor so I like to keep it simple with the side dishes. A few of my favorite are:
- Grilled Broccolini
- Grilled Squash and Zucchini Foil Pack
- Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Garlic Butter Green Beans
Recipe Tips and FAQs
Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat leftovers in a 300°F oven for 10-12 minutes or until warmed through.
Soaking the planks in water for 1 to 2 hours before cooking helps to keep the wood from flaming up and burning.
Be sure your cedar is food grade made for cooking. Do not use cedar shingles or other cedar lumber intended for building. Food grade cedar planks can be found in many grocery stores or can be ordered online.
More Seafood Recipes to try
- Seared Scallops with Parmesan Risotto
- Salmon Cakes
- Honey Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry
- Creamy Cajun Pasta with Shrimp
📖 Recipe
Cedar Plank Salmon with Bourbon Glaze
Ingredients
- 4 6 ounce salmon filets
Bourbon Sauce
- 2-3 Tablespoons bourbon
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup water
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons grated ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon lime juice
Instructions
- Soak the cedar plank in water for around 2 hours.
- Combine all of the bourbon sauce ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.
- Place the salmon filets in a large resealable bag and pour half of the sauce over top, then toss to coat and refrigerate. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes, turning occasionally. Reserve the remaining sauce for later.
- Preheat your grill for two zone cooking with one side medium heat and the other side high heat.
- While the grill preheats, add the reserved bourbon sauce to a small saucepan set over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a rapid simmer. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until the mixture is reduced by around half, stirring frequently to avoid foaming over. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes to thicken.
- Place the salmon filets on your cedar plank skin side down and add to the grill on the medium heat side. Cover the grill and cook for 10 minutes.
- Open the grill and baste the salmon with the bourbon glaze. Cook for another 5-10 minutes, basting occasionally with the remaining glaze, until the salmon reaches your desired doneness.
Nutrition
* All nutrition information we provide are estimates based on third party calculators. We encourage you to calculate these on your own for accurate results.
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