The plank soaks in the sink for an hour before anything else happens. It wants to float, so it needs a bowl set on top of it, and then it needs to be left alone. That waiting is the only demanding part of this recipe. Everything after it is standing near the grill with nothing much to do.

Glaze once, before it goes on, and then leave it. Honey brushed on repeatedly over a hot grill turns dark and bitter and starts tasting like the glaze instead of the fish. Applied once and left, it sets into the surface while the cedar smokes underneath, which is the whole reason to cook salmon on a board in the first place.

Ingredients

The fish

1 large salmon fillet, skin on, about 2 lb
1 untreated cedar plank

The glaze

2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp honey
1½ tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1½ tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

To finish

1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Fresh thyme sprigs and thin lemon slices, optional

Use an untreated cedar plank sold for grilling — not cedar from a lumberyard, which may be chemically treated. One plank is good for a single use. It comes off the grill black on the underside and belongs in the trash.

Method

Submerge the plank in water at least 1 hour, preferably 2, weighted down so it stays under.
Whisk together the olive oil, honey, Dijon, soy sauce, garlic, thyme leaves, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
Pat the salmon dry and set it skin-side down on the soaked plank. Brush it generously with the glaze and let it stand 15–20 minutes while the grill heats.
Heat the grill to 375–400°F. Set the plank over indirect heat, close the lid, and cook 15–22 minutes depending on the thickness of the fillet. For a moist center, take it off around 125–130°F at the thickest part and let it rest briefly.
Brush the hot salmon very lightly with melted butter and scatter fresh thyme over the top. A small squeeze of lemon just before serving.

For presentation, lay a few thyme sprigs and thin lemon slices over the fish during the last five minutes. Any earlier and they scorch.

Keep a spray bottle of water within reach. The edges of the plank will sometimes catch flame, which is normal — a light mist puts it back to smoking.

“There is a point where the cedar starts to catch and you smell it before you see anything. After that it is mostly waiting.”