Fish and Seafood

Maple Glazed, Bacon Crusted Cedar Plank Salmon

baconcrustedsalmon-7

The name Maple Glazed, Bacon Crusted Cedar Plank Salmon is quite a big mouthful for this recipe but believe me it’s a relatively simple recipe to make and it tastes great!
I found this little gem in Chris Lilly’s latest cookbook, Fire and Smoke: A Pitmaster’s Secrets. I made a truckload of recipes from Chris’ first book,  Big Bob Gibson’s BBQ Book and all of them turned out great. This book looks just as good and I was really looking forward to try out a lot of the recipes the moment I laid eyes on them.

Bacon and salmon, not a combination I would have dreamt up.

I use cedar planks a lot for my salmon, to be more precise all the time. It makes it easier to cook a delicate piece of fish because there is no chance of it sticking to the grill. And as a bonus the plank imparts a delicate smoke flavor that complements the fish.
Now bacon and salmon that was something different. Not a combination that I would have dreamt of although I’ve tried a lot of weird bacon combinations in the past. But it really works! The bacon adds a nice saltiness to the fish. We loved it.
When using cedar planks I use a slightly different technique than Chris. I put them over direct heat. The planks I buy here aren’t very thick, I just use them once and throw them away afterwards, so I don’t mind if they char or start to catch fire.

Maple Glazed, Bacon Crusted Cedar Plank Salmon

Serves: 6
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 17 minutes

Ingredients:
For the Marinade:
¾ cup soy sauce
¾ cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1½ tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger
3 garlic gloves, minced

For the Fish:
1 (2-3 pound) center-cut piece of salmon fillet
6 slices of thick cut bacon
¼ cup of panko bread crumbs
½ cup of maple syrup

Extra:
cedar plank

Instructions:
Soak the cedar plank for at least an hour in water.
Make your barbecue ready for direct grilling at 150-175°C / 300-350°F.
Mix the ingredients for the marinade, measure out ¼ cup of the marinade and set aside.
Put the salmon in a ziploc bag and add the marinade. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
bacon crusted salmon
Put a skillet on the barbecue and cook the bacon until almost done but not yet crispy, this takes about 5 minutes. Put the bacon and bacon grease in a foodprocessor. Add panko and pulse until you get a fine crumb consistency.
bacon crusted salmon

 

bacon crusted salmonbacon crusted salmon
Transfer the bacon crumbles to a baking sheet and form a shape that is more or less the same as your salmon.
bacon crusted salmon
Take the salmon out of the ziploc bag and push the flesh side down in the bacon crumbles. Lay the salmon with the skin side on the cedar plank.
bacon crusted salmon
Place the plank with the salmon over direct heat and close the lid of your barbecue. Mix the reserved marinade with the maple syrup for the glaze.

After 8 minutes spoon the glaze over the salmon and cook for another 8 to 9 minutes with the lid closed.
bacon crusted salmon
The bacon crusted cedar plank salmon is done when the internal temperature is 50°C / 122°F (I like mine just set in the middle).

2 Comments

  • Reply
    Frits
    August 26, 2015 at 12:42 pm

    Great recipe!

  • Reply
    Carolyn
    March 24, 2022 at 12:12 am

    Delicious! Next time I will use more maple syrup and less bacon.

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