Cedar Wrapped Asian Salmon

I don't know what I would do without impulse buys.  For instance, if it wasn't for Zoe picking up a pack of Fire & Flavor cedar wraps at Kroger, I wouldn't have had dinner.  Impulse buys, I welcome you.

I've used cedar wraps before and have had success.  They also follow this whole planking kick I've been on lately, albeit in a slightly different way.  In fact unlike a plank, for fast cooked foods, the thin cedar wrap really has a way of quickly imparting its woodsy love on its contents which, when cooking on a plank, takes longer.

Well it turns out this impulse buy was really a twofer.  Not only did I have the wraps, a recipe on the package caught my eye too.  It is a rare day I have cedar wraps, a handy recipe and a frozen sockeye salmon in the freezer to make it all happen.

Asian Salmon with Vegetables

From Smoke & Fire

2 tbls soy sauce, divided

2 tsp olive oil

1 tsp grated ginger root

1 carrot, cut into 6 inch strips

2 scallions, cut into 6 inch strips

4-8 oz salmon fillets

Although I don't always soak my cedar planks, you need to soak the wraps.  Adding thin dry wood strips to a hot grill is like adding a match to gasoline.  Even though only one of these will remove your eyebrows, they will both ruin dinner.  Soak your cedar wraps in water for at least 10 minutes.

Mix together 1 tbls of soy sauce, the olive oil and ginger.  Place the mixture in a plastic bag with the salmon and allow to marinade for around 10 minutes while sitting on the counter.

Toss the carrot, scallions and remaining soy sauce together in a small bowl and mix well.

Prep the grill for direct medium.

Place the salmon in the middle of the cedar and season with salt and pepper.

Evenly add the vegetables between the 4 wraps.

Roll the cedar on to itself and secure with butcher twine.  As a nice touch, the Fire & Flavor wraps included their own twine which I readily used.

With the wraps wrapped and the grill hot, grill the wraps for about 4-5 minutes per side.

When done, remove from the grill, unwrap and serve.

I still find it amazing how much cedar was transferred to the salmon over such a short cook.  In the end this was an incredibly easy, fast and really good weeknight meal.  I can't recommend it, or impulse buys, enough.