Wood plank grilled fish should be added to your list of backyard barbecueing skills. You get extraordinary taste and texture- it's like grilling and smoking at the same time. Grilling on a wooden plank is also great because it gives you a nice firm surface to hold delicate foods like fish on while giving you genuine smoked flavor. Actually you really can put most anything on a plank and grill it, from roasts to chicken, but this technique was created for fish.

You’ll need a clean piece of wood that hasn’t been chemically treated, about an inch thick. The item you’re planning to grill on it should fit completely on the plank, so make sure it’s long and wide enough as well. Cedar is the most popular wood, being full of smoky flavors, but there are lots of others- maple, alder, oak are all used too. You can easily find grill-worthy wood planks online or at gourmet food shops.

Since this is a real, untreated wood plank, unless you soak it well before using it, it will catch on fire and ruin your fish, to say the least. Soaking the plank in water for at least an hour will get it saturated to the point you use it safely.

If the board does catch fire while you are grilling, you want spray it with enough water to put out the fire, so keep a water spray bottle nearby. Soaking the plank also keeps your fish moist and tender, by the way.

It's natural to see the plank smoking and smoldering. In fact, thats what you want to se; it means the wood is imparting it's secret flavor to the fish.

Cooking Oil

I like to lightly brush the top of the plank with a little cooking oil to keep the fish from sticking to it. Also, you don't need to flip the fish over to cook the other side since it's more of a baking action happening. Grilling fish on a plank takes about 50% more time than normal because of the indirect cooking. Keep basting the fish during the cooking time with lemon juice or butter.

Once the fish is done, remove the entire plank from the grill, using oven mitts. Watch where you set it down, it's a hot, smoking smoldering peice of wood, remember? A cookie sheet or fireproof serving platter is good. Slide the fish off with a spatula and enjoy.

Grilling fish on a plank is a great way to get flavorful fish. Once you try it, you'll want it again and again. Just remember not to re-use the planks once they've been on the grill.