HERB GRILLED SALMON WITH CAULIFLOWER RICE PILAF

Last year around this time I was in Greenlife (Asheville’s hippie supermarket which is actually a Whole Foods Market but we all pretend it’s not) and they had some salmon fillets on wood planks all ready for the grill.  I really wanted to try it but at the time I had no grill and no place to put one.

This year I have a place to put one and I have a grill so I went back to Greenlife and even though they had nothing prepared I managed to score an already soaked plank and some salmon.

And when I got home I went to town on it!

Truthfully, I wasn’t expecting much so I didn’t take many pictures or write down what I was doing.  BIG mistake!  One bite of the finished dish and I was blown away.  So, I made it again.  This time doing the work so I could share it with you.

I cut a bunch of Mexican tarragon from my garden and added some fresh dill I had in the fridge. Then I lay the salmon on top of the herbs on the plank. I made a quick balsamic glaze with some honey and  spread it on top of the salmon.  When my grill was ready, I spread the coals to the sides, put the planked fish in the center and covered it up.

While that was cooking I made some cauliflower rice pilaf to go with it.

First some onion sautéed in the pan until just soft.

Then I added the minced cauliflower and the kernels from a fresh ear of corn.

When that had cooked I tossed in a chopped garden-grown tomato and some Spanish Castelvetra green olives, stirring it together until the tomato had warmed through. Salt, pepper and cilantro and done!

5 from 1 vote

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HERBED GRILLED SALMON WITH CAULIFLOWER RICE PILAF

Servings 1

Ingredients

For the Salmon

• 2 salmon fillets
• 1 large cedar plank or 2 small ones
• 1 large bunch of tarragon
• 1 large bunch of dill
• Balsamic glaze see note

For the Pilaf

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cups minced cauliflower
• ½ onion coarsely chopped
• 1 large tomato chopped
• 1 cup fresh corn or kernels from 1 large ear
• ¼ cup chopped Castelvetra olives or good green olives
• ¼ fresh cilantro leaves and stems, chopped
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. In the morning or at least 2-3 hours before, place the plank in water to soak.
2. Preheat a gas grill to 350 degree or prepare your charcoal fire. Once the coals are hot, open a circle in the center so that the plank will not be directly over the coals.
3. When the grill is ready, make a bed of dill and tarragon on the plank and place the salmon, skin side down, on the herbs. Brush the salmon with balsamic glaze (see note).
4. Place the salmon in the center of the grill and close the lid. Let the salmon cook for 12-15 minutes until done.
5. While the salmon is cooking, prepare the cauliflower pilaf.
6. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large sauté pan until hot. Sauté the onion in the oil until it is soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. When the onion is done, add the corn and cauliflower and sauté, stirring often, until the corn is cooked and the cauliflower is soft, 4-5 minutes. Stir in the tomato and olives and stir until the tomato is warmed, 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper and toss in the cilantro. Keep warm until the salmon is ready.
7. To serve, make a bed of pilaf on each plate. Carefully remove the salmon from the bed of herbs on the plank and place on top of the pilaf. Sprinkle with a little cilantro.

Recipe Notes

For the balsamic glaze, I used a commercially prepared one. If you want to make your own put ¼ cup of honey and two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer until it has reduced by a bit more than half and is thick and syrupy. If you don’t like cilantro, mint can be substituted.