Summer is sizzling and so is the grill. Chef Naz Cavallaro returns to the Canada AM patio with another great recipe to cook up for family and friends on the Canada Day weekend.

Cedar-Planked Salmon with Apple-Tarragon Salad (Serves 4)

  • Ideal grill: charcoal
  • Smoke intensity: moderate
  • Prep time: 30 minutes
  • Cooking time: 15 to 20 minutes
  • Special equipment: 1 untreated cedar plank, 12 to 15 inches long and about 7 inches wide and ½ to 3/4 inch thick, soaked in water for at least 1 hour.

Salad

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbsp. sour cream
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 2 Granny Smith apples, about 12 ounces total, cut into quarter-inch dice
  • 1 Tbsp. minced fresh tarragon leaves
  • Kosher salt
  • Ground black pepper

Glaze

  • 2/3 cup unsweetened apple juice
  • 1 Tbsp. whole-grain mustard

Rub

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1 salmon fillet (with skin), about 1 1/2 pounds, pin bones removed
  •  2 Tbsp. minced fresh tarragon leaves
  • 1 Tbsp. minced scallion (white and light green parts only)

Directions:

1. In a medium, nonreactive bowl whisk the sour cream, lemon juice, and sugar. Add the apples and tarragon and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

2. In a small saucepan over high heat, boil the apple juice until it is reduced to three tablespoons, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the mustard. Pour the glaze into a small bowl and let cool.

3. Prepare a two-zone fire for medium heat (350 F to 450 F, or 176 C to 232 C).

4. In a small bowl combine the rub ingredients. Cut the salmon fillet in half lengthwise and then crosswise to make four individual portions, cutting right down to the skin but not through it. Season the flesh side of the fillet evenly with the tarragon and scallion and then the rub.

5. Brush the cooking grate clean. Place the soaked plank on the cooking grate over direct medium heat and close the lid. After 5 to 10 minutes, when the plank begins to smoke and char, turn the plank over. Place the fillet on the plank and cook over direct medium heat, with the lid closed, until lightly browned on the surface and cooked to your desired doneness, 15 to 20 minutes for medium rare, brushing with the glaze after the first 10 minutes of cooking time. (The cooking time will vary according to the thickness of the fillet.) Using sturdy tongs, carefully transfer the fillet on the plank to a heatproof surface.

6. Slide a spatula between the skin and flesh and transfer individual portions of the salmon to serving plates. Serve warm or at room temperature with the salad.

©2012 Weber-Stephen Products LLC. Recipe from Weber’s Smoke™ by Jamie Purviance. Used with permission.