Cedar Plank Grilled Loup De Mer (Sea Bass)
Now, looking rather prehistoric. In a good way.
Merrill slices some tomatoes and lemons for stuffing in the belly of the fish. (You can skip the tomatoes this time of year.)
A nicely cleaned fish.
Merrill stuffs the fish as if she were neatly packing a suitcase.
Then Merrill tied it up with twine -- not too tight.
The fish is lying on a cedar plank that we soaked in water for a couple of hours.
The temperature dipped below 50F so Amanda came prepared. Merrill, however, is a braver soul.
This is the fish after just a few minutes on the covered grill. Its skin turns the color of whiskey.
It's a smoky affair. That's Amanda's backyard view -- a true Brooklyn neighborhood. If it were a clear day, you'd see the tops of some of the buildings in Lower Manhattan, too.
The plank caught fire which, in retrospect, looks terrific. In the moment, it caused some panic. Didn't want a scorched fish for our final photo!
Looking like it were made of bronze.
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Author Notes: I love the flavor that the cedar imparts to fish ... I have made this recipe with other whole fish, it's very good with trout too. A word on cedar planks - you can buy them from a specialty store for like $11.99 if you want, OR - you can go to Home Depot and purchase UNTREATED cedar fence pickets for about $2.49 and cut them to length, thereby getting a BUNCH of planks for a fraction of the cost. Fish wider than the picket? Just lay 2 side by side on the grill and proceed! - aargersi - aargersi
Food52 Review: We'd never grilled a fish on cedar before and what a revelation! The cedar wraps the fish in a sweet smokiness without overwhelming the gentle flavor of the sea bass. And if you're ever looking for a dish that'll be a visual showstopper, this is it -- the fish firms up and turns the color of bronze on the grill, making it look frozen in time. Our 2 1/4-pound fish took 26 minutes to cook through. - A&M - A&M
Serves 4 (depending on the size of your fish)
- 1 cedar plank - fish sized
- 1 whole Lup De Mar - scaled and cleaned
- kosher salt
- olive oil
- 4 large basil leaves
- thinly sliced tomato
- thinly sliced red onion
- thinly sliced lemon
- kitchen twine
- a squirt bottle filled with water (just in case!)
- A few hours ahead of cooking, soak your plank in water - you will have to weight it to hold it under. I do mine in the sink with a heavy pot. Heat your grill to HIGH when you are ready to get started.
- Rinse the fish and pat it dry. Sprinkle the inside with olive oil and kosher salt.
- Line the inside of the fish with the basil leaves, then layer the sliced tomato, onion and lemon. How many slices will depend on the size of the fish.
- Salt the outside of the fish, then tie it up with kitchen twine - roast style. Lay it on the plank.
- Head out to the grill. Make sure it is VERY hot. Lay the plank / fish on the grill and lower the cover. You are going to want to check every couple of minutes JUST in case the plank isn't completely soaked - coals and smoke are GOOD, a flaming plank is BAD. That's where the squirt bottle comes in.
- You might want to squirt the bottom part of the plank a couple times in either case to make it smoke up a bit. The smoke adds a TON of great flavor.
- When the plank is blackened and the fish is toasty brown on the "up" side, you're done! (see photo) Bring it in and cut the twine away. If you are a wimp (like me) remove the head and serve!
- Caution - the fish I cooked did have a lot of bones so I had to pull the meat out carefully. Just depends on your particular fish ...
- Your Best Way to Cook a Whole Fish Contest Finalist!
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about 1 year ago Oxide
Just a quick comment about the choice of cedar for smoking the fish in this recipe -- any hardwood will work as well, and impart the flavor of the wood into the fish if the wood smokes. The plank should be about 1/4-inch (6 mm) thick and free of any chemicals, e.g. not previously stained or painted. Oak or maple or mesquite would be good choices. In general, avoid using planks from evergreens like pine or redwood.
about 2 years ago FrancesRenHuang
A genius recipe. I can't wait to try this out.
almost 3 years ago thirschfeld
Somehow I missed this. I really like cooking with whole fish. I too, for some reason have stayed away from the cedar plank but I think I am changing my mind. The picture is great too.
almost 3 years ago aargersi
Abbie is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Embrace the plank! We do this a LOT and are happy with the results every time! That's A&Ms photo - mine is the sad ugly one at the end :-)
over 3 years ago BruceCole
For best results when using a cedar plank, you want to "pre-heat" the wood, so to speak. Put the plank (sans the fish) over hot coals, cover the grill, and wait until the wood begins to smoke. Then place the fish on the plank and close the grill. This method maximizes the smoky flavor from the cedar wood (which is the whole point of the method). Also, consider using indirect heat for cooking - pile the coals on one side of the grill and put the plank on the opposite side - this way the wood doesn't catch on fire.
over 3 years ago WinnieAb
This looks great! Can't wait to give it a try.
over 3 years ago TheWimpyVegetarian
Can planks be reused - or are they one time only things? I have a cedar plank that I've been wanting to test drive. This looks like a perfect way to do it. Thanks. And this would be great with one of your citrus salts, yes?
over 3 years ago aargersi
Abbie is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Hi there! YES on the citrus salt for sure ... they would work great. Planks are a one time use - it'll be pretty burned up when your done. And if you take the fish off the plank then forget the plank is on the grill for oh, 3 or 4 days, it is also stinky :-) Ask me how I know that.
over 3 years ago TheWimpyVegetarian
ALL good info to know :-) I'll think we'll give this a go tonight. Thanks!
over 3 years ago islandgirl
sounds soooo good Can't wait to try
over 3 years ago Janneke Verheij
I'm hoping for an early spring for many reasons and making this fish on a plank is one of them. This looks like a lot of fun.
over 3 years ago mariaraynal
Congrats! Very happy to see this is a finalist!!
over 3 years ago MissGinsu
Looks good. I know this trick works a treat with salmon fillets as well, so if you can't find a whole fish, that's another option.
over 3 years ago aargersi
Abbie is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Absolutely! I do that a lot too - I layer the onion tomato etc on top to keep the fish nice and moist ....
over 3 years ago randirossman
I've tasted Abbie's salmon on planks -- Delish!
over 3 years ago ellenl
Thanks SO much for the great idea of buying the planks at Home Depot!
over 3 years ago mariaraynal
Great recipe and smart tips.
over 3 years ago TasteFood
I have always wanted to try and cook with a plank, and was just given a cedar plank as a gift. Thanks for your tips and recipe!
over 3 years ago aargersi
Abbie is a trusted source on General Cooking.
don't forget the spray bottle :-)
over 3 years ago NakedBeet
If you wanted to do this in the winter....without the grill, could you put the plank in the oven, in a roasting pan, would it impart the same smoking flavors, or do you need an open environment?
over 3 years ago aargersi
Abbie is a trusted source on General Cooking.
I think it needs to be done outside because you really need that sucker smoking, and for that you need fire ... I am afraid you would set off your alarm!