This grilled cedar planked salmon with maple mustard glaze is a light and flavorful recipe that has only 10 ingredients and takes less than 30 minutes to prepare. Serve it with a bright peach and tomato salsa to add a tangy, sweet accompaniment to the smoky, buttery salmon. It makes a great, easy weeknight meal, but is special enough to serve to guests.
This simple cedar plank salmon recipe produces perfectly cooked, juicy salmon fillets with a delicate smoke flavor and it's one of my absolute favorite ways to cook salmon, especially in the summer months.
Not only is it one of the easiest salmon recipes, it's one of the tastiest, too. I love the subtle woodsy flavors the cedar smoke infuses into the fish, especially when combined with the tangy, sweet maple dijon mustard spread on top.
Why grill salmon directly on a hot grill grate when you could grill it on a cedar plank instead? It's the best way to get that gently smoky flavor without the risk of it sticking, and the indirect cooking technique keeps the meat succulent and juicy.
The tomato peach salsa is optional but highly recommended. If it's summertime and you have access to ripe peaches and tomatoes, definitely don't skip it!
This cedar-plank salmon is made with simple ingredients and one of my favorite cooking techniques. It's truly the best salmon recipe ever!
For more great seafood recipes try my Maryland Style Crab Cakes, authentic Cioppino, classic creamy Clam Chowder, or these easy, foolproof Pan Seared Scallops!
Why This Recipe Works
- An easy 30 minute meal with only 10 ingredients.
- Cedar planks keep the fish from sticking to the grill AND add tons of flavor.
- Perfect for hot summer nights!
Ingredient Notes
- Salmon - Use good quality, sustainable salmon. I prefer Pacific, wild caught salmon such as sockeye salmon over Atlantic salmon. You can use fresh salmon or frozen salmon fillets, just make sure they are defrosted first. You can use salmon fillets with skin or without.
- Real Maple Syrup - It's super important that you use 100% pure maple syrup for this recipe and not pancake syrup, which will not turn out correctly. If you don't have real maple syrup, you can substitute brown sugar or honey.
- Dijon Mustard - Use a good quality Dijon mustard such as Grey Poupon or Maille.
- Olive Oil - Use a good, quality extra virgin olive oil.
- Fresh Produce - Only use fresh, in-season ripe peaches and tomatoes for this recipe. It will not be good with out of season produce. You can substitute green onions for red onions if you wish, but use fresh herbs only. If you don't have fresh basil, use another fine herb such as mint, chives, dill, parsley, cilantro or chervil.
*Full ingredient list with quantities is in the recipe card.
Helpful Equipment
- Untreated Cedar Planks - Use untreated cedar planks for grilling your salmon to infuse the fish with a gentle smoky flavor. You can find them at hardware stores like Home Depot or online. You can also use planks from other untreated wood, such as alder planks.
- Grill - You can opt to use a gas grill or a charcoal grill for this recipe. A charcoal grill will add an even deeper smoky flavor, but be sure to use hardwood lump charcoal and not briquettes. I do not recommend a grill pan or indoor grilling for this recipe.
- Meat Thermometer - You can use this to take the internal temperature of your salmon to determine when it's perfectly done inside.
Step by step instructions
- Soak the cedar planks for at least 1 hour prior to grilling.
- Preheat a grill to medium-high heat.
- Pat each salmon filet dry and season all over with kosher salt and black pepper.
- Combine the Dijon mustard, maple syrup, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
- Place the salmon skin side down and spoon the mustard mixture over top.
- Lightly oil the top side of the soaked cedar planks, then place them on the grill and allow them to heat up with the lid closed for about 5 minutes.
- Place salmon fillets on the hot cedar planks, then close the grill and cook for 5-10 minutes or until the salmon is just cooked and opaque in the center.
- While the salmon cooks, make the salsa.
- Combine tomatoes, peaches, and red onion in a medium bowl. Drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil, basil, season with salt and pepper, then toss to combine. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
- Transfer each salmon fillet to a plate, then spoon salsa over top. Drizzle with a little more olive oil, then serve immediately.
Tips For Success
- The cedar planks need to be soaked in water for at least one hour. If you don’t soak them long enough, they could catch fire on the grill and burn up.
- Salmon may contain a few small pin bones. Check the fillets prior to cooking and remove the bones with a pair of tweezers, or just be mindful while you're eating.
- You can add extra flavor to the mustard glaze with lemon zest, garlic powder, paprika or other spices.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this simple fish recipe with a starchy side like these oven roasted potatoes and onions or this summer tomato risotto and a salad like this Grilled Romaine Wedge Salad for a complete meal! I love to serve it with some lemon slices on the side as well.
Begin your meal with another seafood recipe like Fried Calamari or Clams Oreganata! Then finish the meal with a light summer dessert like an affogato or lemon ice cream!
FAQ
You want to place the soaked cedar plank directly over the flame of the grill.
Before placing the plank on the grill, rub it down with oil to keep the fish from sticking.
When grilling on a cedar plank and closing the grill, you don’t have to flip the salmon. The grill will hold the heat in and cook the fish through without the need for flipping.
The salmon and salsa are both best when fresh, but you can still enjoy them as leftovers. Store leftover salsa separately from salmon for best results. Keep both in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
For the best reheated salmon, preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Loosely wrap the salmon in foil and place it on a sheet pan. Warm in the oven for around 15 minutes or until the salmon is warmed all the way through.
Related Recipes
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Cedar Planked Wild Salmon with Maple Mustard Glaze
Equipment
- 2 untreated cedar planks soaked in water for ~1 hour
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 4 salmon fillets 5-6 oz each
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 ripe peaches pitted and cut into chunks
- ½ small red onion very thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice plus more to taste
- 4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
- ½ cup thinly sliced basil leaves
Instructions
- Preheat a grill to medium heat-high. Mix together the mustard, maple syrup, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Pat the salmon fillets very dry, then place them skin-side-down and rub the mustard mixture all over top.
- Rub the top of the cedar planks lightly with oil, place them on the grill, close, and allow them to heat up for about 5 minutes. While the grill heats up, mix together the salsa.
- Combine the tomatoes, peaches and red onion in a medium bowl. Drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil, season with salt and pepper, then mix to combine.
- Place the salmon fillets on the cedar planks, then close the grill and let cook for about 5-10 minutes or until the salmon is opaque in the center. Add the basil to the salsa, then toss to combine. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
- Transfer each salmon fillet to a plate, then spoon salsa over top. Drizzle with a little more olive oil, then serve immediately.
Notes
- The cedar planks need to be soaked in water for at least one hour. If you don’t soak them long enough, they could catch fire on the grill and burn up.
- Salmon may contain a few small pin bones. Check the fillets prior to cooking and remove the bones with a pair of tweezers, or just be mindful while you're eating.
- You can add extra flavor to the mustard glaze with lemon zest, garlic powder, paprika or other spices.
Danielle
Good to know where I can get some decent sockeye, because lord knows it ain't at my grocery store! Love that chunky peach salsa over smoky salmon. Too good.
Coley
This is some seriously high quality stuff. I'm sure you'd approve!
Kathryn Kelly
Cannot wait to make this! We would definitely be interested in a local salmon buying club 🙂
Coley
I will keep you posted!
Bruno
Hilarious! I used to cook salmon at least one time per week for twenty years because I LOVE it so much. Then one day my wife tells me that she is not that fond of it! Twenty years it took to tell me this? I fell in love with wild caught salmon while on a purchasing trip to Alaska when I worked for a seafood company. Like a Porsche - there is no substitute. Wild caught Coho, King or Sockeye is nothing like the stuff in the case at Acme or ShopRite. I have a couple of unused cedar planks in the pantry, peaches are readily available and my basil is going nuts right now - this gets made as soon as i can lay in some wild caught fillets. Thanks for another interesting recipe.
Coley
Thanks Bruno!! Definitely check out Wild For Salmon - their product is incredibly high quality!