Cedar Plank Grilled Trout - 2 Ways

Well, I finally did it, I forced Chris to give a different type of a fish a shot.  And wouldn't you know it, he actually liked it!! YAY!  Once again, it just goes to show you that sometimes it pays to try new things :)

Now, since I had convinced him to try something new, I thought it would fun for me to try something new too.  I have been wanting to grill some fish on cedar planks for a while now, so I thought that would be my "something new".

I think I might do things a little differently next time, because I believe it did not get the "cedar" flavor that it should have.  But for my first time, the fish really turned out fantastic!  What I really liked about the plank was the the trout had skin still on it, and when it was finished, the meat pulled right away from the skin and the skin just stayed right on the board.  It was less messy then any other way I was thinking of preparing the trout.

I created two types of sauces for these, since I had to fairly nice sized pieces.  I knew Chris would be the happiest with just butter and garlic, but I wanted something a bit more flavorful.  Since I've been on this Asian flavor kick as of late, I figured why not do something with a bit of Asian flair!  And, wouldn't know it, I was right:  Chris preferred the fish with the butter/garlic/lemon sauce and I definitely preferred the hoisin sauce.

Now, you don't have to grill these on cedar planks.  You don't even have to grill them at all.  You can do the same thing with your broiler....just don't put the planks in there or you'll have a mess :)  If you do use planks (for the grill NOT the oven), make sure to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before putting them over the fire.  And please, be careful, keep an eye on the plank if you grill these over direct heat, you don't want them to catch fire!

Cedar Plank Grilled Trout - 2 Ways
Created by Jenn's Food Journey
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
2 red mountain trout fillets (about 1 lbs total - and really, any fish will do here)
For the Garlic Butter -
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large garlic clove, finely minced
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
For the Hoisin Sauce -
1 Tablespoon Hoisin
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 teaspoon Sriracha
1/4 teaspoon brown sugar
Special equipment -
Cedar plank (soaked in water for at least 30 minutes)

Directions:
Preheat grill to 350 degrees F.  In separate bowls, mix together the ingredients for the individual sauces.  (I took about 1/4-1/2 of each sauce and set it aside for dipping.)

Remove planks from water and place on grill.  Close grill lid and let the planks sit on the grill for 5 minutes.  Flip the plank and allow to sit for another 5 minutes or until just starting to smoke a tiny bit.  Place the fish, skin side down, on the plank.  

Brush one fillet with the butter sauce and one with the hoisin sauce.  

Move the plank to indirect heat (on my gas grill I had all three burners on, at this point I turn the middle on off and had the plank right over it), close the lid and allow to grill about 15-20 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Remove plank from grill and allow to sit for a few minutes.  The fish should come right off, leaving most of the skin on the plank.  Serve with reserved sauces.  Enjoy!

One Year Ago:  White Chocolate Chip Cookies with Key Lime Glaze