Apple-Glazed, Cedar-Grilled Wild-Caught Alaskan Salmon

That pure sugar goo they put on “glazed salmon” in restaurants probably convinces more people to eat fish and makes salmon more appetizing to those who otherwise wouldn’t touch it—that’s the good news.

The bad news is that pure sugar goo is pure sugar goo. Plus it’s invariably slapped on farm-raised fish, which aren’t nearly as good for you as the wild variety. For example, farm-raised salmon gets its pink color from dyes, while wild salmon comes by it naturally through its diet.

In the following recipe, Chef Jeannette came up with the idea of using fresh apple cider as the base, to get the delicious, sugary taste of restaurant glaze while minimizing the negatives. We also enhance the flavor by grilling on a soaked cedar grilling plank, and strongly recommend you use wild Alaskan salmon from Vital Choice, available through my website (jonnybowden.com). You can also get wild Alaskan salmon at health food stores and fish markets.

Notes From Chef Jeannette

It’s pretty easy to find a cedar plank nowadays. Most regular and natural grocers may carry a couple of varieties. Cooking on cedar is a clean and simple way to add sweet smokiness to grilled foods. You can soak the plank in water or a flavored liquid, such as the cider in this recipe. Even though it’s pre-soaked, you still need to keep an eye on the plank during grill time-after all, it is a piece of wood sitting over a flame! In the unlikely event that your plank catches fire, just put it out with a good spritz of water and move the plank to a cooler part of the grill to complete the cooking.