Here at Wildwood Grilling we enthusiastically make Cedar Grilling Planks for the masses. We have certainly perfected this idea, but it is by no means an original one that we can call our own.
So where did the concept of cooking fish on a piece of Cedar Wood come from? I decided to do some digging on the origins and history of this unique cooking method.
The Western Red Cedar tree, or Thuja Plicata is native to the Pacific Northwest. Indigenous tribes of the same region were the first to develop this style of cooking and preserving fish, particularly, Salmon. Native people such as the Salish and Chinook adopted Cedar and Salmon as staples in their diets. Incidentally, the Chinook people share their name with a species of Salmon. Chinook Salmon is also known as King Salmon.
Traditionally large sides of Salmon were pinned to flat pieces of water soaked Cedar that were vertically placed near a fire where they could cook gently. This method not only added smoke flavor but also allowed the fish to cook evenly without over drying, something worth considering when cooking wild Salmon. The beginning of Salmon season was particularly revered and was celebrated by cooking at large social gatherings as a time of harvest. This was known as the “First Salmon Celebration”.
Similar cooking techniques were used to cook the Atlantic fish Shad, another Anadromous fish that lives in the ocean but returns to fresh water to spawn. East coast tribes like Lenni Lenape and Wampanoag primarily used Hickory and Oak wood to cook Shad.
Post colonization, this cooking technique thrived. The original Boston School Cookbook published in 1896 documents plank cooking in early American culinary literature. George Washington famously held large, planked shad cookouts at Mount Vernon to feed employees and guests.
In the 30’s and 40’s of the 20th century the popular trend of “Planked Steak and Fish” appeared on American Restaurant menus across the country. Thick steaks like porterhouse or fish fillets were placed on hickory, cedar, or oak planks and cooked, often in a wood fired oven or over an open fire. In fact, a planked Salmon dish was a well known favorite of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The meal was served directly on the plank it was cooked on. The plank was typically surrounded by a border of mashed potatoes, sometimes decoratively piped and accompanied by seasonal vegetables like carrots, peas or beans.
Across the Atlantic the Finnish peoples adopted a similar technique using Birch or Alder wood to cook Salmon over an open fire. This is known as Loimulohi, translated as “Blazed Salmon”.
Wildwood Grilling planks offer the same technique, and flavor as these traditional methods but with the convenience of a home grill or oven. History shows that without a doubt, grilling plank cooking is clearly a tried and true way to cook your fish. Documentation from the last few hundred years serve as backup for this last statement.
So fire up that grill, get some fresh fish and give it a try.
