Recipe Swap Sunday: Cedar Plank-Grilled Salmon with Avocado-Orange Salsa

It’s MUCH easier than it sounds and it tastes DELICIOUS! This recipe comes from Cooking Light, but with a few of my changes. The original recipe included Cointreau, an orange-flavored liqueur. I don’t mind liqueurs, but I do mind paying twenty bucks for a huge bottle of something when I only need a couple tablespoons. So I modified the recipe to skip the reduction. It still tastes amazing and now saves me money and time.

Another note: the salsa is great just by itself! If you don’t like salmon or simply need an appetizer for a party, this makes a perfect solution. It’s sweet and flavorful, fresh and light. You can make it in about five minutes and serve with chips. Yum!

Cedar Plank-Grilled Salmon

• 1 cedar grilling plank (15 x 6 1/2″, 3/8″ thick)
• 1/4 c maple syrup (You’ll probably need less; I rarely measure.)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 6 (6-oz) salmon fillets

Immerse and soak the plank in water for at least one hour; drain.

Prepare grill. Salt and pepper fish fillets.

Place plank on grill rack and grill for 3 minutes or until lightly charred. Carefully turn the plank over and place fish on charred side of plank. Drizzle fish with maple syrup. Cover and grill for about 12 minutes, until fish flakes easily, or until desired doneness.

Top with Avocado-Orange Salsa and serve. (Serving size: 1 salmon fillet and 1/4 c salsa)

Avocado-Orange Salsa

• 1 large orange, peeled, sectioned and cut into 1/2″ pieces (1 cup)
• 1 avocado, peeled and diced (3/4 cup)
• 1/4 c orange juice
• 2 T finely chopped red onion
• 2 T finely chopped red bell pepper
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/8 t pepper

Combine all ingredients and serve.