When I was staying at my grandparents house in Tennessee an aroma began wafting through the room as I was preheating the oven to make granola. It smelled like a forest fire and then I realized there was probably something left in the oven.

When I opened it to check out the damage, I saw her beautiful salmon shaped cedar plank. I had no idea these even existed in home kitchens until I called my mom freaking out thinking I had ruined my grandma’s fancy salmon serving platter.

My mom politely informed me that it is meant to be in the oven…with fish on it.

This embarrassing discovery made me realize just how simple this dish really is. Place salmon on cedar plank, season, bake.

Wood scented salmon? Seriously?

When I first started cooking I would have laughed at the person who told me I would make anything with the words “cedar” and “salmon” in it someday. It’s totally a dish you order on a menu because it sounds like something you wouldn’t in a million years attempt to make at home.

I got these sweet smelling cedar grilling papers as a stocking stuffer from my mama during Christmas and why I hadn’t used them before now is beyond me. They made it so simple!

Soak them in water for a little while then wrap up your fish and it’s a whole new world of gourmet cuisine in less than 15 minutes.

P.S. Don’t worry when your home begins smelling (deliciously) of a thousand burning cedar trees; it’s not a forest fire.

Cedar Rosemary Salmon

3 Cedar grilling papers (soaked 10 minutes) or Cedar plank (soaked for 2 hours in water)

3 portions salmon

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Ingredients

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season salmon with rosemary, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Lay salmon on cedar papers, fold edges over to wrap salmon and flip over. Bake for 15 minutes.

From the Little Yellow Kitchen,

Lauren