Plank-Cooked Salmon with Indonesian Five-Spice BBQ Sauce and Thai-Style Asparagus

Plank cooking fish has been something on my list of techniques to try for some time now, but, due to the fact that I have no grill and no planks, I was hindered.

Now I have a grill and cedar planks so away I went. Can't say enough about the BBQ sauce. Nice sweetness and heat balance. Perfect for the salmon. The asparagus was a nice sour/spicy contrast to the fish. This dish was so simple yet delivered a big flavor payoff.

INDONESIAN FIVE-SPICE BARBECUE SAUCE
3 garlic cloves
1-inch chunk of peeled fresh ginger, coarsely chopped
½ teaspoon sambal oelek (Indonesian chili paste), or 1 small fresh serrano or jalapeno chili, stemmed and seeded
½ cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
2 tablespoons tamarind concentrate or paste
1 tablespoon tomato paste
½ cup soy sauce (preferably Tamari)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons peanut or canola oil

Place the garlic and ginger in a blender or the workbowl of a food processor and process to finely chop. Add the chili paste and process again to chop. Add the brown sugar, five-spice powder, tamarind concentrate, tomato paste, soy sauce, lime juice, and oil and process until smooth. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator, covered, up to 1 week.

PLANK-COOKED SALMON
1 ½ lbs. center-cut salmon fillet, 1 inch thick
extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 recipe INDONESIAN FIVE-SPICE BARBECUE SAUCE (see above)
Special equipment: cedar cooking plank

Soak the cedar plank in cold water to cover for 30 minutes. Preheat a gas grill to medium-high.

Brush the skin side of the salmon lightly with the olive oil. Put the fillet, skin side down, on the soaked cooking plank and season the flesh side with salt and pepper. Brush the barbecue sauce on the salmon generously to coat. Place the plank on the grill and, as soon as it begins to smolder, reduce the grill's heat to medium and close the cover. Cook the salmon, covered, until medium rare, about 10 minutes for a 1-inch fillet.

THAI ASPARAGUS
350 g asparagus stalks
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
½" piece fresh galangal, finely shredded
1 red chile, seeded and finely chopped
1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon palm sugar or light muscovado (brown) sugar

Snap the asparagus stalks. They will break naturally at the junction between the woody base and the more tender portion of the stalk. Discard the woody parts of the stems.

Heat the oil in a wok and stir-fry the garlic, sesame seeds and galangal for 3-4 seconds, until the garlic is just beginning to turn golden.

Add the asparagus stalks and chile, toss to mix, then add the fish sauce, soy sauce, water and sugar. Using two spoons, toss over the heat for a further 2 minutes, or until the asparagus just begins to soften and the liquid is reduced by half.

Carefully transfer to a warmed platter and serve immediately.