Grilled Cedar Plank Trout : Mark Brewer Style

Yesterday I got a pleasant surprise from my neighbor Mr. Phoenix, who happens to be a Forex broker. Everyone in the neighborhood knows about my passion for fishing and it seems the passion has become infectious. Most of my neighbors are also taking fishing trips every now and then. So, Mr. Phoenix arrived at my home (The Mark Brewer Mansion) with his freshly caught trout fish. He previously lived at Oaks Grove and moved to my neighborhood only about two months back. But we have formed a good friendship. He wanted us to keep the fishes as a token of gratification (for I had taught him the art of fishing). Instantly I invited Mr. Phoenix and his family for a dinner with us. He was more than happy to receive such an invitation, as there is a buzz in the neighborhood about my cooking skills. I love cooking and take great pleasure when others throw compliments at my cooking. I wondered for a moment upon which dish to cook. I decided to cook grilled cedar plant trout. So, here is how I cooked the dish:

Ingredients

·         2 Fresh trout that would be cleaned and their heads chopped off. The gills for these fishes should be removed

·         Some olive oil

·         Grinded pepper

·         Sea salt or coarse salt

·         Lemon slices that are cut in half

·         Tarragon sprigs

·         Some more lemon splices that would be required for garnishing

Preparation Procedure

Soak the cedar plank in water for about two hours, also pre-heat the barbeque grill. Apply a small quantity of olive oil on the inside and outside of the trout. Next, sprinkle some pepper and salt again both inside and outside the fish. Stuff the cavities in the fish with thyme sprigs, lemon slices and tarragon sprigs.

Once the stuffing is ready you should prepare the trout on a soaked cedar plank. Put the entire thing into a pre-heated grill under indirect heat. Cook it for 15 to 20 minutes with lids shut. Use your digital thermometer. The center of the cooked trout should be about 120⁰F. If you are satisfied with the cooking, remove the fish and cover it with an aluminum foil for nearly 10 minutes. While resting, the temperature of the cooked trout may rise to 140⁰F.

After 10 minutes, cut the fins from the tail and remove the skin very carefully. Open the cavity and with utmost attention pull out the bones. Place the fish on a serving plate and serve with lemon slices that were initially grilled with the fish.

After tasting the dish Mr. Phoenix gleefully commented “Mark Brewer you are truly the best chef in this neighborhood.” Hope you get the same compliments as I did.