Cedar-Wrapped Wild BC Salmon with Marinated BC Peaches

WATCH: Jenice Yu from Fresh Ideas Start Here shows us how to make a cedar wrapped salmon dish with BC peaches

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

2 wild BC salmon fillets, 4 oz each, skin off

2 stalks lemongrass

½ cup butter, room temperature

1 tbsp lemon zest, minced

2 pieces cedar paper, soaked

Kitchen string or four whole chives

3 BC peaches

1 tbsp lemon juice

½ cup maple syrup

2 cups water

1 tbsp ginger, sliced thinly

1 tsp tarragon leaves

Method:

1. Remove the skin from your peaches either by blanching or using a peeler—I prefer the blanching method.  To blanch, bring a saucepan of water to a rolling boil. Lightly score an X into the bottom of each peach with a sharp knife before gently lowering them into boiling water. After 30 seconds, remove peaches with a slotted spoon and immediately immerse them in a bowl of ice water. Allow peaches to cool for 30 to 40 seconds before peeling.
2. Cut peaches into quarters and place into a jar together with lemon juice.
3. Combine maple syrup, water, and ginger in a pot and bring to a boil. Set aside and let the liquid cool. Add tarragon while the liquid is cooling.
4. Once the marinating liquid has cooled, pour into the jar of peaches and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight before serving.
5. Soak cedar papers in a shallow dish of warm water for a minimum of 10 minutes. Use a small bottle to weight them down and keep them fully submerged. Not soaking your cedar papers or not having them fully submerged while soaking can cause a fire during the cooking process!
6. Remove and discard tough layers of lemongrass. With the flat side of a knife, crush stalks and mince. Add butter at room temperature, fold in lemon zest, and combine thoroughly.
7. Generously spread lemongrass butter over salmon. Place salmon in soaked cedar paper, season with salt and pepper. Close the cedar paper packet either by tucking the ends to the bottom or tying with string or chives.
8. Bake salmon uncovered in a shallow baking dish at 400F for 15-18 minutes, or grill over medium heat for 12-15 minutes. Remove cedar-wrapped salmon from heat, cut string/chives to open the packet, garnish with marinated peach slices, and serve!